Innovative Real-Time Simulation Monitoring System for Hydro Power
Plant Transient Survey

Introduction
Simulation of a hydro plant by ‘cloning’ makes it possible to detect undesirable phenomena, such as penstock or gallery overpressures, head loss increases, decreases in efficiency, surge tank limits, start-up and shut-down issues, unexpected cavitation and possible water column separations, air intake, and unwanted valve closures. Furthermore, a clone is able to minimize the risk of potential imminent harmful behaviour of the plant, by generating so-called ‘ahead of-time simulation monitoring’ (ATSM) alarms, based on a series of instantaneous simulations of any potential near-future behaviour of the plant. By combining RTSM and ATSM in real-time, it is believed that the newly developed system, known as Hydro-Clone, can be a valuable numerical asset for hydro plant owners to improve powerplant safety.
Power Vision Engineering launch HYDRO-CLONE: an Innovative Real-Time Simulation Monitoring (RTSM) System for Hydro Power Plant Transients Survey for:
- Water Hammer / Surge Tank Survey
- Real-Time Simulation Monitoring (RTSM)
- Ahead of Time Simulation Monitoring (ATSM)
- Detection of Hydraulic / Electrical Anomalies
- Estimation of Non-Measureable Quantities
- Anticipation Power Plant Damage (fatigue, buckling)
Hydro-Clone comprises:
A calibrated SIMSEN model of the HPP, operated in Real-Time and using in-situ measured boundary conditions including:
- hydraulic circuit: galleries, surge tanks, valves, pressure shaft, pumps and turbines (Pelton, Francis, Pump-Turbine, Kaplan)
- mechanical inertia and coupling shaft
- electrical system: motor-generator, transformer, circuit breakers, transmission lines
A real-time monitoring system performing the following tasks:
- Real-Time acquisition and transfer of in-situ measured boundary conditions and quantities to SIMSEN model
- data processing and diagnosis of the power plant health
- provide pre-defined appropriate alarms based on both real-time (RTSM) and ahead-of-time (ATSM) analysis
- communication with archival storage system
A tailor-made archival storage and related database system enabling:
- to archive simulated and measured quantities
- to display and analyse previous results
- to contingence alarms
- to update and enhance the clone functioning

Features
A calibrated SIMSEN model of the HPP, operated in Real-Time and using in-situ measured boundary conditions including:
- Hydraulic circuit: galleries, surge tanks, valves, pressure shaft, pumps and turbines (Pelton, Francis, Pump-Turbine, Kaplan)
- Mechanical inertia and coupling shaft
- Electrical system: motor-generator, transformer, circuit breakers, transmission lines
A real-time monitoring system performing the following tasks:
- Real-Time acquisition and transfer of in-situ measured boundary conditions and quantities to the digital clone
- Data processing and diagnosis of the power plant health
- Provide pre-defined appropriate alarms based on both real-time (RTSM) and ahead-of-time (ATSM) analysis
- Communication with archival storage system
A tailor-made archival storage and related database system enabling:
- To archive simulated and measured quantities
- To display and analyse previous results
- To log alarms
- To update and enhance the clone functioning
Purposes
Real-time Water Hammer/Surge Tank/Unit transient Survey
Detection of abnormal pressure transients prior to reach admissible limit:
- Significant deviation between measurement and simulation
- Identification of unappropriated sequence settings
- Identification of possible hydroacoustic resonances
Detection of anomalies:
- Air admission
- Unexpected valve closure
- Flow obstruction by external body
- Water column separation
- Transducer failure/dysfunction
Monitoring of non-measurable quantities:
- Pressure and discharge in headrace/tailrace tunnels
- Pressure and discharge along the penstock
- Torque, current and voltages
Deviation of hydropower physical characteristics:
- Head losses increase
- Turbine/generator efficiency drop
- Closing law drift
- Ahead-of-time projections of the state of the system
- (Decision Support tool, Alert Awareness, what-if…?)
Anticipation of potential power plant damage:
- Fatigue evaluation
- Buckling risk
Download PDFs
PDF Hydro-Clone leaflet (2.1 Mo)
PDF Paper on Hydro-Clone (3 Mo)
Need more information about details and pricing?
Contact Mr. Christophe Nicolet: (french and english speaking)
Phone: +41 21 691 01 21
info@powervision-eng.chg.ch
Power Vision Engineering Sàrl
Rue des Jordils 40
CH-1025 St-Sulpice
Switzerland