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HydroVision International 2011: Co-located Workshops Set for HydroVision

HydroVision is featuring several co-located workshops that will teach hydropower professionals about new techniques and concepts related to their field of expertise. Workshops are being offered by nine companies and organizations.
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HydroVision International is featuring several co-located workshops designed to inform hydropower professionals about new techniques and concepts related to their field of expertise.

By Russell W. Ray

At HydroVision International 2011, a wide range of topics, from fish passage design to generator maintenance, will be featured during a series of co-located workshops.

Workshops are being offered by nine companies and organizations on Monday, July 18, and Tuesday, July 19, during the week of HydroVision International in Sacramento, Calif.

HydroVision is the world’s largest gathering of hydropower professionals, where new business opportunities flourish and new ideas will be shared. About 3,000 people are expected to attend the event, which offers a wealth of networking opportunities with leading professionals and key decision makers.

Attendees can supplement their time in Sacramento by registering for one or more of HydroVision’s co-located workshops. Separate registration is required. Fill out the registration form online at www.hydroevent.com.
What follows is a list of the co-located workshops being offered at HydroVision and a short description of each:

Applying Hydraulic Modeling to Support the Design of Fish Passage Facilities
Monday, July 18, 2011
10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Registration:
No Charge
Organized by:
AECOM
Who Should Attend:
Hydropower plant and dam owners, compliance managers, biologists, engineers, and planners interested in understanding the latest design options for fish passage facilities
An important ecological and environmental concern at most existing and new hydropower facilities is how to minimize impact on fish moving past the powerhouse. Biologists, engineers, and planners have been working for several decades to design and install upstream and downstream passage facilities. A successful fish passage design is a culmination of understanding fish behavior under various hydraulic conditions and providing favorable flow conditions throughout the passage. Understanding of the flow field and creation of favorable flow conditions at hydropower facilities often require application of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and/or physical hydraulic modeling.
The presenters of this workshop share experience from hydraulic design of more than 50 fish passage structures, including design of facilities at almost all of the hydropower facilities in the Columbia, Snake, and Willamette river basins in the states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.
This workshop features:
— Lessons learned from the design and performance of fish collection and bypass facilities, different types of fish screens, and fish ladders
— How to properly apply hydraulic modeling tools, such as physical and CFD modeling, to simulate flows to achieve the desired conditions for migrant fish
— Insight into when a model is needed, and what type to choose
The design examples and approaches presented in this workshop can be applied for similar designs at other hydropower and dam facilities needing improvement in fish migration.

EPRI Water Power Research Program Review: R&D Status and Additional Needs Prioritization
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Registration:
No Charge
Organized by:
Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)
Who Should Attend:
Operators of all types of waterpower projects, researchers, EPRI members, and companies interested in joining EPRI
Attend this meeting to receive an up-to-date status report on EPRI’s waterpower research and to discuss and review additional industry-related R&D needs. All types of hydro is included – conventional hydropower, pumped storage, marine and hydrokinetic technologies.
Exporting Your Hydropower Technology or Expertise
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.
Registration:
No Charge
Organized by:
International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce
Who Should Attend:
U.S. companies who are current or future exporters of hydropower products or services
Join this seminar to learn of current market trends, policy incentives, and resources provided by the federal government to encourage exports. Participants will hear directly from the U.S. Export Assistance Center in Sacramento, the Export-Import Bank’s Environmental Export Program, the Small Business Administration, and fellow colleagues experienced in the exporting process.

Hydro Basics Course
Monday, July 18, 2011
7:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
and
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
8:30 a.m.-3:15 p.m.
Registration:
Hydro Basics Course Only — US$545
Registration:
Hydro Basics Course + HydroVision International Full Conference Registration — US$995
Pre-registration required
Organized by:
Hydro Training Institute
Who Should Attend:
Individuals new to hydro, both new hires and experienced professionals moving into hydro or those who want to expand their areas of experience
Here’s everything you need to know to get started in hydro … and a perfect refresher course for veterans! This intensive, highly practical training is designed to help persons new to hydro be more productive more quickly and to help persons with limited hydro experience expand their knowledge.
Highly qualified faculty representing consulting companies, utilities, federal power producers, and regulatory agencies present interesting, insightful lectures on:
— Hydro Overview
— Harnessing the Water
— Equipment Basics
— Hydro in a Power System
— Day-to-Day Operations
— Hydropower and Natural Resource Stewardship
— How Projects Are Regulated
— Communicating Hydro’s Value
Find a complete course agenda at www.hydroevent.com
Course Chair:
John J. Pizzimenti, PhD, Vice President, GEI Consultants, Inc.
Course Deputy Chair:
Blake D. Rothfuss, P.E., D.WRE, Lead Associate & Safety Manager, Jacobs Associates
Course Steering Committee:
John J. Pizzimenti, PhD, Vice President, GEI Consultants, Inc.; Blake D. Rothfuss, P.E., D.WRE, Lead Associate & Safety Manager, Jacobs Associates; Patrick A. March, Principal Consultant, Hydro Performance Processes Inc.; And Jennifer Hill, PhD, Chief, West Branch 1, Hydro Licensing, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Hydro Generator Windings Workshop
Monday, July 18, 2011
1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
and
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Registration:
US$200
Organized by:
Iris Power, LP
Who Should Attend:
Hydropower plant and engineering personnel, individuals new to hydro generator maintenance, and experienced maintenance staff wanting a deeper understanding on how to increase the service life of windings
This course provides important electrical, mechanical, and thermal design features of hydro generator rotor and stator windings that can affect maintenance and winding life.
You’ll review:
— Main failure mechanisms of windings: inadequate design/manufacturing, loose windings, thermal aging, load cycling, partial discharges, and contamination
— Importance of insulation in determining maintenance and life (most windings need maintenance or replacement due to insulation problems)
— Off-line tests, such as insulation resistance, polarization index, partial discharge, hipot and pole drop
— Proven on-line monitors: thermal, partial discharge, air gap, and magnetic flux
— Basic methods for repairing common winding problems
The instructor, Dr. Greg Stone, has been giving versions of this course throughout the world for more than 20 years.
He has authored two books on the subject as well as dozens of technical papers. He has contributed to the development of most of the IEEE and IEC standards concerned with winding acceptance testing and maintenance.

Hydro Research Foundation’s Fellowship Presentations
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Registration:
No Charge
Organized by:
Hydro Research Foundation
Who Should Attend:
Researchers, university professors, hydro industry leaders, individuals looking for new hires
The Hydro Research Foundation introduces its Hydro Fellows, a select group of early-career researchers who have been awarded two to three years of support for applied research in the field of hydropower.
In this special half-day seminar, these Masters and Doctoral Researchers present their cutting-edge research findings and results. These students – from throughout the United States — are studying in a wide range of fields, including efficiency optimization improvements and environmental mitigation. Their work is both innovative and forward thinking.
Attend the seminar to learn of cutting-edge research, meet the students, and support the hydro industry’s future leaders.

Online Condition Monitoring for Hydroelectric Machines
Tueesday, July 19, 2011
8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Includes welcome coffee and lunch
Registration:
US$200
Attendance limited to first 55 registrants
Organized by:
VibroSystM Inc.
Who Should Attend:
Power generation personnel, including utility decision makers, plant managers, engineers, and operations and maintenance (O&M) personnel
This workshop features discussions on monitoring issues, as well as operation and maintenance problems, observed on hydroelectric machines. Participants learn the importance of air gap monitoring, and how it provides users with a comprehensive analysis and diagnostics of their machines.
Based on more than 20 years of data gathering, VibroSystM’s experts and customers present case studies and papers from projects throughout the world, featuring:
— Shaft and Stator Winding Vibration
— Stator Core/Windings and Rotor Temperature
— Blade Tip Clearance Monitoring
— Rotor and Stator Dynamic Structure Analysis
— Other Innovative Technologies
Attendees will gain an understanding on the basics of online machine monitoring and how it can help to avoid forced outages and increase efficiency of unit maintenance programs.
The workshop will be headed by Mr. Andre Tetreault, director of Testing and Diagnostics at VibroSystM.

PGS – Optimization of Operations Revenues
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Registration:
US$225
Includes Lunch
Organized by:
Hatch Ltd.
Who Should Attend:
Owners and developers of pump-generating stations, utility executives, consultants, representatives of financial institutions, and independent system operators
This course provides information on how to maximize revenues from the operation of a pump-generating station (PGS). Revenues from a variety of products are considered, including hourly energy and a variety of ancillary services.
Featured subjects include:
— Basic Concepts
— Independent Optimization
— Co-optimization with a Generation Portfolio
— Co-optimization with Non-Dispatchable Technologies (specifically wind generation)

Rotational Alignment of a Vertical Turbine-Generator: Plumb and Coning
Monday, July 18, 2011
8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Registration:
US$300
Includes Lunch
Attendance limited to first 20 registrants
Organized by:
Hydro Tech, Inc.
Who Should Attend:
Mechanical engineers, power plant foremen, plant maintenance specialists, generator installers, technical personnel
This one-day instruction course focuses on the basics of rotational alignment of a vertical turbine-generator using modern equipment. Course instruction includes how to conduct vertical plumbing of the generator and how to measure the coning of the generator and turbine shaft. This type of alignment is best suited for aligning generators with thrust bearings between the rotor and the exciter.
While the course organizer typically uses Wyler Mini Level plumbing equipment, other modern equipment — such as the Perma Plumb – also is discussed.
Note: A similar course is being offered on Tuesday, July 19, focusing on rotational alignment for plumb only. Choose from one of the two offerings.

Rotational Alignment of a Vertical Turbine-Generator: Plumb Only
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Registration:
US$200
Includes Lunch
Attendance limited to first 20 registrants
Organized by:
Hydro Tech, Inc.
Who Should Attend:
Mechanical engineers, power plant foremen, plant maintenance specialists, generator installers, and technical personnel
This one-day instruction course focuses on the basics of rotational alignment of a vertical turbine-generator using modern equipment.
Course instruction focuses on how to conduct vertical plumbing of the generator.
This type of alignment is best suited for aligning generators with thrust bearings below the rotor.
While the course organizer typically uses Wyler Mini Level plumbing equipment, other modern equipment — such as the Perma Plumb – also is discussed.
Note: A similar course is being offered on Monday, July 18, focusing on rotational alignment for both plumb and coning. Choose from one of the two offerings.

Russell Ray is senior editor of Hydro Review and conference committee chairman of HydroVision International.

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