Hydro Utilities and Dam Owners Promote Best Practices
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| Hydro Utilities and Dam Owners Promote Best Practices at CEATI Hydro Meetings this Spring | About Us |
Scheduled to take place during the week of March 12, 2012 in Santa Monica, CA, CEATI’s Dam Safety DSIG and Hydraulic Plant Life Interest Groups HPLIG meetings – with over 60 hydro utilities represented – are sure to offer dynamic and innovative technical discussions.Both interest groups will hold their closed door general meetings in the sunny locale, as well as co-host an open industry symposium on Penstocks. Building upon the success of past International Case Studies Workshops in 2009 and 2011, the Penstock Symposium, to be held March 14, was developed in coordination with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). It will engage the broader hydro community, including utilities, dam owners, consultants, regulators, and manufacturers, on the following three themes: 1) Technical and Engineering Approaches to Maintaining Penstock Reliability, 2) Asset Investment Planning and 3) Case Studies. The Symposium will provide a collaborative platform for information exchange, working to identify areas of research which can improve knowledge of potential failure modes and thereby avert their occurrence. If you would like to learn more, or to register, please visit: |
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| Promoting Model Dam Safety Programs and Performance Measures | |
| The Dam Safety Interest Group meeting will feature a workshop on “Model Dam Safety Programs and Performance Measures”. Including a panel discussion and presentations from dam owners around the world as well as a brief from the FERC, the workshop will provide industry insights into key components of model dam safety programs, such as management policies and procedures, training programs, program quality elements, and reporting structure, among many others. Internal and external audits, assessments, and performance evaluations are all important performance measures to improve dam safety. | |
| Averting Another RusHydro Accident, and Other Safety Topics | |
Continuing the series of workshops, special meetings and conference calls held by CEATI since the tragic August 2009 event, the March 2012 HPLIG general meeting will allocate time to reviewing lessons learned from the RusHydro accident. Integrity inspection programs, frequency and methodology of gate testing, head cover bolt inspections, and operational changes are some of the topics that will be covered during a session entitled “RusHydro Accident – Two Years Later, What Adjustments Have You Made?” which promises to offer practical guidance on best practices put in place in the wake of the event. Exploring advancements in asset management strategies and operations and maintenance best practices, the packed HPLIG meeting agenda also includes a workshop on procuring engineered equipment (quality assurance, quality control and performance guarantee). In addition, the spring meeting will feature technical presentations on “Safe Protection of Hydro Unit Operating at ‘Runaway Speed’” and “Ground and Bonding Best Practices”. |
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| A Time to Review Research Needs | |
The hydro program will be back in California on April 26-27, 2012, for the Water Management Interest Group’s (WMIG) general meeting in Sacramento. The group will tour SMUD’s Upper American River Project on April 25, 2012, including visits to Big Hill, Robbs Peak Reservoir, and the Loon Lake Powerhouse located 1000 feet below ground. Participants will also discuss “Optimization, Key Performance Indicators and Post Analysis” during their Information Exchange Session. The spring general meetings are a time for interest groups to review their research programs, and select project ideas that will be developed. As user-driven organizations, participants bring forward topics for discussion, soliciting support of the group on particular studies. This provides important cost leveraging opportunities, and also ensures that the group continues to address needs that are pertinent and applicable to the industry. |
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CEATI International
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