Hydroelectric power is a ‘green’ energy sector that can accumulate excess energy and store it until there is a shortage in the network. That is why today, when the enemy is trying to destroy Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, hydroelectric power plants (HPPs) and hydroelectric pumped-storage power plants (HPSPPs) are particularly important. They help maintain uninterrupted operation of the integrated power system (IPS).
Every power plant that generates electricity must operate as efficiently as possible. Researchers can help power engineers to accomplish this task. Within the framework of the project ‘Models and means for improving operational efficiency of hydroelectric and hydroelectric pumped-storage power plants for IPS of Ukraine power balancing in the conditions of the electricity market and special technical constraints’, researchers from the Institute of Electrodynamics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine are looking for ways to improve the efficiency of HPPs and HPSPPs.
The project was successful in the call of the National Research Foundation of Ukraine ‘Science for the Recovery of Ukraine in the War and Post-war Periods’.
What is the essence of the project? And, most importantly, will it be possible to apply the research results in the real sector of the economy as quickly and efficiently as possible? We spoke about this with the project PI, deputy director of the Institute of Electrodynamics of the NASU Ihor Blinov.
The researcher explained that the reconstruction of Ukraine’s hydropower complex is currently underway (this is the second stage of reconstruction, which began in 2006). Its goal is to extend the life of HPPs, increase their capacity and reliability, and improve the quality of electricity (this requires improving the control and monitoring systems for the technical condition of the hydraulic unit). Another task is to ensure synchronized operation of the Ukrainian power system with the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E).
Joining of the Ukrainian power system to the European (continental Europe) one was accelerated by the war. On the eve of the full-scale invasion, the Ukrainian IPS was disconnected from the russian and belarusian ones in order to test its operation offline. After russia’s attack on Ukraine, the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine refused to return to the power grids of russia and belarus, and NPC ‘Ukrenergo’ applied for accelerated synchronization with ENTSO-E. The application was approved, and on March 16, 2022, Ukraine actually became a member of the ‘energy European Union’.
“Although all the issues of synchronization with ENTSO-E were not solved at that time, the joining of the Ukrainian power system to the European one made it possible to provide emergency assistance to Ukraine and supply limited amounts of electricity”, the PI continued. “This was a lifesaver in a situation where large-scale destructions of the energy infrastructure caused critical restrictions in the production and transmission of electricity in the IPS of Ukraine”.
Unfortunately, the destructions have exacerbated the issue of lack of technical resources to control the balance between electricity production and consumption.
According to the researcher, today (under the conditions of operational constraints) the main means of regulating and balancing the operation of the IPS of Ukraine are HPPs and HPSPPs. When planning the schedules of loading of hydroelectric units and the volumes of electricity consumption, the hydro resources of HPPs and HPSPPs cascades should be used as efficiently as possible.
Researchers are helping to build efficient power plants modes of operation. Researchers are developing models to improve the efficiency of HPPs and HPSPPs under special operational constraints of the Ukrainian energy system.
“We want to create (or improve) mathematical models for the optimal distribution of hydroresources in the HPPs and HPSPPs cascade. “These models are designed for short-term planning in the war and post-war periods”, continued Ihor Blinov. “We take into account both the operational constraints of power systems and the features of the electricity market functioning.”
In addition, researchers are developing methods and instruments for measuring the control and diagnostic parameters of the generating equipment of HPPs and HPSPPs. This is important for determining the technical capabilities of the plant, timely reconstruction or replacement of devices for monitoring the technical condition of the generating equipment of HPPs and HPSPPs. The lead researcher in this field is Yevhen Zaitsev – an early career researcher, a specialist in the design and practical implementation of information and measurement instruments for systems for diagnosing mechanical parameters of the main units of electric power equipment of thermal, nuclear and hydroelectric power plants of the IPS of Ukraine. “We hope that the measurement methods and instruments we are developing will help to avoid downtimes and emergency shutdowns of the equipment, and, accordingly, reduce losses of funds and time, as well as to quickly determine the readiness of hydraulic units and build realistic schedules for their operation,” noted the PI.
To put it simply, improving the efficiency of monitoring the equipment of hydro facilities will contribute to improving the security of Ukraine’s power system. This security will also be enhanced by the rational use of available hydroresources in the integrated planning of load schedules and balancing of electricity production/consumption in the HPP/HPSPP cascade.
The project is being implemented by professionals from the Institute of Electrodynamics. Both the leading and young team members have experience in modeling and optimizing the operation of power plants, forecasting electricity production and consumption, creating new methods for measuring control and diagnostic parameters of equipment. In particular, they have experience in creating sensors for measuring physical values: forces, displacements, vibrations, liquid levels, etc.
“The results of the research are important for the country’s energy security,” added Ihor Blinov. ‘Ukrhydroenergo’ is interested in these results, in particular. The company’s experts give advice to us, inform us about the specifics of hydroelectric and hydroelectric pumped-storage power plants. We are grateful for their help and hope that our joint efforts will make the power system more stable and reliable.
Interviewed by Svitlana Galata
