eagle hydrokinetic turbine project alaska tidal energy conference january 2007 presentation by...

Eagle Hydrokinetic Turbine Eagle Hydrokinetic Turbine ProjectProject

Alaska Tidal Energy ConferenceAlaska Tidal Energy ConferenceJanuary 2007January 2007

Presentation by Presentation by Alaska Power & Telephone Alaska Power & Telephone

Eagle Hydrokinetic Turbine ProjectEagle Hydrokinetic Turbine Project

Project Overview

Hydrokinetic Turbine Project Timeline• AP&T began studying the feasibility of ‘low-head’ hydro generation

in the late ’90’s • Collaborating with UEK Corp. AP&T decided to proceed with

developing plans for installing a small hydrokinetic station in Eagle• Today we are ready to proceed with formal engineering and design

activities and move forward with the project• The four year project will determine the viability of the turbine and

associated technologies for operation in rural arctic Alaska – Short Term – engineering & construction - first year

– Mid Term - operation and monitoring - 3 yrs following commissioning

– Long Term - after completion of the project and into the future


Project Overview

Short Term Goals for the Hydrokinetic Turbine Project

• Perform surveys of the project site – River - profiling, velocity, ice

– Soils - boring,

• Determine turbine location • Determine construction methods• Purchase or lease land for onshore facilities• Complete engineering & design• Proceed with manufacturing• Proceed with construction and installation • Commission


Project Overview

Three Year Goals for the Hydrokinetic Turbine Project

• Operate• Test and monitor• Determine the reliability in arctic conditions• Determine best practices for deployment, operation and

maintenance• Determine environmental impact• Determine performance• Determine O&M costs


Project Overview

Long Term Goals for the Hydrokinetic Turbine Generator

• Installation of second turbine generator unit in Eagle• Output from two units would replace diesel generation• Diesels would be maintained for standby and emergency use• Reduction in rates to the consumers• Reduction in emissions and associated environmental impacts• Increase the sustainability for the rural Alaska communities• Possible installation of similar units in other locations


Project Overview

City of Eagle

• Located on the north terminus of the Taylor Highway• About 6 miles west of the Alaska-Canada border• Due east of Fairbanks about 190 miles• At about 64.79° north latitude and -141.20° west longitude • At about 850 feet above sea level• Eagle Village is located about 3 miles upriver from the City of Eagle• Transportation into Eagle:

– State owned airstrip with commercial flights from Fairbanks– Float plane, during the summer months only– River boat, operating in the summer months only– Taylor Highway, open in the summer months only

Image from Google Earth

Eagle Hydrokinetic Turbine Project

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Eagle at the End of Summer (Viewed from Belle Island)


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Eagle in the Winter (Viewed from River)


Project Overview

Brief History of the City of Eagle

• The area is the historical home of the Han Kutchin Indians• The original settlement was established in 1874 as a trading station

supplying miners working the upper Yukon• The City of Eagle was founded in 1897• Population of over 1700 by 1898• US Army Fort Egbert established in 1900• First incorporated city in the interior 1901• Telegraph service from Eagle to Valdez in 1903• Population declined to <200 by 1910• Fort Egbert abandoned in 1911


Project Overview

Eagle Today • Population in Eagle is about 140 and in Eagle Village about 80• Subsistence activities are part of the lifestyle• Local economy includes:

– Retail businesses, seasonal

– School

– Utilities

– Mining

– Tourism, seasonal

• River boat trip from Eagle to Dawson

• Lodging and restaurants


Project Overview

Electricity Generation in Eagle Today• AP&T serves about 190 customers in the two communities providing

electricity and communication services• The electrical system is isolated• Powerhouse located in Eagle• Load varies daily according to the season from a summer low of

70kW to a winter high of 150kW• The prime movers for the existing generators are diesel engines

– Annual fuel consumption is about 57,000 gallons

– Engine life is 3 - 4 years (25,000 hours)

– Annual generation maintenance costs about $40,000 (w/o labor)


AP&T Generation Goals

Renewable Energy

• AP&T has for the for last two decades sought technologies to augment their diesel generation with renewable energy resources

• Today AP&T supplies its customers with about 70% of the generation from renewable energy resources

• In the southeast AP&T has designed, built and put into service several hydroelectric power stations

• For the companies interior utilities conventional hydroelectric facilities are not practical as such the application of other renewable energy resources is being studied including:– Hydrokinetic turbine generation– Wind turbine generation


Hydrokinetic Opportunity

Yukon River at Eagle

• Eagle is located on the west bank of the Yukon River

• The river divides at Eagle around Belle Island

• The hydrokinetic turbine will be located just beyond the entrance to the west channel

• Turbine location will be optimized for depth and water velocity



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Yukon River at Eagle• The channel width in this area varies seasonally between 900 and

1,000 feet• Channel maximum depth in the winter is about 18 feet including 4

feet of ice• The river water level changes 10 to 12 feet between winter and

summer• Water temperature varies from just above freezing to about 60°F• Water visibility varies from several feet in the winter to near zero in

the summer • Water velocity in the winter is about 7.3 ft/sec



Yukon River at Eagle – Ice

• River normally begins to freeze in October • River surface is frozen solid with ice normally about 4 feet thick • Ice thickness can reach up to 8 feet• Thinner ice in the area of the moving water• Frazil ice under the solid ice, thickness of frazil layer unknown• Ice break-up normally occurs in April and the river is clear by May• Ice break-up can be destructive with ice flow scouring the river

bottom and edges removing several feet of earth


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Yukon River – Winter Time (Belle Island in the Distance)


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Ice Jamb – Viewing Upstream from Eagle


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Ice Jamb – Viewing Downstream from Eagle


Project Overview

Major Project Features

• Turbine• Converter Station• Directional Bore • Cable• Anchorage• Turbine Deployment & Recovery

Photos courtesy of UEK CorporationPhotos courtesy of UEK Corporation


TurbineUEK® System


TurbineUEK Corporation• Design and manufacturing performed since 1981 in Annapolis,

Maryland USA • Builders of river and tidal current turbines featuring ducted design

enhanced with a flared discharge (Augmentor Ring)• Current Activities

– Turbine model testing at L’Ecole Polytechnic Federal de Lausanne (EPFL) laboratory in Switzerland

– Turbine demonstration project in the Winnipeg River in collaboration with the University of Manitoba and Hydro Manitoba

– Turbine supply for the Chitokoloki Mission Hospital in Zambia, Africa to replace diesel generation – unit similar to Eagle turbine - installed in the Zambezi River – delivery end of 2007


Turbine

Eagle Specifications

• 8 foot diameter UEK® System twin-rotor design • 100kW with a 5 knot flow• Counter-rotating turbine runners• Turbine assembly integrated into reinforced skid with flotation tanks

to raise and lower the unit in the river• Turbine protected with heavy duty ice deflecting cage• 3Ø, AC generator with DC output from integrated rectifier• DC connection to shore station• DC-AC conversion at shore station

Sketch courtesy of UEK Corp.


UEK FRONT ISOMETRICUEK® System – View of Intake



UEK REAR ISOMETRICUEK® System – View of Discharge

Sketch courtesy of UEK Corp


UEK® System – Section View

Image coutesy of UEK Corp.


Turbine Platform



Turbine Installation Views


Turbine Anchoring Details


Turbine Directional Boring Details


Converter StationUtility Interconnection• Shore based facility located on land leased from the city• Station will be housed in a modified container equipped with

– AC-DC variable speed converters similar to Magnetek Type PCS

• 50 kW stackable modules

• 600 – 750 VDC input x 480 VAC, 3Ø, 60 Hz output

– Main switchgear with generator and feeder circuit breakers

– Monitoring and control equipment

– Communication equipment

– Station service equipment

– Air compressor for pumping air to turbine floats

– Nitrogen gas system for pressurizing the generator housing

– Step-up transformer and isolating switches for connection to utility power grid at 7,200 VAC (outdoor pole mounted)


Directional BoreCable Connection to Generator• One bore sized for future additional turbine set or two bores• Option I

– Bore from converter station to turbine anchorage– Approximately 800 feet long – Deep penetration from station elevation to below river almost 110 feet– Most expensive

• Option II– Bore from intermediate location at elevation nearer the river surface– Shorter and shallower– Longer overall cable distance– Requires additional cable junction facility and trenching or overheading

to converter station

• Modifiers – Location of turbine in river, distance from shore



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Cable

Cable Assembly• Cable length from 1,000 to 1,500 feet long • For the project the cable will be a loomed assembly of

– DC power cable

– Monitoring cable, multi-conductor and/or fiber optic

– Nitrogen gas hose

– Air hose

• Insulated and armored electrical/ fiber optic conductors• Factory integrated cable possible for future projects• Watertight submersion rated connectors at turbine• Clamped to anchor cable for support


Anchorage

Turbine Anchors

• Single or multiple anchors for each turbine• Located 180 to 200 feet upstream of turbine• Anchor types being considered

– Deadweight type, concrete/steel

– Micropiles, bored and grouted

• Multiple galvanized steel anchor cables


Deployment and Recovery

Turbine Installation & Removal• Turbine launched from public boat ramp – 2,500 feet upstream• Winch cable released under brake until turbine reaches anchor float• Turbine guided into position by small powered boat • Turbine attached to anchor cable and released from winch cable• Cable and hoses connected• Air released from float tanks to allow turbine to sink to bottom• Removal performed with the opposite process• Normal maintenance will include visual inspection and debris

removal requiring only that the turbine be raised to the surface• Annual maintenance will require that the turbine be removed



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Permitting and Regulatory Requirements

Permitting Agencies

• US Army Corps of Engineers• Moorage Permit

• State of Alaska Department of Natural Resources:– Office of Habitat Management and Permitting

• Fish Habitat Permit– Division of Mining, Land and Water

• Private Non-Exclusive Right-of-Way Permit



Reviewing Agencies

• US Department of Fish & Wildlife Service• Alaska Department of Fish and Game• National Marine Fisheries Service• Other jurisdictional local, state, and federal agencies



Moorage Permit Requirements• Moored facility submerged approximately 20’ below the surface of

the river.• Historic and archeological remains - archeological monitor onsite.• Navigable waters – marking buoy and signals • Approval of US Fish and Wildlife Service and Alaska Department of

Fish And Game• Monitoring Plan

– Possible fish injury from turbine operation– Pressure changes caused by blade action– Heat generation of unit and possible changes in surrounding

water temperatures– Physical, biological, and behavioral impacts to different sizes of

fish



Moorage Permit Requirements, cont.• Initial testing timed to avoid upstream migration of adult fish and

downstream smolt migration.• Inclusion of mitigation measures such as screens or flutterboards,

restrictions on operating times, and blade speed limits if required.• Onshore facilities shall have minimal impact to riparian vegetation.



Fish Habitat Permit Requirements• Construction and installation plan submittal and approval• Turbine pressure drop test results and possible field testing to

confirm that pressure drop across turbine is <2.7 psi.• Underwater monitoring plan to videographically document:

– Avoidance behavior of upstream migrant salmon – Presence or absence of main stem Chinook salmon spawning

redds



Right-of-Way Permit Requirements• General construction requirements • Conduct studies to determine effect of the turbine on salmon as

requested by the National Marine Fisheries Service.

eagle hydrokinetic turbine project alaska tidal energy conference january 2007 presentation by...

Documents

year project

eagle output

turbine location

city of eagle transportation

river slide

project site river profiling

turbine generator unit

future slide