| The Hydraulic Laboratory of GE Canada Hydro Business is used to evaluate the efficiency and power of their hydraulic turbines as well as the stability and cavitation behaviour. Performances are measured on homologous model for a large range of operating conditions. In order to improve the testing productivity and also the capacity of the laboratory, a computer control program is developed and tested on stand no. 4 to adjust automatically several operating parameters of the turbine. Analysis of needs is done with the operators in order to fine the most repetitive manipulations done during the setting of the operating conditions on the test stand. Issued from the analysis, functional definition of the control system is used to define the software architecture and hardware configuration. In order to adjust operating parameters, simulated commands are inputted to the test stand, and experimental data are recorded and used to develop the two principal feedback control loops algorithms; monitoring of the rotational speed and adjustment of the turbine head. Algorithm for adjusting the head is validated experimentally on the test stand. The validation shows that the new computer program used is able to adjust automatically operating parameters of the turbine. In order to facilitate and accelerate the development of the software, integration procedures of all program functions are prepared and functional tests are done to verify the program step by step. The system is configurated to accept expansion like self-adjusting of water temperature and automatic flushing of the instruments. Two other feedback control loops will have to be developed; the wicket gate opening (flow regulation) and the adjustment of the tailrace tank pressure (simulating tail water level fluctuation). |
