Boosting hydropower efficiency with Acoem MV-x monitoring

Country: Canada
Industry: Energy- Hydropower

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

A major Canadian hydropower producer faced recurring maintenance challenges with a 500 MW turbine. By implementing Acoem’s MV-x monitoring system the company optimized turbine performance, reduced maintenance interventions, and gained deeper insights into machine behavior.

The Challenge

The customer operated a large hydroturbine equipped with an existing protection monitoring system. Despite this, excessive maintenance was required, and the company lacked sufficient understanding of machine behavior under different operating conditions.

Consequences: Higher operational costs, frequent downtime, and risk of reduced power output.
Business impact: Maintenance inefficiencies limited profitability and put long-term asset reliability at risk.

The Solution

Products/Services implemented: MV-x 24-channel online monitoring system, integrated with existing Bently & Nevada sensors.
Why Acoem: Expertise in advanced diagnostics and ability to enhance monitoring without replacing the customer’s existing system.
How it helped: Acoem piggybacked existing signals and performed detailed on-site tests. This approach allowed the customer to better understand turbine behavior, improve monitoring indicators, and optimize operations.

The Results

Identification of key health parameters such as vibration levels, cavitation, runner stress, pressure fluctuations, torque fluctuations, and power swings.
Integration of these parameters into the standard monitoring system.
Increased machine availability through reduced unplanned maintenance.
Optimization of operating conditions, enabling higher power output.
Long-term cost savings through condition-based maintenance strategies.

The Impact

Beyond immediate results, the solution provided the customer with a sustainable monitoring framework, empowering engineering teams to make data-driven decisions. The hydropower plant strengthened its reliability and efficiency, securing better long-term asset performance.

This success story also reinforced the partnership with the customer, positioning Acoem as a trusted advisor in the field of hydropower monitoring.

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