Norsk English

MonitorX

Spin-off projects and activities

RDS Hydro
There are a number of reference designation systems (RDS) that are used for different purposes and that are applied in the hydropower companies to various degree. These includes the EBL code (EBL-kodeplan), which was developed by EBL (Energibedriftenes landsforening, which was the former name of Energi Norge), and which is the RDS to identify different components. The EBL-code is currently (2019) used by most Norwegian hydropower plant operators.

The EBL code has some drawbacks, especially when used for purposes related to sensor and condition monitoring data collection. This required a further development of the EBL code, or a completely new development of a hydropower specific RDS. A working group, consisting of twelve of the largest Norwegian power companies, and supported by the Swedish hydropower industry (represented by Energiforsk), were established in 2018 by Energi Norway and the MonitorX project to discuss the mentioned challenges and develop solutions. The working group decided to develop a new RDS based on the principles in IEC/ISO 81346 [27], [28], and a spin-off project (RDS NES – Norwegian Energy System) were started for this purpose. The final result of the spin-off project is a new and consistent RDS for hydropower plants (available since spring 2019) that follows the principles of IEC/ISO 81346.

PhD on generator fault detection at NTNU
The activities in Case C1 in MonitorX were restricted to theoretical analyses and data received from FEM (Finite Element Method). In order to follow up the results that have been obtained, a new PhD-position was established in HydroCen, the Norwegian Research Centre for Hydropower Technology. A new PhD candidate started in autumn 2018 with his PhD task on "Electromagnetic analysis and on-line fault detection in hydropower generators". The work includes testing of methods developed in MonitorX Case C1 with data from laboratory test and from the field. For this purpose, NTNU has purchased and installed a lab-scale generator that has a very similar design as many hydro generators. With the lab generator, one has the possibility to introduced typical generator faults, such as winding short circuits and eccentricity (eccentric alignment of rotor shaft) and test methods for condition monitoring and models for fault detection.