Reclamation Information Sharing Environment (RISE)

Across the hydropower industry, cavitation and operating in hydraulic rough zones is a costly and complex problem. When hydropower turbines operate at off-design conditions, the resulting dynamic hydraulic phenomena can produce undesired effects such as turbine runner cavitation induced erosion, excessive pressure pulsations and high vibration. Reclamation and General Electric Vernova are performing research at Grand Coulee Powerplant located in Washington State to study and improve on suitable techniques to detect and map turbine cavitation; including runner erosion and its intensity, with the goal to quantify this damage so that operational ranges where cavitation occurs can be avoided. This research explores techniques to detect and map erosive cavitation through on-line monitoring and frequent physical inspections, so that the true cost of operating in specific costly cavitation zones can be better defined. The research also explored the benefits of using air injection to mitigate particularly violent hydraulic pressure pulsations. The research was conducted through a unique collaboration between a prominent turbine designer and manufacturer and Reclamation, the second largest federal hydroelectric entity in the United States.