Rehabilitation Feasibility for Hydro Electric Generation Powerhouse
Stanley Consultants prepared feasibility level cost estimates for the Center Hill Powerhouse in DeKalb County, Tennessee, for major rehabilitation and reservoir dissolved oxygen mitigation. Cost estimates were prepared using the Corps' MCACES software.
Work items included:
- New turbine runners
- Refurbishment of turbine mechanical equipment
- Generator rewind
- New governors
- New exciters
- New transformers
- New power cabling
The powerhouse contains three vertical Francis Turbines rated at 62,500 HP, 160-foot head and 105.9 rpm. The major rehabilitation evaluation of the Center Hill Powerhouse was aimed at restoring the efficiency lost due to age and at restoring the plant reliability. The units have experienced electrical reliability problems such as stator winding failures and transformer over temperatures.
In coordination with the rehabilitation study, efforts were also directed toward finding solutions to dissolved oxygen and minimum flow conditions with the installation of oxygenation systems in the reservoir upstream of the dam.