Download document () of 20
Send email
Download
You have exceeded the download limit
Bring new life to aging hydropower plants with Eaton's hydro electrical engineering services team. Highly skilled in hydro automation projects, excitation systems, and protection and control system replacements and upgrades, our engineers guide every step of the process from inception through completion. Eaton makes it easy for you to update, revitalize, modernize and maintain your hydroelectric assets to achieve reliable, efficient operation.
Meet our experts in hydro modernization at booth #549 on October 14-17 at David L. Lawrence Convention Center - Lower Level in Pittsburgh, PA
Get an invite to our Experience Center
Nearly three-quarters of U.S. hydroelectric facilities currently rely on outdated infrastructure, with many operating mismatched and obsolete hardware and controls. With Eaton as your trusted advisor, you gain a single source for highly customized, turnkey services and solutions to modernize your hydro plant. From developing the vision to seamlessly navigating the process, we meet all project objectives while staying within your budget.
Discover how modernizing your facility will make it more reliable, better able to meet regulatory standards and capable of adapting to new challenges.
The success of your hydro plant modernization depends on ensuring that a multitude of objectives come together seamlessly. With Eaton, you gain a provider with a proven track record who can oversee the complete scope of work required, engineer and deploy the optimal solutions to meet your goals, and ensure minimal disruption to your operations. Check out our full range of modernization offerings for hydro electrical plants.
Considering the expense and coordination inherent in hydropower dam upgrade projects, it makes sense to rely on a dedicated, experienced engineering and project management team to oversee the process. With Eaton, you can avoid missed deadlines, going over budget and the risk of extending past planned timeframes. Learn more about Eaton's turnkey hydro modernization process. Our capabilities include:
When upgrading your hydro plant, you need a provider with broad capabilities, a proven track record, and the expertise to not only oversee the process, but resolve any unforeseen hurdles along the way.
With decades of experience in the modernization and retrofit of aging hydroelectric facilities, Eaton offers the complete, highly customized turnkey services needed to effectively upgrade your site. Learn more about how we can help define and implement the solutions that will enable you to control, monitor and manage your plant well into the future.
Regardless of your modernization goals, it is essential to gain a thorough understanding of your system before embarking on any changes. Eaton offers a complete range of power system studies to help you plan, manage and modernize your grid - ensuring the optimal and safe design. Performed by experienced engineers, our studies can evaluate performance, make recommendations for improvements, and provide assurance that you are meeting the latest industry standards and requirements.
Eaton engineers have the expertise to take your hydroelectric modernization project from conception to completion, resulting in a safer, more reliable and cost-efficient power system. From a single point of accountability to a reduced risk of delays, we can transform your hydroelectric systems to serve you today and well into the future. See the difference in these actual customer installations.
Even the most reliable hydropower plant will occasionally experience a planned or unplanned outage. From equipment failure to environmental compliance projects to routine maintenance and system upgrades, Eaton helps facilities keep their electrical distribution and control systems safe when the power is out.
Challenge: An electrical infrastructure upgrade was needed at Otter Rapids Generating Station, a 40-year-old hydroelectric facility with four 46 MVA generators.
Solution: Eaton Electrical Services & Systems provided turnkey project management that encompassed the design of the protection system including updates to one-line diagrams; new elementary and connection wiring diagrams; procurement and fabrication of new relay panels; and all installation and commissioning work. The upgrade featured turnkey project management, generator protection, bus protection, and transformer and line protection.
Results: With installation performed in two separate outages — which allowed the facility to remain in operation during the changeout — the Eaton team successfully upgraded Otter Rapids to a state-of-the-art digital protection scheme.
“We chose Eaton over others for their proven engineering excellence. Anybody can build or install a cabinet. But having Eaton compile the complete solution from start to finish gave us a lot more bang for our buck."
Challenge: A northeastern, US hydro plant’s aging substation RTUs were instigating numerous service problems for the utility company, coupled with a lack of available parts to service the units was hindering the utility’s ability to meet its mission of using energy as a force that improves lives and transforms communities.
Solution: The utility deployed customized, cutting-edge RTUs with Eaton. Indeed, Eaton designed each RTU, specified and assembled all the components, within a custom-fabricated control cabinet, then pre-commissioned the entire integrated assembly, ensuring seamless configuration, commissioning and deployment. In addition, a remote monitoring system was implemented along with updated site drawings.
Results: The upgrade has eliminated the utility’s need to constantly dispatch technicians to troubleshoot problems. “Not only is the equipment reliable, we can also access everything remotely,” the spokesperson shares. “And because we now have a digital system, we are able to configure everything and, if needed, make changes on the fly." Eaton’s RTU upgrade has not only increased reliability but also significantly improved device communication, facility telemetry and security.
“We've worked with Eaton for many years for our design, equipment and maintenance needs, so it was a natural fit to turn to them for our control room modernization project."
Challenge: The hydro plant needed to upgrade and better align its remote monitoring and control capabilities to communicate with a variety of third-party hardware and operate safely and reliably where each location created logistical challenges.
Solution: Eaton provided a turnkey modernization project, from designing the solution to overseeing the commissioning phase. The project included PLC and HMI program and integration, relay and metering communications, remote SCADA interface and water level management, concentrating the data where it could be transmitted to the control rooms via remote SCADA interface, enabling centralized control and 24-hour remote monitoring.
Results: The turnkey project provided a consistent and standard system including predictive analytics with machine conditioning and monitoring allowing for increased safety, reliability and uptime.
