VERBUND: Servicing under way at Danube power plant Abwinden-Asten
The employees at the Danube power plant Abwinden-Asten have been working on the servicing of machine 2 since September 2021, in strict compliance with all COVID-19 precautions.
VERBUND, Austria’s leading energy company and operator of the large Danube power plants in Upper Austria, regularly maintains the machine sets in its hydropower plants, in order to constantly and reliably contribute to the safe, clean and affordable supply of electricity in Austria. The employees at the Danube power plant Abwinden-Asten have been working on the servicing of machine 2 since September 2021, in strict compliance with all COVID-19 precautionary measures. The work should be complete before Christmas 2021 so that the entire hydropower plant is fully ready for use again over the change of year.
“We’re out there daily so that everything inside runs,” says Kurt Schauer, the operating engineer responsible for the inspections at all four Danube power plants in Upper Austria, referring to the servicing of the VERBUND power plant Abwinden-Asten during the lockdown period. “The regular and careful maintenance of the turbines and generators increases the service life of the machines and ensures they function smoothly in electricity generation – so that the electricity supply in Austria remains secure. In normal times and in times of crisis”
Abwinden-Asten: Electricity for 300,000 households
The complete machine set 2 out of a total of 9 machines is currently being given a general overhaul. Cavitation damage to the impeller and impeller hub of the Kaplan turbine is being repaired and corrosion protection applied, seals on the turbine shaft replaced and leaks stopped. The machine’s cooling circuit is being converted from an open to a closed cooling circuit. Electrical installation and integration into the control system is also being done. The stator and rotor of the generator and its cooling system are being checked for damage, the damage repaired and system parts preventively renewed. The inlet screen is also being refurbished in order to minimise generation losses. And finally, the entire hydraulic system is being extensively checked, specifically the pumps and motors.
The power plant team has been working at full speed on servicing the second machine since September 2021 and despite the restrictions imposed due to the pandemic. This means that the plant can be reconnected to the grid before Christmas so that the entire power plant can provide its full output for reliable electricity generation from hydropower for almost 300,000 private households.
