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Second Advanced-Design Turbine Placed in Wanapum Dam
BEVERLY, WA. -- The milestone of placing the second of 10 massive hydroelectric turbines and shafts into its operating position has been accomplished at Grant PUD’s Wanapum Dam. Crews expertly performed the powerhouse crane lift process on Thursday, July 20.
The 343-ton turbine and shaft assembly was lowered by a powerhouse bridge crane into an opening in the powerhouse floor. The maneuver was performed with just 1/4-inch clearance for the turbine blades in the water passage and draft tube area where the turbine will operate.
The nine-month replacement work for the second turbine is nearly 75 percent complete with the turbine portion of the 80-ft. tall turbine-generator now in place. All 10 turbines are scheduled for replacement over an eight year period. The estimated cost of all 10 turbines is $150 million.
The 305-inch-diameter blades are joined to an 80-ton shaft. The turbine runner blades were cast in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The turbine shaft was forged in Bucharest, Romania.
The installation of new turbines at Wanapum Dam is part of an upgrade process at the 43-year-old hydropower plant that involves a total redesign of the turbine and its associated components. After years of design work and extensive model testing, the new advanced-design turbine achieves smooth water flow conditions that boost power generation by 14 percent, improves water-use efficiency by 3 percent, and has a fish passage survival rate of 97.82 percent. The power rating for the new turbine increases to 150,000 horsepower compared to its predecessor at 120,000 horsepower.
The turbine technology was designed through a multi-year research and development program funded by the hydropower industry and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Grant PUD’s installation and operation of these turbines represents the first commercial application of this technology. A DOE grant of approximately $2.4 million not only assisted in Grant PUD’s efforts, but will aid other hydropower plant owners interested in using the new turbine design.
“At Grant PUD we operate with the belief that power generation and fish protection are compatible and sustainable.” said Joe Lukas, assistant general manager. ”The advanced turbine work at Wanapum Dam is an example of how this philosophy can work to sustain salmon populations and produce clean, renewable energy to our ratepayers and the region.”
The second advanced-design turbine at Wanapum Dam will begin generating power this fall.
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