Given the crucial role of hydroelectric power plants (HEPs) in responding to grid frequency fluctuations and supporting peak demand, digitalisation has emerged as a strategic imperative for ensuring efficient operations, prolonged equipment life and streamlined maintenance processes. The digitalisation of HEPs offers various advantages in maximising the value of current assets and managing an ageing fleet amid the dynamic energy landscape. Intelligent HEPs, leveraging digital technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), internet of things (IoT) and digital twins, hold the promise of enhancing productivity, safety, and cost-effectiveness. The digital shift optimises asset management, reduces operations and maintenance (O&M) costs, and enables informed decision-making through advanced data analysis.
Utilities have begun incorporating digital solutions into their power plants, providing them with continuous real-time risk-based tracking of hydropower assets and aiding in diagnostics, supporting maintenance planning and optimising operations. Digitalisation in hydro plants encompasses several key functionalities. It offers a comprehensive display of various unit parameters, providing users with an overview of the entire plant. Real-time unit efficiency is presented based on diverse turbine parameters, complemented by a 3D hill chart for an intuitive user interface. It can also display health indicators for critical components such as the generator, turbines and auxiliaries.
Additionally, digitalisation offers real-time sediment value monitoring. It enables plant operators and management to make prompt decisions by swiftly assessing sediment levels in the unit. Furthermore, the digital infrastructure is designed to monitor plant assets, efficiently manage spare parts and seamlessly execute job plans. This integrated approach aids in optimising the O&M of plants, ensuring a streamlined and effective management of hydro plant assets.
IoT, big data and AI
The implementation of IoT in HEPs is transformative, providing real-time asset health monitoring through connected sensors embedded in critical components. These sensors are adept at measuring various parameters such as wear, vibration, tear and temperature, enabling a nuanced understanding of asset performance trends. One significant advantage of IoT lies in its capacity to collect higher frequency time-series data, facilitating accurate historical data analysis. This not only enhances the precision of ongoing asset assessments but also facilitates more informed decision-making. The continuous data streams generated by IoT sensors provide operators with real-time insights into plant performance and ambient conditions, fostering a proactive approach to maintenance. IoT’s capabilities extend beyond monitoring to encompass predictive analytics, automatic reporting and real-time visibility. By facilitating a seamless transition to predictive and preventive maintenance strategies, IoT optimises asset reliability and longevity.
Continuous data collection and analysis in HEPs is a proactive measure to identify deviations in plant parameters long before potential faults occur. Intelligent maintenance systems can learn the normal operating modes, enabling early detection of anomalies and optimising maintenance schedules well in advance. This represents a significant leap in predictive maintenance, as it involves the real-time analysis of the entire plant’s operation rather than isolated parameter measurements in individual equipment.
AI and ML leverage insights and trends derived from advanced analytics to influence and automate O&M activities. Through the application of fault tree analysis and learning failure modes, AI and ML enable predictive maintenance, eliminating the need for frequent asset health checks and facilitating early risk identification. When combined with simulation, these technologies play a crucial role in optimising capital and operations expenditures.
Digital twins
Digital twin technology leverages AI, mathematical models and real-time operation parameter measurements to create virtual models of HEPs. This includes hydrology measurements of both the upstream and downstream parts of the plant. By replicating the plant’s operations in a virtual environment, digital twin technology enables the simulation of various operation modes. As intelligent models, they learn plant behaviour through input data and their accuracy improves over time with additional data and measurements. Furthermore, the acceptability of HEPs, considering their potential environmental and social impact, is a critical concern. To address this, augmented reality can be employed to create virtual models of HEPs before actual construction. This approach helps in identifying and mitigating potential impacts by providing a visual representation that enhances understanding of the project’s implications.
DCS and CFD
A distributed control system (DCS) is a scalable automation solution that enables plant operators to oversee, control and safeguard equipment, extracting maximum productivity from plant assets. This system incorporates a network of instrumentation, including sensors, flow switches and transducers. By delivering real-time information to operators, a DCS enables comprehensive control of machinery and auxiliary components directly from a control room, which is often situated at a remote location. The implementation of a DCS eliminates the need for manual intervention, streamlining and enhancing the efficiency of plant operations.
Advanced computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a potent modelling tool for predicting internal flow with high accuracy within HEPs. This technology identifies potential flow issues, enabling proactive adjustments to the turbine component’s geometry to enhance performance. CFD is particularly valuable for evaluating alternative turbine designs and optimising them before conducting final experimental tests on selected configurations.
SCADA
Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system plays a crucial role in automating HEPs. This system empowers power plant operators to remotely execute various plant operations, including opening/closing valves and switches, as well as monitoring alarms. SCADA is employed for the control, monitoring, and analysis of devices and processes within a plant. By facilitating both remote and on-site data collection, the system allows developers to access and control turbine data without the need to be physically present, enabling companies to manage their HEPs efficiently from remote locations.
Remote monitoring
Unmanned vehicles and robotic technologies, such as drones and computer vision, have the capability to transform asset inspection through remote monitoring. These technologies alleviate the necessity for personnel to physically assess equipment conditions, especially in remote or hazardous locations. With the integration of AI and ML, drones can autonomously detect issues without human supervision. During the construction phase, drones and diving robots equipped with sensors and actuators facilitate precise progress monitoring and digital surface modelling with high accuracy.
Conclusion
In the hydropower space, the adoption of digital technologies introduces a diverse range of applications spanning the entire life cycle of the plant—from planning and design to construction and O&M. However, the adoption of these digital solutions poses challenges such as substantial initial investments, constraints on capital expenditure for ageing plants, and infrastructural obstacles including poor network connectivity, confidentiality concerns, and inadequate IT infrastructure. The scarcity of skills presents another hurdle, demanding an enhanced level of IT knowledge for both implementing digital technologies and operating assets. The rapid pace of technological advancements necessitates continuous improvement to keep up with the evolving digital landscape. Furthermore, cybersecurity has emerged as a paramount concern, highlighting the need for robust security measures to safeguard digital solutions and intricate IT systems.
Overcoming these challenges is crucial for HEPs to unlock the full potential of digitalisation. Encouraging HEPs to adopt emerging technologies and innovative approaches can enhance operational performance and resilience against cybersecurity risks. Fostering a digital culture within power companies and formulating regulations that explicitly recognise the value of digital solutions are key steps toward achieving this transformation.
Aastha Sharma