Vol1 12
Vol1 12
Vol1 12
ABNORMAL OPERATIONS
GENERIC TECHNICAL GUIDELINES
FOR POWER STATIONS
MARCH 2003
6. AUTHOR(S)
Gary McDermott, Bill Parks, John Snead, Mitch Samuelian
FIST 1-12 has been prepared to provide a generic technical guideline for Reclamation facilities to develop a site-specific set of
abnormal operating procedures, which will become a section in the facility Standing Operating Procedures. Sites will be required to
use this manual as a template to develop their own Site-Specific Abnormal Operations procedures. Remotely operated facilities will
be required to share copies of their procedures with their control center.
17. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF 18. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF 19. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION 20. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT
REPORT THIS PAGE OF ABSTRACT
UL UL UL UL
ANORMAL OPERATIONS
GENERIC TECHNICAL GUIDELINES
FOR POWER STATIONS
OFFICE OF POLICY
POWER RESOURCES OFFICE
MARCH 2003
PREFACE
This document presents technical guidelines for the development of abnormal operating
procedures for powerplants owned and operated by the Bureau of Reclamation. These technical
guidelines are designed to assist Regional staff in the development of their own site-specific
Abnormal Operating Procedures. These procedures will be a supplement to the Standing
Operating Procedures for each facility.
These guidelines were developed by power maintenance, operations, and management personnel
from Reclamation’s Denver, Regional, and Area Offices.
For more information on these technical guidelines, please contact Mitchell Samuelian at the
Power Resources Office, D-5400, 303-445-3712.
DISCLAIMER
This written matter consists of general information for internal Bureau of Reclamation operations
and maintenance staff use. The information contained in this document regarding commercial
products or firms may not be used for advertising or promotional purposes and is not to be
construed as an endorsement of any product or firm by the Bureau of Reclamation.
CONTENTS
Page
Supply/Inverter............................................................................... 9
Relay Operation.............................................................................. 17
iii
CONTENTS (CONTINUED)
Page
Relay Operation.............................................................................. 20
Relay Operation.............................................................................. 25
Relay Operation.............................................................................. 29
11.3 Procedure........................................................................................... 33
iv
March 2003 FIST Manual 1-12 Page 1 of 34
ABNORMAL OPERATIONS GENERIC TECHNICAL GUIDELINES
FOR POWER STATIONS
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Purpose and Scope
A. Historically, Reclamation has had effective Emergency Operating
Procedures (EOPs) to deal with facility emergencies. EOPs are normally
developed to guide operations during large catastrophic events that pose a
hazard to facility personnel and the public downstream from Reclamation
facilities. In general, these EOPs were not intended to handle small,
abnormal events. Incidents in the last few years have identified the need for
procedures governing operations during abnormal events.
B. Abnormal events are not emergencies by definition. However, the
consequences of not dealing with these events in a systematic manner could
further complicate the event, cause damage to plant equipment, loss of
generation, and possible plant personnel injury.
C. Facilities Instructions, Standards, and Techniques (FIST) 1-12 has been
prepared to provide a generic technical guideline for Reclamation facilities
to use in developing a site-specific set of abnormal operating procedures.
These procedures will become a section in the facility Standard Operating
Procedures (SOPs).
D. The manual is broken into three parts:
1) General guidelines
2) Operator training
3) Generic technical guidelines for operating under abnormal conditions
E. In this manual, the term Operator is used to describe all personnel with
operational duties at the associated facility.
F. This manual additionally identifies Operator initial and refresher training for
abnormal events. The manual contains the required educational program for
training operating personnel to function more effectively during abnormal
operating conditions. Abnormal conditions usually occur without advance
warning, and, typically, remedial action must be taken. A continuing
educational program provides Operators with the knowledge to act promptly
and effectively when the unexpected occurs and decisions have to be made
as to what should be done.
G. The purpose of the educational program is to develop a more capable and
alert operating organization that can function effectively under abnormal or
emergency conditions with minimum delay and with the expectation that
correct remedial action will be taken.
Page 2 of 34 FIST Manual 1-12 March 2003
ABNORMAL OPERATIONS GENERIC TECHNICAL GUIDELINES
FOR POWER STATIONS
H. While these operating procedures have been developed for the information
and guidance of operating personnel in handling abnormal conditions, they
do not cover all abnormal conditions or combinations of conditions that may
occur. A thorough understanding of the function and operation of all
powerplant equipment by operating personnel will be especially valuable
when emergencies occur without established SOPs.
2) If sufficient capacity is not available online, start and load standby units.
3) In cases where the tripped unit is immediately available, put it back online
and load it.
4) Where capacity is not available, immediately notify the dispatcher so that he
can make other arrangements for the required generation.
5) If generation dropping scheme is initiated or called upon to initiate (site-
specific), the Operator should ensure that the dropping scheme responded
appropriately.
1) Loss of generator auxiliaries, including cooling water, lube oil pumps, and
governor oil pumps
2) Flooding from loss of sump pumps
3) Loss of power to emergency equipment (site-specific, fire pumps, alarms,
etc.)
4) Loss of the ability to bypass water
5) Loss of station air systems
6) Loss of transformer cooling
7) Loss of battery chargers (site-specific plant battery, Supervisory Control
and Data Acquisition [SCADA] battery, Uninterruptible Power Supply
[UPS] battery)
8) Loss of power to restore penstock intake gates
9) Loss of Oil Pressure Systems
10) Exit issues including elevator failures
11) Loss of facility services including water, wastewater, lighting, and heating,
ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC)
NOTE:
A loss of station service may cause a loss of Main Unit Axillaries.
This could cause overheating of the generator windings and lube oil
system and may cause bearing damage. If you have designated
Main Units to provide station service, you may want to continue to
operate them to allow the re-energization of station service.
3) Drain the unit penstocks by cracking open the unit wicket gates. This will
prevent unit creep once station service air pressure is lost and will limit
inflow to plant sumps.
4) Leave wicket gates slightly open to drain off intake gate leakage.
5) Manually block the unit brakes.
E. If the units trip, verify that the units shut down completely.
CAUTION:
A loss of power may prevent the operation of plant educators if they
are operated or water is supplied from the penstock. Facility should
consider alternative means to remove water on a loss of power.
CAUTION (Site-Specific):
Manually opening a large switchgear breaker may be hazardous.
Facilities should develop site-specific procedures to respond to a
generator breaker trip failure.
C. Ensure that generator breakers are open. Manually trip breakers that have
not opened.
D. Ensure that transformer breakers are open. M
anually trip breakers that have
not opened.
E. Secure the Main Units as follows:
1) Close the intake gates.
2) Drain the unit penstocks by cracking open the unit wicket gates.
3) Leave wicket gates slightly open to drain off intake gate leakage.
4) Manually block the unit brakes.
F. Investigate loss of DC system.
NOTE:
Some facilities have separate systems for governors, breakers, and
station air.
NOTE:
A loss of generator breaker operating air may cause the breaker to
lock out, open, or close breaker (site-specific).
CAUTION:
Do not open breakers manually with low sulfur hexafluoride (SF6),
air, or oil pressures. This could cause catastrophic breaker failure
and personal injury.
CAUTION (Site-Specific):
Manually opening a large switchgear breaker may be hazardous.
Facilities should develop site-specific procedures to respond to a
generator breaker trip failure.
NOTE:
Breakers should have a breaker failure scheme.
E. If a loss of SF6 occurs, refer to FIST 5-9, Safe Handling Procedures for
SF6 Equipment.
F. Low breaker operating pressure will prevent the operation of air blast
breakers. The low pressure alarm operates at (site-specific).
G. For low breaker air pressure, the Operator will do the following:
1) Attempt to locate and isolate the leak.
2) Check the breaker air compressor status, including the power supply and
fuses.
3) Implement air system cross-connect procedures or emergency air supply.
(site-specific).
March 2003 FIST Manual 1-12 Page 13 of 34
ABNORMAL OPERATIONS GENERIC TECHNICAL GUIDELINES
FOR POWER STATIONS
CAUTION:
Do not enter lower areas of the facility where CO2 could collect.
Time should be allowed for CO2 to dissipate. Areas shall not be
entered without a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) and
air monitor.
NOTE:
Reset the initiating devices or relays prior to resetting the
CO2 system (site-specific).
CAUTION:
DO NOT restart the unit until the problem has been identified and
corrected. Failure to identify and correct the problem could cause
permanent damage to the windings and core.
CAUTION:
Voltage regulators should not be operated in manual or current
mode without an Operator present or for extended periods of time.
Western Energy Coordinating Council (WECC) or the Local Control
Area shall be notified of all units that are being operated with the
voltage regulator in manual.
Page 16 of 34 FIST Manual 1-12 March 2003
ABNORMAL OPERATIONS GENERIC TECHNICAL GUIDELINES
FOR POWER STATIONS
CAUTION:
Do not use emergency shutdown (SCADA or control switch). This
will open the generator breaker before the gates are closed,
causing an increase in speed, which might do further damage to the
bearing.
B. When the alarm is energized, the Operator should check cooling water flow
and discharge air temperatures.
C. If the cooling water flow is below normal, check that all supply and
discharge valves are open.
D. Check that water supply pressure is greater than (site-specific). If supply
pressure is low, check pumps and strainers.
E. A single high discharge air temperature greater than (site-specific) is an
indication of an air-locked cooler or a closed isolation valve.
F. If the stator temperature gets too high, it may be necessary to reduce load in
order to keep the temperature within limits.
G. If the cause of the high temperature is not found and corrected, the unit
should be unloaded and shut down until the condition can be corrected.
temperatures.
NOTE:
The DC oil pump is a backup to the AC oil pump. In some cases it
may be acceptable to operate the unit with the DC oil pump for
short periods of time. However, the unit will not have a backup oil
supply. Consideration should be given (especially at remote
facilities) to shutting down the unit and starting an alternate unit.
Generator (SSG)
A. When a loss of a PMG occurs, the unit will go to gate limit setting, and you
will have no speed indication on the unit.
March 2003 FIST Manual 1-12 Page 23 of 34
ABNORMAL OPERATIONS GENERIC TECHNICAL GUIDELINES
FOR POWER STATIONS
B. If the SSG fails and a generator field is not present, the speed signal will be
lost, and a main unit lockout and shutdown will occur. The SSG is a backup
to the generator potential transformer (PT) speed signal.
C. SSG and/or PT feeds speed information to electronic governors to operate
speed switches (brake application, thrust pump application, etc.) and speed
indicating meters.
D. If local plant Operators are available, some of the following actions need to
be taken based on the governor type (site-specific):
1) Take the brakes off auto to prevent brake damage.
2) Lower the gate limit to unload the generator speed to no load.
3) Manually, start thrust bearing oil pump.
4) When the generator load is at minimum, open the generator breaker and
shut down the unit.
CAUTION:
Do not shut down the unit without placing brakes in manual. Failure
to do so will damage brakes.
E. If the governor is a digital governor, the unit will lock out. Depending on
how the governor failed, the brakes may actuate, and the thrust bearing
pump may not start.
F. For electronic or mechanical governors, lower the gate limit to unload the
generator.
G. When generator reaches (site-specific) revolutions per minute (rpm),
manually apply the brakes.
NOTE:
Hunting or surging could be an indication of a serious problem in
the governor.
Page 24 of 34 FIST Manual 1-12 March 2003
ABNORMAL OPERATIONS GENERIC TECHNICAL GUIDELINES
FOR POWER STATIONS
B. If the restoring cable breaks between the sheaves and the restoring cable
weight, what do you look for and what should you do?
1) Regardless if the wicket gates are going open or closed during a load
change, the generator will operate at maximum load with the gates full
open, but the gate position indicator stays at the previous load setting.
2) The Operator should use the gate limit control knob to shut down the
generator.
CAUTION:
Under no circumstances should the unit be tripped if it is online.
Tripping a unit with no restoring cable and the wicket gates full open
would result in a runaway generator.
C. If the pilot valve sticks in the open position and the gate limit control will
not push down the pilot valve, what can you do to stop the unit?
1) The Operator should cut off oil pressure to the pilot valve, only allowing the
valve servomotor plunger to fall of its own weight. This will open oil flow
to the closing side of the servomotor and close the wicket gates.
CAUTION:
Under no circumstances should the unit be tripped if it is online.
Tripping a unit with the pilot valve stuck in the open position would
result in a runaway generator.
8.5 Low Governor Oil Pressure Alarm and Shutdown Relay Operation
A. If the low oil pressure alarm is energized, the control room Operator should
stop any load changes on the unit. If the governor is hunting, block the
gates with the gate limit.
Page 26 of 34 FIST Manual 1-12 March 2003
ABNORMAL OPERATIONS GENERIC TECHNICAL GUIDELINES
FOR POWER STATIONS
B. If the unit receives a trip actuation, verify the unit is shutting down
normally. If it is not, initiate a normal unit shutdown.
C. If the alarm does not clear and the plant is unmanned, the Operator should
shut down the unit.
D. If personnel are available, check that the governor oil pumps are running
with proper discharge pressure (site-specific information), check the oil
level in the pressure tank (site-specific information), and check that the
governor sump level is normal (site-specific information).
E. Check the starting and stopping pressures of both pumps (site-specific).
F. If there is trouble with the lead pump, the lag pump should be put on lead.
If there is complete failure of both pumps, the unit will have to be shut
down.
G. If the low oil pressure shutdown relay operates, the unit will be
automatically shut down and must be left down until the cause of the low oil
pressure is found and corrected. This may cause penstock gate closure.
F. If a broken shear pin is found, the unit should be unloaded, if possible, and
operated at minimum load until the broken shear pin can be replaced.
CAUTION:
Care should be taken not to de-energize transformer oil pumps of
operating transformers.
CAUTION:
Care should be taken not to de-energize the transformer oil pumps
on operating transformers.
4) Check for fire at the transformer and turn on the water spray, if necessary.
7) Units should not be restarted until the cause of the relay action has been
B. When the alarm is energized, the Operator should first try to determine
which abnormal condition caused the alarm.
C. If the oil level gauge indicates low oil level, the Operator should check for
oil leakage at the following:
1) Transformers
2) Heat exchangers
3) Connecting piping
11.2 Objective
A. The main objective of this fire plan is to:
11.3 Procedure
A. All employees in all areas of the project are authorized to report fires and to
perform firefighting procedures for which they are trained.
B. Report a fire as follows:
1) Call (site-specific) and report the fire to the Control Room.
2) When reporting a fire, give the location, the nature of the fire (electrical, oil,
trash, etc.), the telephone number from where you are calling, and your
name. Do not hang up until you are released.
3) After the fire has been reported, clear and isolate the area as much as
possible and administer appropriate firefighting techniques to control the
fire until assistance arrives.
4) These techniques are to be ones the employee is trained on.
5) If the discoverer of a fire is not trained in firefighting procedures, report the
fire and evacuate the area.
6) Project employees are not to attempt to control major fires; only small fires
are within their capability.
Page 34 of 34 FIST Manual 1-12 March 2003
ABNORMAL OPERATIONS GENERIC TECHNICAL GUIDELINES
FOR POWER STATIONS
7) Other employees at the site who are trained in firefighting procedures shall
assist in extinguishing the fire. If they are not required to handle
extinguishers or fire hoses, they should shut off apparatus using electricity
or gas and salvage valuable material, if possible.
8) The discoverer of the fire, if so qualified, shall direct operations until
relieved by a project supervisor or the chief of the fire department.
Acronyms and Abbreviations
AC alternating current
AGC automatic generation control
BFR breaker failure relay
COO Continuity of Operations
CO2 carbon dioxide
DC direct current
EOPs Emergency Operating Procedures
FIST Facilities Instructions, Standards, and Techniques
HVAC heating, ventilation, and air conditioning
IAW in accordance with
JHA job hazard analysis
PMG permanent magnet generator
PSS power system stabilizer
PT potential transformer
rpm revolutions per minute
RTD Resistance Temperature Detector
SCADA Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition
SCBA self-contained breathing apparatus
SF6 sulfur hexafloride
SOPs Standing Operating Procedures
SSG speed signal generator
UPS Uninterruptible Power Supply
WECC Western Energy Coordinating Council