Harnessing new hydro-turbine technology Rainpower

hARNESSING NEW hYDRoTuRBINE TEChNoLoGY

Rainpower is a leading independent European hydropower group specialising in the manufacture of hydro-turbines and power plant modernisation services. The company is also the Nordic countries’ leading supplier of advanced control systems. Philip Yorke reports on a dynamic company that is committed to innovation and creating the most efficient renewable energy systems.

Rainpower’s roots go back to 1853 when the company was established in Lodalen, Norway as Kvaerner Energy, which started making turbines for hydro-power in the early 1890s. However Rainpower itself is a relatively young company that was formed in 2007 when General Electric sold its Norwegian hydropower operations to the Industrial conglomerate NLI. Today Rainpower supplies an extensive range of equipment for hydro-power plants that includes generators, valves and turbine governors.

Rainpower’s services span the entire value chain from the development of technical solutions to turnkey solutions and the commissioning of power plants. The company’s core business activities are focused on new product development, the manufacture of turbines and electro-mechanical solutions for the supply of renewable energy. In addition, it offers an unrivalled range of tailor-made customer services for the upgrading and modernisation of existing power plants, and the maintenance of hydraulic power stations.

Today Rainpower is a truly global player that is supplying products and services that provide more efficient and cost-effective renewable energy for consumers from Norway to western Europe, China and the Americas. Focus on innovation

Rainpower is a 100 per cent privately owned Norwegian company which has its headquarters in Kjeller, Norway, where it employs around 400 people. In 2017 Rainpower recorded revenues of more than 700 MNOK. The company has always led from the front with a strong focus on new product development and innovative technical solutions. Located within its headquarters is a technological centre of excellence where it works on medium and high head turbine projects. Rainpower also has an extensive turbine laboratory in Trondheim, Norway and a fabrication and service facility in Sorumsound. In addition, the company has a highly specialised and dedicated facility in Oslo where it develops advanced control systems for hydro-power installations.

At its state-of-the-art turbine laboratory in Trondheim, Rainpower offers commercial model design and testing, manufacturing, geometry measurements and field measurements. Meanwhile at its workshop location in Sorumsound, it is focused on installation, commissioning and the production of ‘Francis runners’ and injectors, as well as the rehabilitation and upgrading of turbines, governors and valve controls. This is also the location from which the company operates its 24/7 emergency services.

With a full order book and looking further ahead, Rainpower plans to focus on providing its innovative, high-quality solutions to new world markets such as Africa and Latin America.

optimising value

Boosting efficiency and creating value is a key part of Rainpower’s operations and culture, with the objective of producing more power from the same amount of water. As a result, the company is able to maintain its position as one of Europe’s most successful hydropower companies. What gives it its competitive edge is the fact that it is able to offer the best available technology in the high head and medium head hydro-turbine sector.

In addition, the company has an enviable reputation that has been built up over many years by supplying products and services to some of the world’s biggest blue-chip clients. In order to developing its own turbines, the company relies on its extensive laboratory facilities, and the best design tools in the market which includes ‘element methodology’ and computational fluid dynamics that rely on the latest Ansys/Star software.

For other products in its broad portfolio, the company offers a broad platform for governing and monitoring systems for the lifetime analysis of turbines in the high-head area.

One of its many recent contracts was signed with OBOS Energi for the delivery of an electro-mechanical design for three new power plants based in Norway. Others include a contract with E-Co Energy AS for the rehabilitation and upgrade of two turbines at its Usta power plant in Norway. In overseas markets Latin America is very active with new contracts signed for major installations in both Columbia and Bolivia, in addition to others in emerging markets such as Asia and Africa. In Turkey Rainpower has a major contract to supply two 48MW Storm turbines for the Aslancik power plant.

One of the reasons for Rainpower’s success in winning contracts in overseas markets is its strategy to establish local offices in both new and existing markets, thereby providing efficient and cost-effective solutions at the point of need.

New strategic partnerships

Rainpower continues to lead the field in the development of innovative hydro-power plants and in particular for those that utilise large heads. Recently it entered into a strategic partnership with Statkraft and E-CO of Norway, both of which operate Francis turbines with large heads. The objective is to collectively achieve greater understanding of the dynamic phenomena that arise in these powerful turbines during their operation.

This novel collaboration has helped Rainpower to establish improved criteria for the design and efficiency of Francis turbines with large heads. This represents a significant breakthrough in turbine technology. n