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Fourth Advanced Turbine to be Installed at Wanapum Dam
October 8, 2007
EPHRATA, WA – The term “tagging out” has a different meaning in a hydropower plant than it would in a game of chase. When a 120,000 horsepower turbine is “tagged out,” the process begins by setting in place 12, 20-30 ton steel bulkheads, nine on the upstream side, and three on the downstream side of the dam. This is followed by draining water through a bathtub like opening in the bottom of the unit, after which, every piece of electric and hydraulic equipment related to that unit is tagged with a colorful card boldly displaying the words “do not operate.”
Unit 9 at Grant PUD’s Wanapum Dam was tagged out on Tuesday, October 2. It is an event that marks the beginning of a nine month process that involves replacing the five-blade Kaplan turbine with a new six-blade, advanced design, state-of-the art turbine. This will be the fourth of 10 new turbines to be installed at the dam. Installation of the first unit was completed in 2005.
After installing three advanced turbines, Grant PUD engineers, mechanics and electricians have acquired extraordinary skills and efficiency. Pat Oldham, one of the project engineers noted that, “The crews had a pretty steep learning curve when the first unit was installed. They gained tremendous efficiencies with the next two turbines, and at this point, crews are rotating through the process so each mechanic that hasn’t worked on the new turbines is getting an opportunity to do so.”
The primary contractor for Advanced Turbine Project is Voith Siemens Hydro Power. Parts for the new turbine are manufactured at locations throughout the world and assembled at Voith’s plant in York, Pennsylvania, before being disassembled and shipped to Wanapum Dam for final assembly and installation. The 80-ton turbine shaft is forged in Bucharest, Romania and shipped back to the United States and trucked to the dam.
Images from Grant PUD’s advanced turbine project were recently shown on the History Channel’s Modern Marvels program. For more information about Grant PUD’s advanced turbine program, visit www.gcpud.org.
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Grant County Public Utility District is a Washington state municipal corporation that began electric service in 1942. Owned by the people it serves, Grant PUD generates and sells electricity to Grant County residents and millions of customers throughout Central Washington and the Pacific Northwest. The Priest Rapids Project, comprised of Priest Rapids and Wanapum Dams, produces nearly 2,000 megawatts of clean, renewable and reliable electricity – enough to supply a city the size of Seattle. A leader in science based technology; Grant PUD is committed to finding effective measures for the protection, mitigation and enhancement of salmon, steelhead and other natural and cultural resources.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Kathy Kiefer
(509) 754-6625 / kkiefer@gcpud.org
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| Hydro Mechanic Farell Coulson assists Mike Garrett as they prepare to remove seal from old turbine unit 9. |
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| Mechanic Jessee Martin (kneeling in background) checks in with Randy Parrot as they work to prepare turbine hub for disassembly. |
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| Hydro mechanic Mike Garrett removing bolt on seal in preparation to disassemble old turbine unit 9. |
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