HydroPulse – Towards more flexible, resilient and smart hydropower
Horizon Europe project
Hydropower plays a vital role in Europe’s energy transition thanks to its ability to provide renewable and flexible power generation. However, its development must simultaneously address several challenges: adapting to climate change, operating facilities more flexibly, preserving ecosystems and ensuring that power stations are better integrated into their surroundings.
The European project HydroPulse – Hydropower for the Participatory Upscaling of Local Solutions and Ecosystem-based Strategies aims to develop hydroelectric systems that are resilient to climate change, capable of improving their flexibility whilst protecting biodiversity and enhancing their social acceptance.
Funded by the programme Horizon Europe, HydroPulse brings together 16 partners from nine countries for four years. The solutions developed will be tested on seven demonstration sites spread across five regional case studies in Europe.
The contribution of the Hydro Alps Lab
Le Hydro Alps Lab at the HES-SO Valais-Wallis is taking part in the Swiss case study alongside, amongst others,’Alpiq. This study examines the specific challenges facing hydroelectric developments in the Alps against a backdrop of climate change and glacial retreat.
HAL’s contribution focuses primarily on two complementary areas: the development of new methods for acoustic monitoring of hydroelectric power stations, followed by their implementation and validation on the Swiss demonstration systems.
The hydroelectric power stations at La Bâtiaz and Vissoie will be the two main demonstrators for HAL’s activities.
Listening to power stations to monitor their equipment more effectively
A significant part of HAL’s work focuses on the development of a methodology for non-intrusive acoustic monitoring hydroelectric facilities.
A power station is a complex acoustic environment in which hydraulic, mechanical and electrical equipment produce characteristic signatures. The aim is to determine to what extent this information can be used to better characterise the operation of the facilities and, ultimately, to identify faults at an early stage in order to contribute to predictive maintenance strategies.
The methodology will first be developed at the Hydro Alps Lab’s experimental facilities. The Pelton test bench, the cavitation channel and the experimental loop dedicated to sediment transport will, in particular, enable the selection of microphones and their positioning, and subsequently the identification and classification of the acoustic signatures associated with the various hydraulic phenomena.
The tests will, in particular, seek to detect and quantify the signatures associated with cavitation, sediment transport and changes in operating conditions.
From the laboratory to the La Bâtiaz and Vissoie power stations
The methodology developed in the laboratory will then be transferred to the power stations at La Bâtiaz and Vissoie.
Measurement campaigns will enable us to carry out a acoustic mapping of facilities and to link the various signatures observed to the hydraulic, mechanical and electrical components. The aim will be to establish a baseline for the normal operation of the power stations, and then to assess the ability of acoustic monitoring to detect changes that may serve as early indicators of anomalies.
Having two demonstration units will also make it possible to assess the the robustness and transferability of the methodology in different hydroelectric set-ups.
Demonstrating the solutions at real-life Alpine power stations
The power stations in La Bâtiaz and Vissoie will finally enable the methods and tools developed in HydroPulse to be tested under real-world operating conditions.
This demonstration phase is essential for moving from methods developed in the laboratory to solutions that can be used by operators. At project level, HydroPulse plans to develop 10 tools and five templates, intended to be validated on the various European demonstration sites before considering their roll-out to other developments.
For the Hydro Alps Lab, the transition from the laboratory to the demonstration units at La Bâtiaz and Vissoie This will therefore make it possible to assess the true potential of acoustic monitoring as a new tool for monitoring hydroelectric power stations.
Towards smarter maintenance of hydroelectric power stations
By combining the experimental capabilities of the Hydro Alps Lab with measurement campaigns at operational power stations, HydroPulse should enable us to take a step towards a non-intrusive and smarter monitoring of hydroelectric equipment.
The long-term aim is to gain a better understanding of how the facilities operate, to detect certain developments at an earlier stage, and to provide operators with new indicators to support the maintenance and operation of power stations that are set to operate with ever-greater flexibility.
This work forms part of HydroPulse’s broader ambition: to develop a European hydropower sector capable of reconciling renewable energy generation, flexibility, climate resilience and the conservation of river systems.
