| 43 ENERGY Genesis Energy Underwater drones used for tunnel inspections IOT (Internet of Things) cameras are used on intakes and aqueducts to spot any potential for blockages. Virginia Wright Congratulations Meridian Energy Ltd Damwatch Engineering Ltd is proud to support Meridian Energy Ltd in their continued investment on the Waitaki Hydro Dam and other hydro projects in the South Island. We are dam engineering and dam safety specialists – we have a track record of successfully assessing, designing and developing solutions for hydro and water storage projects throughout New Zealand and internationally. We assist with option development and consents through to construction supervision and commissioning. Congratulations Mer Damwatch Engineering Ltd is proud to s continued investment on the Waitaki Hyd the South I We are dam engineering and dam safety of successfully assessing, designing and water storage projects throughout New assist with option development and c supervision and co Contact: Steve McInerney, Engineering Manager tel: 04 381 1300 email: info@damwatch.co.nz Congratulations to Genesis Energy Damwatch is pleased to support Genesis Energy on the Tongariro Power Scheme. Recent Damwatch projects have been related to Dam Safety, site investigations and providing Detailed Seismic Hazard Analysis for powerhouses. The Damwatch team is comprised of dam engineers and dam saf ty specialists with a track record in successful evaluation, design and developing solutions for hydropower, irrigation and water storage projects both in New Zealand and overseas. The Damwatch team supports our clients throughout the lifespan of their asset from site investigation, design and construction supervision, through commissioning to operation and maintenance and the end of life decommissioning. DAMWATCH ENGINEERING www.damwatch.co.nz Contact: Steve McInerney, Business Development Manager tel: 04 381 1300 email: info@damwatch.co.nz Electricity and Gas suppliers Genesis Energy has a portfolio of thermal and renewable power stations scattered throughout New Zealand, including the Tongariro Power Scheme. Comprising three hydro power stations: Tokaanu (240MW), Rangipo (120MW), and Mangaio (1.8MW) they collectively generate enough power for around 160,000 households. They’re connected by a network, spreading across the Central Plateau on both sides of Mounts Ruapehu, Ngaruahoe and Tongariro, involving 36 different rivers and streams. It operates differently to the standard hydro power station set-up, such as on the Waikato River, where the water runs along the river into the dams and through the power stations one by one. “The Tongariro Power Scheme is quite different because it utilises water from a lot of small rivers and streams, and collects it together through a series of canals, tunnels and aqueducts to bring it to the power stations and generate electricity in that way,” says Tongariro Site Manager, Neil Jelley. Being hydro-electric these power stations are part of Genesis’ network of renewable assets and having been commissioned in the 70’s and 80’s they’re of an age to reap the benefits of the innovations being introduced to make them both safer and more efficient. Those innovations are part and parcel of Jane Bydder’s job description as Innovation and Reliability Manager. “We’re starting to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve how we run the scheme so for example we’re using IOT (Internet of Things) cameras to look at the water intakes in the multiple rivers and streams that feed the scheme, as well as the aqueduct that runs along the southern slopes of Mt. Ruapehu,” says Jane. The cameras relay pictures enabling them to see where there’s potential danger of a block-up, which can therefore be resolved before it happens, which helps with efficient use of water in the Tongariro Power Scheme. “Using more smarts around Artificial Intelligence or Machine Vision Learning optimizes where the maintenance workers whose job is to repair and maintain the network spend their time,” says Neil. “As well as machine vision, Genesis has also developed and implemented predictive analytics models which track the health of power station equipment. “These predictive models are built to track what is normal for all the major components of a power station such as bearing temperatures, oil pressures, and vibration limits. “If the algorithm shows an abnormality a decision can be made as to whether an inspection is warranted. “It means we can do maintenance as required, or when conditions change, so that’s better utilisation of our maintenance staff and replaces traditional calendar maintenance where it’s done every three months,” says Neil. “We’ve been able to investigate a few issues that would have led to us tripping the plant and losing power generation just by running these predictive models and investigating what the causes were,” adds Jane. Other technological innovations along with the IOT cameras and the predictive analytics have been the use of underwater drones to carry out tunnel inspections. Tunnels that convey water from one part of the scheme to another, that would previously have had to be emptied and checked by a crew of safety specialists and civil engineers, can now have their structural integrity checked using underwater ROVs (Remotely Operated Vehicles). “We can do that with fully pressurized water, we don’t have to put people in the tunnel and we get a lot better quality data out the other side because we have a lot of instrumentation recording data throughout the inspection,” says Neil. So far they’ve successfully used the ROV technology in a three kilometre tunnel, with a six kilometre one planned for this summer. The longest tunnel in the Tongariro Power Scheme, also the longest in the Southern Hemisphere, measuring 19 kilometres isn’t due for inspection for another eight or nine years and may prove beyond the reach of ROV technology. But with roughly 100 kilometres of tunnel across all of the Genesis hydro schemes there’s no doubt in either Neil’s or Jane’s mind that making good use of innovative technologies such as these not only saves time and money but improves the safety of these highly engineered structures that sit at the core of modern society.
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