On 25th and 26th November, GE Vernova and the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) travelled to Portugal and meet with the engineering and operational teams of EDP Produção. The aim was to clarify technical questions and gain a better understanding of the current operations and uses of the Vilarinho das Furnas demonstrator.
The visit included a meeting at EDP’s Porto headquarters with representatives from EDP NEW, EDP Produção, GE Vernova, and the UPC, followed by a visit to the Vilarinho das Furnas hydropower plant. The demonstrator aims to explore and develop a solution in which the main inlet valve (MIV) regulates the hydropower plant. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation and finite element analysis (FEA) were developed by GE Vernova based on CFD calculations carrried out by the Geophysical and Industrial Flow Laboratory (LEGI) at the Institut polytechnique de Grenoble (INPG). Studies on the future operating modes were conducted by UPC.
The site visit had two goals. Firstly, it aimed to discuss practical topics regarding the installation of the two Vilarinho units in preparation for the site tests to be performed by the UPC and GE Vernova. This involved checking the accessibility of different parts of the units, such as the draft tube, MIV, and turbine pit, to determine where and how the sensors can be installed and consulting with the EDP operating team on how the cables can be routed to connect the sensors.
Secondly, the aim was to witness the start-up sequence of Unit 2, the pumped storage plant, in turbine mode, in order to understand how the MIV functions and obtain the operational logs necessary for the model to be developed by GE Vernova. This starting sequence was made possible with the help of the EDP operation team.
