HIDROENERGIA

Crieff 2006

VASOCOMPACT A EUROPEAN PROJECT FOR THE

DEVELOPMENT OF A COMMERCIAL CONCEPT FOR VARIABLE
SPEED OPERATION OF SUBMERSIBLE COMPACT TURBINES

Jochen BARD, Institute for Solar Energy Supply Technology (ISET), Germany
Heikki PIRTTINIEMI, Waterpumps Oy, Finland
Prof. Dr. Eberhard GOEDE, Inst. of Fluid Mechanics and Hydraulic Machinery,
University of Stuttgart, Germany
Albin MUELLER, ELMOTEC Antriebstechnik AG, Switzerland
Dr. Drona UPADHYAY, IT Power, UK
Martin ROTHERT, SMA Technologie AG, Germany

Funded by:
European Commission, DG TREN
Institut fr Solare Energieversorgungstechnik e.V.

Systems Technology for the Use of Renewable

Energies and Efficient Energy Conversion

Applications-oriented Research and Development

 Wind Energy
 Photovoltaics
 Use of Biomass
 Hydropower, Ocean Energy Technologies
 Energy Conversion and Storage
 Hybrid Systems
 Energy Economy
 Information and Training

Executive Board: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jrgen Schmid

Dr. rer. nat. Oliver Fhrer
Personnel: 75 Employees, 120 people
Budget: approxim. 8 Mio. Euro
Information: www.iset.uni-kassel.de
Typical low head site: SHP plant Lewitzschleuse

head: 3.6 m
power: 270 kW
discharge: 9 m/s
Turbine: Kaplan
n = 190 rpm
= 1600 mm
 disadvantages of gearboxes

losses of 1-1.5% per stage (up to 5% overall)

vibration and noise
investment cost and lifetime
maintenance requirements and cost
environmental risk from oil
1

0,9

0,8

0,7
power train efficiency

0,6
PME generator
0,5
ASG+belt
0,4
old power train (ASG+ gear box)

0,3

0,2

0,1

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Power [%]

performance curves for different drive trains

Example of submersible turbines
with direct coupled induction generator

ITT Flygth

hydropower plant Reichenbach/Fils

VASOCOMPACT: Development of a commercial concept for variable speed
operation of unregulated submersible compact turbines

new turbine design for runner and guide vane

special PME-generator directly coupled
special frequency converter
scaling from 50 to 500 kW per unit
installation and test of a 50 kW pilot (Tirva, Finland)

Stator windings
direct flow cooling

draft tube

Rotor

Permanent- fix runner

magnets fix guide vanes
Variable speed concepts in hydropower

General technical aspects

Technologies and concepts
8 case studies 12-700 kW
Economic analysis
Data based on year 2000

available on the DGTREN homepage (8 MB pdf)

Development of a commercial concept for variable speed operation of
unregulated submersible compact turbines: VASOCOMPACT

Project No. : NNE5-349-2001

Coordinator: Institut fr Solare Energieversorgungstechnik e.V. ISET
Contractors: Waterpumps WP Oy
IT Power Ltd
Institute of Fluid Mechanics and Hydraulic Machinery
(IHS), University of Stuttgart
Ecotools Sustainables SA, replaced by ELMOTECH
SMA Regelsysteme GmbH (SMA Technologie AG)
Duration: 01.01.2002 to 31.12. 2006 (36+12 months)
Total cost: 1.380.792
EC-contrib.: 662.617 (47.7 %)
Labour: 144 person month
Type: Combined project (R&D + Demonstration)
Project Workplan

Phase A: design phase

1. General specification of the new turbine design
2. Turbine design (runner, intake draft tube)
3. Generator design
4. Frequency converter development and design
5. Bearing design
6. Development of a simulation tool for site specific design

Phase B: laboratory test phase

7. Turbine model test
8. Generator manufacturing, laboratory test and optimisation
9. Frequency converter manufacturing, laboratory test and optimisation
10.Development of a control algorithm

Phase C: Installation, Testing and Monitoring

11a. Installation of complete turbine at pilot site (DEMO)
11b. Testing of the turbine
12. Co-ordination and management/workshop
Turbine design and development: IHS, Stuttgart University
simulation of different runner
geometries using CFD definition of the
final design

Model runner for

hydraulic test

hillchart hydraulic test

Generator with permanent magnet excitation (Elmotec, CH)

rated speed 600 rpm, 40 poles

rated frequency 200 Hz
design torque 840 Nm
voltage 313 V, current 92 A
Frequency Converter (SMA Technologie AG)

= filter
G choke
3~
3~

Diode rectifier, DC-link with variable voltage, 50 Hz transformer

G 3~ = Sinus
3~ = 3~ Choke

Controlled rectifier, step-up converter

EUPEC EUPEC
PowerStack PowerStack Inenn,Netz=72A
Synchron-
generator 220A -G1 220A Sinusfilter EMC Filter
-G2
-Q2 -K2
-Z2 -Z1 -K1 -Q1

3~ =
G
= 3~

made out of EUPEC-Treiber EUPEC-Treiber

U, f Netz ok

standard components UGen

implementation of software for

Adap ME Adap BFS Adap BFS

earth fault
Adap ME U Netz

machine torque control

monitoring
earth fault

24 V DC 24 V DC auxiliary supply
230 V AC auxiliary supply

(similar to vector control)

laboratory testing
Sunny Central RS 485
Mod5 BFS Mod5 BFS RS 485
Control
Betriebsfhrungs- Betriebsfhrungs-

modifications for field test

baugruppe 1 baugruppe 2

RS 232
(interfaces, start-up etc.) Modem
Final turbine design for demonstration site Tirva, Finland

Design head 3,5 m (2,5 to 4,5 m)

Design flow 1,4 m/s (but: guide vanes at 73%)
Rated speed 600 rpm (450 to 750 rpm)
runner 600 mm
Run away speed 1500 rpm
 Results from the demonstration site Tirva
40
3.37 m
3.81 m
35 4.44 m

30

25
grid power [kW]

20

15

10

0
400 450 500 550 600 650 700 750 800
speed [rpm]

84% 100% 116%

of flow
 Results from the demonstration site Tirva
50
Feb 06
45 Jan 06

Mar 06
40 Apr 06

35

30
power [kW]

25

20

15

10

0
1 25 49 73 97 121 145 169 193 217 241 265 289 313 337 361 385 409 433 457 481 505 529 553 577 601 625 649 673 697 721
time [h]
Market evaluation of frequency converter cost
1200 600

1000 500

800 400
specific cost [DM/kW]

specific cost [/kW]

600 300

400 200

200 100

0 0
1 10 100 1000
rated power [kW]

data from year 2000,

today: 50-100 /kW
 Application example for the VASOCOMPACT turbines

example design
3,18 m head 1510 mm runner
12,4 m/s discharge 265 rpm
324 kW /unit PME-Generator
 Cost comparison
7000 0,14

6000 0,12

5000 0,10

Euro/kWh
4000 0,08
Euro/kW

3000 0,06

2000 0,04
Euro/kW
Euro/kWh
1000 Polynomisch ( Euro/kW) 0,02
Polynomisch ( Euro/kWh)

0 0,00
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
design flow [m/s]
Conclusions

commercial variable speed concept has been

developed and tested successfully
scalability from 50 to 500 kW/unit
sumersible compact turbine for refurbishment
or new weir integrated SHP plants
design tools are available
components are available

If the money is available, we are ready for

commercial projects !
 Multiple turbine example
10

6
flow [m/s]

0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350
exceedance days