HYPERBOLE · HYdropower plants PERformance and flexiBle Operation towards Lean integration of new renewable Energies

In the recent years due to tremendous development and integration of renewable energy resources in Europe, hydraulic turbines and pump-turbines are key technical components to contribute to renewable energy production and to compensate for the stochastic nature of the variable energy sources, preserving thus the electrical grid stability.As a result, the overarching objective of the project is the enhanced hydropower plant value by extending the flexibility of its operating range, while also improving its long-term availability. More specifically, the project aims to study the hydraulic, mechanical and electrical dynamics of several hydraulic machines configurations – fresh and seawater turbines, reversible pump-turbines – under an extended range of operations : from overload to deep part load. A two-pronged modelling approach will rely on numerical simulations as well as reduced-scale physical model tests. Upon suitable concurrence between simulations and reduced-scale physical models results, validation will take place on carefully selected physical hydropower plants properly equipped with monitoring systems.To address this ambitious research plan, a consortium has been assembled featuring three leading hydraulic turbines, storage pumps, reversible pump-turbine and electric equipment manufacturers, SME, as well as world-renowned academic institutions. Extensive tests both on both experimental rigs and real power plants will be performed in order to validate the obtained methodological and numerical results.