In Situ Francis Turbine Blade

Replacement due to Gross Cavitation

Author: Mr. Steven R. Potter, Sales Manager/ Welding Engineer
Voith Hydro Services Inc., 2885 Olympic Street,
Springfield, OR 98478, USA. Tel: 541-868-1831
Email: steven.potter@voith.com
Presenter: Steven R. Potter, Sales Manager/Welding Engineer
Voith Hydro Services, Western Region

Original Presentation at 2012 HydroVision, Louisville KY

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 A brief explanation!

In 2011, when this project, paper and presentation were

started, Peak Hydro Services was a wholly owned

subsidiary of Voith Hydro Inc.

Today Peak Hydro Services is proudly renamed

Voith Hydro Services.

No longer a subsidiary company; is an integral part of

Voith Hydro Inc.s After Market Business group

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 In This Presentation
Project Facts and History
Elements and Considerations of the business case
Powerhouse and Unit Description
Technical Aspects of Repair
Removal and Replacement of blades
Results and Conclusions
Acknowledgements

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 Project Facts and History

Pointe du Bois, Manitoba, Canada Approximately 95 miles

(150 kilometers) North East of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
On the Winnipeg River
First Unit in Service: 1911
Construction Completed: 1926
Construction Cost: $3.25 Million
Station Capacity: 78 MW
Average Annual Generation: 599 kWh
Waterfall Drop: 45 feet (14 Meters)
Powerhouse Length: 440 feet (135 Meters)
Turbine Generators: 15 Double horizontal shaft Francis
Turbine Camelback units and 1 Straflo unit
Project Acquired by Manitoba Hydro in 2002

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 Project Facts and History

Manitoba Hydro is the electric power and natural gas utility in

the province of Manitoba, Canada
Founded in 1961, as a provincial Crown Corporation
Operates 15 interconnected hydro generating stations
527,000 electric power /263,000 natural gas customers
Acquired Pointe du Bois in 2002; it is the oldest generating
station; began operations in 1911
Initiated plans for $800 million Pointe du Bois modernization in
2007
Approved to replace the 78MW powerhouse, dam and spillway
with a 120-MW powerhouse
Construction projected to take six years with a planned in-
service date of 2015
This plan was withdrawn in 2011

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In Situ Francis turbine Blade Replacement | NWHA Hood River| 2013-05-23 6
 Elements and Considerations of the Business Case

Factors discussed are not definitive of Manitoba Hydros

business position - represented as some of the project
considerations
With the Powerhouse replacement project cancelled a
smaller project was envisaged
Business case prepared to repair/restore limited units
Several runners are grossly cavitated and some with partial
loss of blades/band damage
Several units were shut down for safety
Some units partially disassembled and or being repaired
Refurbishment is a multiple year multiple unit project including
mechanical, electrical and structural elements
The business case focused on Unit 13

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 Elements and Considerations of the Business Case

Unit 13 is a double runner horizontal shaft Francis Turbine. The

turbine casing consists of two cast iron halves
Station sees significant seasonal temperature changes which
causes rise and fall of the structure and unit alignment issues
Manitoba Hydro elected not to separate the casing on Unit 13
Initially attempted cavitation and other repairs in situ using in
house employees and internal procedures
Results and progress resulted in reassessment
Decided to contract repairs to OEMs in combination with,
specialty hydro repair service providers, MHs in house labor,
engineering and project management teams
Both Unit 13 turbine runners exhibited extensive and gross
cavitation
Upstream cavitation is worse (all units)
Runner bands were intact except for cavitation damage

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 Pointe du Bois Powerhouse Cross Section

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 Elements and Considerations of the Business Case
Voith Hydro Canadas Mississauga Ontario division were
contracted with Peak Hydro Services (then a wholly owned
subsidiary of Voith Hydro), now Voith Hydro Services
Peak (Voith) Hydro Services has more than twenty seven (27)
years dedicated to Hydro Field Machining and Welding
Services Voith Hydro 135 years
Concluded the downstream runner of Unit 13 was salvageable
Upstream runner was in worse condition (true of all upstream
runners at the plant)
Several blades exhibited gross cavitation with multiple through
holes
Cavitation so deep preparation to clean sound parent metal not
possible
Determined that a minimum of three (3) blades would need to
be replaced

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 Powerhouse Section and Photos

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 Summary of the Business Case

Unit 13 Repair versus Replace

With significant repair work already performed, completing the
runner repairs was substantially less cost than to replace
Repair lead time would be approximately half the replacement
time
Return to service in approximately 14 months
ROI and time to breakeven were favorable
Successful repair would demonstrate viability of repairing other
units and contribute to continuing station operations
Expected to extend unit operating life twenty (20) years

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Overhead view of typical unit with gates in place

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 Typical Unit Cross Section

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 Runner and Distributor Ring

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 Technical Aspects of Repair

Unit 13 has two Horizontal Francis runners, each 99 inches

diameter
Both upstream and downstream runners have thirteen (13)
blades
Each blade had over its life time been repaired multiple times
Some areas of prior weld repairs were undermined (weld metal
not adhering to base metal) due to improper preparation
Foreign material (rebar) had been included as filler
All blades were severely cavitated
Major areas of cavitation on the suction side (typical) of the
blades
Runner band cavitated adjacent to blade fillets
Two blades considered unrepairable, a third was marginal

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 Typical condition of blades and band

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 Technical Aspects of Repair

Metallurgical samples from runner crowns, bands and blades

revealed chemistry similar to ASTM A27 Grade 70-36
Highly variable carbon content classified as Medium Carbon
Steel - Carbon Equivalent (CE) determines weldability
Repairs costs for in situ cavitation and blade replacements
estimated to be substantially less than replacement runners
Return the unit to service one year earlier
Determined that the most cost effective and least risk repair
was removal of three (3) blades by casting replacements
Blades were 3D Laser Scanned
Data translated into a CAD model and drawings from which
blades were cast

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 Blade prepared for Laser Scan

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 Technical Aspects of Repair

Material and type dependent, castings are readily weldable

Casting structures of this era (1900-1920) are particularly
prone to variable chemistry and are very porous
Water immersion of the components allows moisture to migrate
throughout the casting filling those voids and pores
Moisture in the substrate not conducive to high quality defect
free welding product
Trapped water pockets will flash to steam at exposure to the
extreme temperatures of fusion welding
Gases become entrapped in the weld metal
Concern with the presence of entrapped water is the
probability of hydrogen embrittlement of the material
Moisture must be removed

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 Under magnification the
structure can in places be seen
to be a loosely joined series of
voids
When submerged are
eventually filled with water.
The Pointe du Bois runner
castings contain gas pockets,
pores, voids and casting dross
(impurities)

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 Technical Aspects of Repair

Primary welding process for all areas was Flux Core Arc
Welding (FCAW), a derivative process of GMAW (MIG) welding
Repairs abutting prior repair zones required special
consideration as they contain surface and subsurface
discontinuities
Random discontinuities found at repair margins
Selectively used Gas Tungsten Arc Welding process (GTAW)
The skills applied by the welders proved very successful
eliminating defects and providing acceptable repairs
Acceptance criteria established by Voith Hydro and Manitoba
Hydro for the new repairs
In process inspections using liquid dye penetrant
Linear indications subject to Magnetic Particle Inspection
All inspections were witnessed by Manitoba Hydro
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 Technical Aspects of Repair

Blades measure 46 inches long by 16 wide

Thickness approximately 0.75 inches at leading and trailing
edges; 1.25 at middle sections
Average repaired area 160 square inches some exceeding 250
square inches
Cavitation generally exceeded 0.300 deep
Some areas greater than 1.00 deep
Blades mapped prior to repair (as found condition)
Mapped repairs (as left condition) and photographed
Blade vent openings measured before and after welding
Band gap clearance and run out was measured
Unit 13 downstream runner repaired while replacement blades
for the upstream runner were being cast

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Typical as found condition

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 Typical as left condition

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 Removal and Replacement of blades in situ

Upstream cavitation repair before replacement blades

During repairs it was decided that one of the three (3) blades
identified for replacement was actually salvageable
Substantial time, discussion and engineering was expended
prior to any site work in order to plan methods to remove,
replace and inspect the blades
Peak Hydro determined the best solution was using butt weld
preparations as opposed to the natural fillet conjunction of
band, crown and the blades in the as cast configuration
Post weld inspection (using ultra sound) of fillets would detect
anomalies inherent to the casting
Butt joints are easier to prepare for weld processing and
provide a cleaner inspection zone

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 Prior repair at Blade/Band fillet

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 Gouging of fillet reveals voids

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 Removal and Replacement of blades in situ

Repair and overlay was completed in four junction zones;

suction and pressure sides of fillets at band and crown
A lifting plan was prepared (safe work plan)
Each section of blade being removed/replaced weighed
approximately 200 Lbs.
Chain blocks and restraining/locating plinths were welded to
adjacent blades to ensure that when cut free the blade would
not slip out of position
Blades were plasma cut and lowered from the 6 Oclock
position

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 Blade prepared for removal

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 Blade fillets repaired

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 Blade Removal and replacement

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 Blade is lowered from runner

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 Old/New blades compare and trim

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 Blade removed

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 Removal and Replacement of blades in situ

Blade stubs were prepared with a double V weld preparation

geometry and inspected prior installation
The replacement blades were fitted in place and welded
according to qualified sequence and weld procedures
Subjected to ultrasonic inspections by a third party inspection
company
Three of four (3 of 4) welds passed 1st inspection
One of four (1 of 4) required repair before being accepted to
ASME VIII standards on re-inspection

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 Prepare stubs for replacement blade

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 New blade being installed

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 Ultra Sonic Inspection of replacement blades

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 Repair Results and Conclusions

Welding repairs to both downstream and upstream runners

have proven very successful restoring structure integrity, blade
thickness, profile and fairness
While still a blend of old and new repairs, the surface area of
quality weld material has substantially increased particularly in
areas prone to cavitation
All major structural defects have been repaired
All cavitation has been removed
The removal and replacement of blades worked according to
planned procedure without issues

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 Repair Results and Conclusions

Vent openings measured between each blade set

Hydraulic Balance measured as percentage from nominal
As Found measurements not considered reliable due to the
poor condition of the blade surfaces
Averaged 0.85% for the downstream and -0.36% for the
upstream
As Left measurements reveal hydraulic balance has improved
to 0.08% downstream and -0.05% upstream
The two blades replaced in situ were subjected to full NDT
examination in addition to dimensional checks and found to be
acceptable to ASME VIII standards
Runner integrity, hydraulic balance and fairness are all
substantially improved

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 Acknowledgements:

The following persons all made major contributions to the

success of the Pointe du Bois project:-

Manitoba Hydro: Messrs. Jules Gareau, Jeff Marshall,

Dan Nahuliak, Rejan Sayak

Voith Hydro Services: Messrs. Samuel Perry, Steven Potter

Christopher Vaughan, Michael Norris

Voith Hydro Canada: Messrs. Richard Deboo,

Charles Gagnon, Mehrzad Shahouei

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 Thanks for your attention

Voith Hydro Services

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