Compressors support water power
An energy source that people used to power mills and sawmills back in the pre-industrial age now accounts for more than 15 % of all power generated worldwide. Among renewable energies, water power is the undisputed leader, making up around 75 % of total output.
This success is down to hydroelectric power plants, in which the kinetic energy of water is converted into electrical power using turbines and generators. Compressors also perform important tasks in this process. The many types of power plant are normally differentiated into low, medium or high pressure plants according to the effective head of the water, or based on their operating principle, e.g. running water and storage (water) power plants.
Three Sauer-Compressors operate at what is currently the largest storage power plant in Turkey – Beyhan-1 in Elazig province in the east of the country. In this type of power plant, water is stored in a reservoir and the energy from the water is converted into power as required. It is the first of three planned storage power plants that will be constructed as a cascade on the mountainside along the River Murat. With an output of 582 MW, it supplies more than 400,000 households in the region with power.
The hydroelectric power plant is equipped with type WP 6310 Sauer-Compressors. The three water-cooled machines achieve a combined flow rate of more than 1200 m³/h at a final pressure of 64 bar. The compressed air they generate is required to control the turbines and to blow out the water for operating the phase shifter. Both applications are crucially important in generating energy using water power.
