The El Quimbo Dam is a concrete faced rock-fill dam (CFRD) and hydroelectric power project under development in the Huila Department of southwestern-central Colombia. The powerhouse located at the toe of the dam has two vertical axis Francis turbines each of 200MW capacity. Each is designed for a discharge of 166.53 cubic meters per second (5,881 cu ft/s). The generators are of the synchronous type with a generation capacity of 225 MVA.
One of the requirements defined by the client, EMGESA ESP S.A., was that the generator units are protected against bearing damages. Considering the investment value it was necessary to protect the crucial equipment with a monitoring system that can prevent major economic damages, such as generator shutdown that can occur as a result of shaft currents.
The plant operators have a full control of the system with online analysis, protection based on harmonic composition and real trending of measured values. The personnel on site was trained to get full benefits of the system and learn how to interpret results, as well as how to recognize faults in the early stage of development. Equipped with this information the operator can optimize its maintenance periods for the time when they are actually needed.
El Quimbo / Colombia