BURBANK, Wash. -- An advanced-design hydroelectric turbine, built to improve fish passage at federal dams in the Columbia River Basin, has been installed, commissioned and accepted at Ice Harbor Lock and Dam, in southeast Washington on the Snake River.
The fixed-blade design turbine was accepted for commercial service on May 2, 2019, after rigorous commissioning and acceptance testing over the past several months.
The Bonneville Power Administration and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spearheaded the effort as a partnership with the hydro-turbine industry, power providers and oversight entities to develop improved turbine designs.
The design process combined the Corps’ expertise in hydropower, physical hydraulic modeling and fish passage, BPA’s economic expertise, and NOAA Fisheries’ knowledge of anadromous fish biology, with Voith Hydro’s industrial experience and expertise in designing hydroelectric turbines to address downstream fish passage issues.
Located near Burbank, Washington, the $92 million project, funded by BPA, includes supply and installation of two new turbine runners, one fixed-blade, and one adjustable. The contract also contains an option for a third turbine with an adjustable runner.
“The improved hydraulic design of the new turbine runners was supported by more than 20 years of research, development and evaluation of the effects of turbine passage on juvenile salmon,” said Martin Ahmann, hydraulic engineer and project technical lead, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
After completing the turbine designs, Voith is now installing a second turbine at Ice Harbor. Its completion will be a significant milestone in the process to modernize the facility for safer fish passage.
“After 50 years of operation and increasing maintenance requirements, the need to replace the existing turbine runners at Ice Harbor presented the opportunity to pursue new turbine runner designs with fish passage improvement as a priority,” said Kevin Crum, project manager, U.S, Army Corps of Engineers.
Voith Hydro used digital and physical models, and multiple design cycles to optimize the design of the two types of high-tech runners for installation at Ice Harbor, (turbine runners are the parts that rotate in water to generate power). The new turbine runners are made of stainless steel to fight water corrosion and reduce turbine maintenance expenses.
“We believe the iterative design process and the cutting edge technology is a win for fish and hydropower. We found that design elements that improved fish passage also improved efficiency for power production,” says Joel Cook, senior vice president of BPA’s Power Services. “It shows our commitment to producing clean and reliable power while also protecting the region’s iconic salmon runs.”
“Voith is proud of the contributions that our U.S.-based design and manufacturing team made to enhance downstream fish passage and maintain clean, reliable and renewable hydroelectric power generation in the Pacific Northwest.” stated Stanley J. Kocon, President & CEO, Voith Hydro North America.
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