TES small hydro generator - Susasca, Switzerland

SWISS PROJECT: SUSASCA HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER PLANT
For more than thirty years the Susasca mountain river hydro-electric power plant project in the Swiss canton of Lower Engadin has been worked on and abandoned. The time was never right for it. Today, however, a small hydro-electric power plant has been put into operation following plans drawn up by Markus Hintermann and Giovanni Mathis, both engineers of the Hydro-Solar company. Together with the borough of Susch, the two planning engineers are partners in the OESS-SA operating company.
After a construction period of eleven months, the company has marked the inauguration of the new plant with a celebration attended by the entire population of Susch and also by well-known politicians and personalities from the world of business. Producing approximately 17 GWh of power per year with an output of roughly 3MW, the hydro-electric power plant represents a worthwhile investment in a sustainable power supply for the small community south of the Füela pass.
THE CONCEPT OF THE TURBINE
One of two planned sets of machinery has been installed and put into operation: a synchronous generator made by the Czech company, TES Vsetín, which produces the electrical power; and a Pelton wheel with a vertical axis and four jets made by the Kössler company, which drives the TES synchronous generator. In July 2009 the long-established company from Lower Austria was commissioned to produce, supply and assemble the turbine and put it into operation. The commission for Kössler further stipulated a ball valve as a shut-off device, a distribution device for the subsequent connection of a second machine set during the final phase of construction, flow meter devices, a hydraulic turbine regulator for the supply of oil to the jets and deflectors and to the ball valve and, finally, the supply of the generator together with the water cooling system. With a water discharge of 1 m3/s and a gross head of 364.80 meters, the turbine is designed for an effective output of 3,139 kilowatts. Ideal water flow conditions are achieved through the instalment of internally adjustable jets.
PUTTING THE CONSTRUCTION INTO OPERATION.
About 30 years after the first plan for the hydro-electric power plant was conceived, the concept was realized within just eleven months. On the 11th of November, 2010, the machine unit was put into operation. "Since the start of the operation we have produced up to 8 mio. kWh of electricity to date. This will eventually rise to 17 mio. kWh in an average year. That will satisfy the needs of approximately 4,500 households." said Emil Müller, Town Mayor and VR-president of the OESS SA, in his speech commemorating the official opening of the plant. He did not try to disguise his joy: "For our small community this is the project of the century, not merely as far as the investment of 15 mio. CHF is concerned, but also with regard to the expected return of up to 300,000 CHF per year."
CZECH QUALITY GENERATOR RELIABLY PROVIDES A HIGH DEGREE OF EFFICIENCY
For the Engadin plant-of-the-century at Susasca, only machines satisfying the operators' and planners' high criteria of quality were considered. Without any doubt, this includes generators made by TES Vsetín. The Czech producer has earned an excellent reputation on account of the use of building components by highly regarded suppliers. Only first-rate parts are used, especially for delicate components like bearings, regulators and electronics. Combining these qualities with a robust construction, the plant thus achieves a high level of reliability as well as longevity. The synchronous generator has an axis height of 800 mm, an effective performance of 3,661 KVA and rotational speed of 1,000 rpm.
This synchronous generator for the Susasca plant meets expectations in every respect including a favourable tolerance of the thermal conditions, a very low noise level and a high level of efficiency. A solid warranty guarantees years of energy efficiency. The plant attests to the Czech electrical engineering company's tradition of more than 90 years.