Advanced condition monitoring of Pelton turbines

Abstract

The ability of hydropower to adapt the electricity generation to the demand is necessary to integrate wind and solar energy to the grid. Nowadays hydropower turbines are required to work under harsher operating conditions and an advanced condition monitoring to detect damage is crucial. In this paper an improved method for condition monitoring procedure of Pelton turbines is introduced. A numerical model for the dynamic behavior of the machine has been built-up so that vibrations, deformations and stresses can be calculated for every operating condition. To improve the model, the data obtained during several years of monitoring was used. The analysis of the machines before and after overhauls was studied to determine the symptoms of damage and to upgrade the model. The operating conditions can be applied to the digital turbine model to calculate vibrations, deformations and stresses. Eventually, the remaining useful life of the turbine can be estimated.