eHPG — hybrid hydro turbine governor with energy storage
eHPG is a hybrid hydro turbine governor that combines a hydro unit with an energy storage system. It splits frequency regulation between the turbine and the storage, so fast fluctuations are handled by the storage while the turbine performs smoother regulation. The storage can be batteries or supercapacitors.
- Principle
- joint control of the turbine and energy storage by grid frequency
- Storage
- batteries or supercapacitors (Kurkiaska uses supercapacitors)
- Effect
- fewer mechanical movements and less turbine wear, better reserve performance
- Markets
- frequency containment reserves (FCR)
Price, availability and lead time on request. We help with analogue selection, customs clearance and delivery.
Description
Constant participation of a hydro unit in frequency regulation wears the turbine and mechanical devices because of the continuous movement of the guide vanes and blades. The manufacturer's specialists observed this problem together with customers at hydropower plants. The idea of eHPG was to replace part of the mechanical regulation with a cost-effective energy storage system.
eHPG continuously monitors the state of charge of the storage and at the same time controls the storage and the turbine in response to changes in grid frequency. Fast fluctuations are handled by the storage, and the turbine performs smoother regulation. As a result, the need for mechanical movements of the turbine decreases, wear and maintenance costs are reduced, and the service life of the unit is extended. The reserve capacity performance of the plant also improves, and the response to disturbances in the grid becomes faster.
This allows more hydropower plants to enter the frequency containment reserve (FCR) markets and makes them more valuable participants in the energy transition. The system is applicable in the modernization of existing hydropower plants.
The basis is the digital HPG governor on S7-1500 programmable controllers. It can be standalone or integrated into one PLC system with the unit automation, meets the requirements of national grid codes for generating facilities and supports grid frequency in the FCR-N and FCR-D modes. For the base governor the accuracy of the power measuring transducer is 0.2 %, the frequency resolution is 1 mHz, with 16-bit ADCs and DACs and two droops, one fixed and one set by the operator within 2–12 %. A separate setpoint is provided for the automatic frequency restoration reserve aFRR. Control is carried out from the local panel and from the remote control system, and all important information on the state of the unit is gathered in one window. These parameters belong to the base HPG governor and by themselves do not describe the storage. A built-in service screen allows the operation and the speeds of the control loops to be checked without a programmer.
eHPG was first commissioned at the rebuilt Kurkiaska hydropower plant of Kemijoki Oy (Finland). The turnkey delivery included integration of the governor and a supercapacitor-based energy storage system into the plant systems. This is how the governor works together with a supercapacitor storage system at the first installation.
Technical specifications
| Principle | joint control of the turbine and energy storage by grid frequency |
|---|---|
| Storage | batteries or supercapacitors (Kurkiaska uses supercapacitors) |
| Effect | fewer mechanical movements and less turbine wear, better reserve performance |
| Markets | frequency containment reserves (FCR) |
| First operation | Kurkiaska hydropower plant (Kemijoki Oy, Finland) |
Request a price and lead time
eHPG — hybrid hydro turbine governor with energy storage. We reply within one business day.
Or email sales@usk.ua or call 044 339-50-20.
Questions and answers
What problem of hydropower plants does eHPG solve?
Constant participation in frequency regulation wears the turbine through continuous movement of the guide vanes and blades. eHPG passes fast fluctuations to the storage, so there are fewer mechanical movements of the turbine.
What energy storage is used with eHPG?
It can be batteries or supercapacitors. A supercapacitor-based system is installed at the Kurkiaska hydropower plant in Finland.
What is eHPG built on and where is it used?
It is built on the digital HPG governor and is used in the modernization of existing hydropower plants. The first installation was the rebuilt Kurkiaska hydropower plant of Kemijoki Oy in Finland.
Similar equipment from other manufacturers
