Dam Automation

Any Dam in a hydro power plant will have several gates which need to be controlled and operated locally and remotely from Dam control room. Most of these gates are fitted with electrical motors.

The main objective of Dam automation is to regulate the radial gates on the water reservoir by automation system to maintain either a constant level or a constant flow. The reservoir level is sensed by non contact Radar level transmitters and the signal taken to a local control panel where it is displayed on a dual input digital indicator and transmitted to Dam control room for SCADA, through a signal multiplier cum isolator.

The other input to the dual input indicator is taken from a hydrostatic submersible pressure (to measure level) transmitter at the outlet of service intake gate at the tunnel. The dual input indicator displays the reservoir level, the level on the outlet of the intake gate and the difference of the two levels to act as balance head indicator.

The indicator also generates a digital output to be used to open the intake gate fully when the level on two sides of the intake gate are within preset tolerance limits. Similar systems are used at draft tube gates except that in this case we need two hydrostatic submersible transmitters on inlet and outlet gates.

The draft tube gate open information is taken to an GPRS RTU in Power house control room and from there it is transmitted wirelessly through SMS by SIM card to a receiving RTU in Dam control room where a digital output is used in PLC for interlocking to ensure that intake gate is not opened until the draft tube gates are opened.

This project has been executed at Nayabrango HPP in Rwanda through an Indian contractor - Om Metal Infraprojects Limited and project aggregator BHEL - A public sector undertaking in power sector.

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Taxonomy

• Hydroelectric Energy