Concrete Support Structure for Hydroelectric Generators Subjected to Rotor Dynamic Loads

• In earlier times, the generators of the hydropower plants ran more or less continuously, while nowadays there are many planned starts and stops. The hydropower stations are thereby, due to the new pattern of operation, subjected to loads that they were not originally designed for. The aim of this study is to understand the complex interaction between the power generating system and the supporting concrete structure, during this new operational pattern.During inspections, cracks were discovered in the concrete structure of the power house, near the stator and rotor spider supports, at several hydropower stations in Sweden. In a previous phase of this project it was shown that these cracks initiated due to the combined effect of drying shrinkage, mechanical loads and variations in temperature due to starts and stops. Cracking of the concrete structure reduces its stiffness, which may result in larger loads acting on the structure and vibrations exceeding the unit’s strict tolerance limits.In this part of the study, the behaviour of a concrete support structure subjected to rotor dynamic loads during normal operation has been studied. A detailed 3D numerical model has been developed which include hydropower unit. The results of this study show that a reduced structural stiffness of the concrete support structure, due to cracking, influences the behaviour of the rotating system.

Subject headings

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Samhällsbyggnadsteknik -- Infrastrukturteknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Civil Engineering -- Infrastructure Engineering (hsv//eng)

Publication and Content Type

vet (subject category)

kon (subject category)