Automation

The power plant’s brain

The processing of the enormous amounts of data which are needed to control the basic functions of a hydropower plant requires a high degree of automation.
Voith develops tailor-made automation systems based on customer requirements that guarantee the safe, reliable and economic operation of hydroelectric power plants.

Reliability and cost-efficiency

The purpose of a hydropower plant is to meet the demand for electric power with an economically attractive and environmentally acceptable solution. Efficiency and reliability are absolutely crucial. It is extremely important to ensure that the machines used can be kept running at their best at low operating and maintenance costs.
Voith offers solutions which detect damage through monitoring, analysis and diagnostics at an early stage so that inspection and repair measures can be reduced to a minimum. Additionally, the special scheduling functions mean that inspections are carried out on time.

Safety

Perfectly constructed mechanical and electrical protection systems are vital for the safe operation of a power station. Voith considers the safety of human life and the protection of the capital investment as being paramount. It is, however, also important for our systems to ensure the safety of the other features of a hydropower plant, such as the management of water resources, flood protection, navigation, irrigation and the development of recreational areas.

Excitation

Any hydroelectric power that cannot be fed into the electrical grid is worthless. The excitation system guarantees the transfer of the energy generated. Aspects such as reliability, excellent voltage regulation and maximum possible network stability are therefore the priority. These are demands met by the Thyricon excitation system without compromise.

Turbine governor

The controllability of a hydroelectric power station and the quality of the electricity generated are highly dependent upon the efficiency of the turbine governor.
The turbine governor ensures that the turbine runs at a constant speed and thus controls its power output

Monitoring, analysis and diagnostics

The complex hydraulic and electrical processes and all of the encompassing dynamics of the operation-related switching operations place high demands upon measurement, data processing and evaluation procedures.
Voith's HyCon MD monitoring, analysis and diagnostics system turns large amounts of measurement data into manageable and complete data records which permit continuous monitoring and archiving of the machines' status.

Selected references