Wärtsilä Corporation, a global leader in complete lifecycle power solutions for the marine and energy markets, will participate in the refurbishment programme for the US Bureau of Reclamation’s Minidoka hydropower plant, Idaho, in the United States. This includes the refurbishment of the two horizontal turbine runners on the Kaplan turbines, located in the Allen E. Inman powerhouse.
Wärtsilä will supply its REguard Water Lubricated Face Type Seals with integrated Pressurised Interface Management System (PIMS) to GE Renewable Energy who is responsible for the overall refurbishment of the turbines. This is the latest iteration of Wärtsilä’s Pressurised Interface Management System which can autonomously monitor, record and analyse performance data in real time, locally.
Furthermore, the new Wärtsilä seals will increase operational performance and, with the new integrated monitoring equipment, it will learn when maintenance is required, reducing operational downtime and increasing the time between maintenance periods.
Wärtsilä announced in October that it had expanded into a new market segment, offering a comprehensive package of seals, bearings and associated solutions to hydropower installations and industrial plants worldwide. Wärtsilä’s Hydro & Industrial services offering targets the specific needs of hydropower, tidal energy and offshore wind installations as well as mining, paper, oil & gas, water management and power generation industries.