EPRI's Program to Develop, Install and Test the Alden Fish ...

University of Massachusetts AmherstScholarWorks@UMass AmherstInternational Conference on Engineering andEcohydrology for Fish Passage

International Conference on Engineering andEcohydrology for Fish Passage 2012

Jun 6th, 10:30 AM - 10:50 AM

Session D4 - EPRI's Program to Develop, Installand Test the Alden Fish-Friendly HydropowerTurbineDouglas DixonAlden Research Laboratory, Inc.

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mailto:[email protected]

Re-inventing the Wheel: The Continuing Story of the Alden Turbine Development

Douglas A. Dixon

National Conference on Engineering and Ecohydrology for Fish Passage

June 5-7, 2012

2 © 2011 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

Presentation Topics

• Brief history

• Key turbine features

• Current status

• Hydro potential

• Planned but canceled demonstration projects – alternative plan

• Features of ideal demonstration site


Alden Turbine Status Summary

• EPRI, DOE & Industry funding of $2.6 million:

– Buildable turbine design from collaborative completed

– Model test indicates favorable turbine performance

• Ready for purchase, deployment and field demonstration

• Seeking field site for 2013~15 Demonstration Program


Brief History of the Alden Turbine

• 1995 EPRI-Industry-DOE Advanced turbine program

• Two turbine designs emerged: Minimum gap runner (MGR) and the Alden Turbine

– MGR installed & tested (limited) in Pacific NW

– Alden turbine only tested at pilot scale

• DOE Program canceled 2005

• EPRI took over Alden turbine’s continued development


“Fish Friendly” Turbine Development: Alden Design - What’s Different?

Conventional Francis Turbine Alden Turbine


What Makes it Fish-Friendly?

• Large diameter

• Slow rotational speed

• Few blades (3)

• No gaps

• Thick leading edges on blades

• Thick leading edges on vanes and gates

• Biological design criteria – eliminated damaging shear and pressure

Fish Length=250 mm; Blade thickness=10 mm; Velocity=7.3 m/s

Fish Length=150 mm; Blade thickness=150 mm; Velocity=7.3 m/s


>42,000 fish tested

Alden Turbine Pilot Scale Test Loop


UNITS 1-3 2.01.51.00.50.0

VELOCITY (FT/S)

FLOWSEPARATION

FLOW SEPARATION

PREDICTED FULL-SCALE

SURVIVAL

97 – 100 % (based on pilot scale survival data)

Predicted Fish Survival


Alden Turbine – Comparison with Conventional

Turbines: Fish Survivability

Alden

Turbine

Conventional

Francis

Conventional

MGR Kaplan

Power, [MW] 13.6 13.6 13.6

Survival rate for an 8”

fish

(considering strike)

98% < 50% 86%


EPRI-DOE Advanced Turbine Research: Conceptual to Engineering Design

$1.2 million DOE

$1.4 million EPRI & industry

•Spring 2010: Design Engineering

•Summer-Fall 2010: Constructed and tested a physical model: 94% efficient and wide operating range at peak performance

•September 2011 final design, cost & supply schedule

+ 8 Industry Co-sponsors

Ready for Purchase, Deployment

and Field Testing


Turbine Prototype Performance

Mechanical design review

indicates it is readily

implementable for a range of

applications

Performance exceeded

expectations

Thrust, runaway speed, and

pressure pulsations were within

anticipated ranges

No cavitation for the operating

conditions corresponding to

design point

0.80

0.84

0.88

0.92

0.96

1.00

0.2 0.5 0.8 1.1 1.4 1.7

Alden Turbine

Conventional Francis

Conventional MGR Kaplan

Normalized Efficiency

Normalized Power


Relative Prototype Costs

Alden Turbine

Conventional

Francis

Conventional

Kaplan

Diameter (mm) 3900 2510 2650

Power (MW) 11 11 11

Turbine 1 0.5 0.55

Generator 0.8 0.65 0.65

Installation and Comm. 0.25 0.25 0.25

Automation/ BoP 0.25 0.25 0.25

Relative Costs 2.3 1.65 1.7

Premium for Alden 39% 35%

SIZING

COSTINGBut……..


Relative Costs (continued)

Offsetting benefits

• Less powerhouse excavation (higher turbine setting)

• Generating with bypass flow (previously wasted/spilled)

• Avoid O&M and capital costs for downstream fish bypass systems

True costs comparison of project components may be less for a Alden unit than conventional Francis or Kaplan units

ALDEN < Conv. Turbine + Fish Bypass + Lost Energy

True Cost Comparison


EPRI-DOE Design & Model Performance Report

EPRI Report

1019890,

September 2011

Download at

www.epri.com


Info on All Enhanced Turbines

Technical Papers from

EPRI-DOE-BOR-COE-

NHA 2011 Conference

Report 1024609


Where Can This Turbine Be Used?

• New development

• Added capacity at existing dams

• Powering non-powered dams

• Minimum flow releases and other bypass systems

• Not planned as modernization turbine; but

– Unit replacement or upgrade (10-60 m3/s; 10~40 m head)


Worldwide Installed Hydro Capacity (EIA)

25-30 GW Hydro Installed in 2011


Hydro Worldwide Growth Predictions (EIA)


U.S. CO2 Reductions … Technical Potential (EPRI PRISM Analysis)

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030

U.S

. E

lectr

ic S

ecto

r C

O2 E

mis

sio

ns

(mill

ion

me

tric

to

ns)

*Achieving all targets is very aggressive, but potentially feasible.

EIA Base Case 2009

41% reduction in 2030 from 2005 level is technically

feasible using a full portfolio of technologies

Efficiency

Renewables

Nuclear

Coal, CCS

PEV

Electro-Technologies

Hydro


Why Demonstration?

Many to convince that this new technology is viable:

• Resource agencies

• NGOs (environmental groups)

• Industry (need better handle on cost & performance economics)

NEED Demos to reduce uncertainties in performance and cost and we need collaborative support to continue!


U.S. Demo

• April 2011 U.S. DOE FOA for Advanced Hydro Technologies

• September 2011 U.S. DOE Announcement:

– EPRI Awarded $1.5 million to Support Brookfield Demonstration Project

– $1.5 million cash match requirement

• EPRI has requested DOE approval for finding a new demo site

Potential new demo sites:

• Federal facility (Reclamation, Corps)

• FERC exempt site

• FERC site (private operator)


Preferred/Ideal Features of a Test Site

• Head = 75’ to 100’

• Flow = 1,000 cfs to 1,800 cfs

• Fish Species – juvenile anadromous salmon and/or herring, juvenile landlocked salmon, rainbow trout, juvenile sturgeon, adult catadromous eels


Revised Proposed Project Schedule

Schedule:

• 2013: adapt turbine engineering design to site, preliminary installation design, turbine manufacture and delivery

• ~2014: Installation

• ~2015-16: Performance testing


Future Testing


SUMMARY

EPRI preparing to move this turbine to its next step:

• Get it in the water, get it tested, get results

• EPRI recognizes risks and is prepared to help minimize them

• Continued industry & public support needed to make it happen!


Thank You DOE, Funding Partners and R&D Team!


Together…Shaping the Future of Electricity

EPRI, DOE and the Hydropower Industry

THANK YOU! Doug Dixon, [email protected];

804-642-1025 Virginia USA Office

mailto:[email protected]

EPRI's Program to Develop, Install and Test the Alden Fish ...

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