Scenarios for refurbishment of a hydropower plant equipped with Francis turbines

The energy market imposes new requirements in hydraulic turbines operation. Usually, the old hydraulic turbines are not designed to meet these new requirements. Therefore, the refurbished solutions for hydraulic turbines are expected to be robust and flexible in operation in order to regulate the grid. A methodology is developed for a hydropower plant equipped with Francis turbines. Firstly, the solution available in the hydropower plant is examined. Secondly, two new solutions are designed for the hydraulic passage available in situ. Next, several scenarios from peak load operation to wide range operation are investigated in order to asses the performance of each technical solution. Consequently, the performances are compared proving the best solution for hydropower plant refurbishment.