I Hydropower Enters Intelligent Information Age

The reporter learned from the “National Technical Symposium on Safe and Efficient Operation of Hydropower Plants” concluded in Chengdu on the 11th. China’s large-scale hydropower plants have entered an era of intelligence and informationization. Safety, stability, and efficient operation of hydropower plants are increasingly becoming China's energy sources. Industry's important support.

Zhou Dabing, director of the China Hydroelectric Engineering Society, said that after the implementation of the Western Development Strategy and the “West-to-East Electricity Transmission” strategy, China’s hydropower development has been rapid, and large-scale hydropower stations such as Ertan, Sanxia and Longtan have been completed and put into operation. Xiluodu and Xiangjia The construction of large-scale hydropower stations such as Dam, Jinping I, and Jinping II started one after another. China's hydropower has entered the world's advanced ranks in terms of installed capacity and power generation, design and construction, equipment manufacturing and operation management. Since 2004, China's hydropower installed capacity has consistently ranked first in the world. At present, China’s hydropower installed capacity has exceeded 200 million kilowatts, and China’s hydropower industry has entered a new era of large power stations, large units, intelligence, and information.

Automation, informatization, and intelligent hydropower stations automatically obtain information on the operation of the power station and information on the health of the equipment under the condition of no human intervention. The system is centered on the reliability of the power station facilities and the safety of the power grid, and it can accurately meet the water conditions of the river basin. And power grid load dispatching requirements, to achieve the optimal social and economic benefits of the power plant. The intelligent power plant is based on the “Unmanned (less-on-duty)” model, supported by a communications platform, and characterized by “automated data collection, precise information prediction, optimized dispatching decisions, and integrated operational control.” The integration of power flow, information flow, and business flow is highly integrated to achieve reliable, safe, efficient, and economical operation.

At present, China's Three Gorges, Ertan, Longtan, Gezhouba and other large hydropower plants have achieved "unattended (less on duty)." With the development of river basin cascade development and computer monitoring technologies, and the improvement of automation components, the development trend of combining the centralized dispatching of cascade hydropower stations and the unattended operation mode of hydropower plants has emerged.

The intelligentization of hydropower stations will greatly enhance the level and level of hydropower production management. It will play an important role in the rational allocation of basin water resources and the safe and economic operation of reservoirs and large-scale units. According to reports, the world's largest installed capacity of the Three Gorges Power Station has been operating since 2003 and has achieved its intended purpose in terms of flood prevention, power generation, shipping, and drought-resistant water supply. In terms of flood control, on July 20, 2010, the Three Gorges Project ushered in the largest flood peak since its construction, which was 70,000 cubic meters per second. It is the third largest flood peak since the Yichang Hydrological Station has a historical record. It controls the flood discharge through the dam to relieve the Yangtze River. The downstream pressure of flood control has played a huge role.

As the largest hydropower station built in China in the last century, Ertan Hydropower Station fully implemented the unattended operation mode in June 2009. The newly-built Jinping, Guandi and other power stations were all designed according to the “unattended” mode of operation, becoming the current domestic power. The industry implements the most complete large-scale hydropower station in unattended mode. Ertan Hydropower Station has been in safe operation for 12 years. As the largest power supplier in the Sichuan-Chongqing Grid, Ertan Hydropower Station has been playing an important regulatory role in the high dams database, serving as peaking, frequency regulation, and accident backup, making the frequency qualification rate of Sichuan and Chongqing grids. Up to 99.99%, the voltage qualification rate has increased by 3%. It has played an irreplaceable role in guaranteeing the normal economic development of Sichuan and Chongqing, ensuring the safety of the power grid, economic operation, and improving the power quality of the power grid.