Lifetime and operating impairments

Good knowledge of the stress the operation of a hydropower plant has on the various components and their lifespan is very important to be able to plan production and maintenance well. New operating patterns also require better methods and knowledge about this.

Lifetime and operating impairments

Good knowledge of the stress the operation of a hydropower plant has on the various components and their lifespan is very important to be able to plan production and maintenance well. New operating patterns also require better methods and knowledge about this.

Photo: Juliet Landrø/ HydroCen

To run production as profitably as possible without compromising the condition of the components in the hydropower plant, it is important to have the right information about how the components are affected by different operating patterns.

Most hydropower plants in Norway are designed to run with relatively constant production, where components slowly and surely wear out and age over time. This could mean, for example, that the insulation of the generator windings deteriorates over time or the development of cracks in the impeller of the turbine.

To avoid major damage, costly repairs and downtime, the wear must be detected and repaired in time. This can be done, for example, by condition monitoring and fault detection of tunnels, turbines, and generators, among other things. When production is also increasingly controlled by varying market prices, with increased use of peaking power (start/stop) and variable production, the components of the hydropower plant face increased wear/degradation and there is an increasing risk of breakdown.

More variation means increased wear

Rapid variations in pressure because of rapid changes in production could cause the rock masses in the water tunnel to collapse, and rapid variations in temperature could destroy the insulation in the generator over time.

In HydroCen, new methods are being researched and new tools developed to make it easier and more efficient to measure the condition of various components in the hydropower plant, and to include this in the planning of maintenance and production.

Some examples of results from the centre have been:

The topic is strongly linked to the research the centre has carried out on Data collection, measuring equipment and analysis, where several tools have been developed that make it easier and more efficient to carry out condition analysis of the various components, so that errors can be detected before they go wrong, and thereby reducing costs and downtime for the power plant.

About HydroCen

We are a research center for environmentally friendly energy.

Researchers will deliver knowledge and innovative solutions to Norwegian hydropower.

The goal is for the research to contribute to Norwegian hydropower being able to meet complex challenges and opportunities in the future's renewable energy system.

Norwegian University of Science and technology (NTNU) is the host institution and main research partner in HydroCen together with SINTEF Energy and the Norwegian Institute for Natural Research (NINA). HydroCen has around 50 national and international partners from research, industry and administration.

About the Knowledge Hub

The goal of the Knowledge Hub is to collect and make available the knowledge from the research in HydroCen so that the results can be used directly by the hydropower industry or in further research, thereby helping to ensure value creation and societal benefit.

Newsletter from HydroCen

We regularly send out newsletters with research results and news. Please register here:

About HydroCen

We are a research center for environmentally friendly energy.

Researchers will deliver knowledge and innovative solutions to Norwegian hydropower.

The goal is for the research to contribute to Norwegian hydropower being able to meet complex challenges and opportunities in the future's renewable energy system.

Norwegian University of Science and technology (NTNU) is the host institution and main research partner in HydroCen together with SINTEF Energy and the Norwegian Institute for Natural Research (NINA). HydroCen has around 50 national and international partners from research, industry and administration.

About the Knowledge Hub

The goal of the Knowledge Hub is to collect and make available the knowledge from the research in HydroCen so that the results can be used directly by the hydropower industry or in further research, thereby helping to ensure value creation and societal benefit.

Newsletter from HydroCen

We regularly send out newsletters with research results and news. Please register here:

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