2020-2021

Table of Contents
I. PREFACE....................................................................................................................................2
II. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.................................................................................................................3
1 PROFILE OF THE ORGANISATION..........................................................................................4
1.2 VISION, MISSION AND CORE VALUES.............................................................................6
1.3 INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (IMS)...............................................................7
1.4 Products and Markets...............................................................................................................8
1.5 Location......................................................................................................................................8
1.6 ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE FOR ZPC KARIBA SOUTH POWER STATION..........9
2 ASPECTS OF THE COLLEGE CURRICULUM COVERED...............................................10
2.1 PROCESS PLANT SAFETY..................................................................................................10
2.2 CALIBRATION TECHNIQUES AND INSTRUMENTS....................................................11
2.2 SENSORS AND TRANSDUCERS.........................................................................................11
2.3 PROCESS MEASUREMENT................................................................................................11
2.4 COMPUTER BASED CONTROL- SCADA SYSTEM........................................................11
3 SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE ACQUIRED................................................................................11
3.1 SKILLS ACQUIRED IN THE FIELD...................................................................................11
3.1.1 calibration processes.........................................................................................................12
3.1.2 brush gear maintenance on stage 2 Kariba South Extension unit 7and 8....................13
3.1.3 heat run test on stage 2 extension....................................................................................13
3.2 HEATING, VENTILATION, AIR CONDITIONING (HVAC) system..............................14
4.1 SOURCES OF INPUTS..........................................................................................................16
4.1.1 INPUTS.............................................................................................................................16
4.1.2 PROCESS..........................................................................................................................17
4.1.3 OUTPUTS.........................................................................................................................23
5. PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED...................................................................................................24
6 ASPECTS IN THE FIRM THAT THE COLLEGE CURRICULUM DOES NOT
ADDRESS..........................................................................................................................................24
7. ASPECTS THAT HEXCO COULD INCLUDE IN THE CURRICULUM..............................25
8. ASPECTS OF INDUSTRIAL ATTACHMENT THAT COULD BE IMPROVED........................25

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I. PREFACE
This final industrial attachment report will give a brief account of what the student has
covered during her training period at Kariba South Power Station mainly in Control and
Instruments. The trainee was deployed in this department long enough to grasp the relevant
concepts and skills. The trainee underwent induction training that commenced on the 2nd of
January 2020 to the 10th of the same month. Trainee’s training contract was to be due on the
31st of December 2020, due to occurrence of natural phenomenon Covid 19 which affected
the world, the training contract was then extended to the 30th of April 2021. The extension
was very necessary so that the lost time during the first national lockdown that was declared
by our Excellency will be regained. After the lockdown relaxation the trainee got a great
opportunity to gain more industrial work experience and relevant skills.

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II. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Firstly, the trainee would like to express her indebtedness appreciation to the almighty God
for giving her strength, composure and keeping her physically and mentally well during the
whole industrial attachment period. It is the trainee’s radiant sentiment to place on record her
best regards, deepest sense of gratitude to the trainee supervisors from the Control and
instrumentation Department, Mr A Ndlovu, Mr M Nyamukondiwa, Mr P Mutsamwira and
the senior foreman Mr M Masendu as well as Engineer Masuka for their careful and precious
guidance which were extremely valuable for her study both theoretically and practically.

The trainee also would like to express her gratitude to the Training officer of the company Mr
E Murapata for the words of wisdom and counselling he gave the trainees during the
induction process which helped the trainee remain determined and focused to her work
during the whole attachment period. I greatly appreciate and thank the University of
Zimbabwe Lake Kariba Research Station team for providing trainee with very affordable
accommodation, The Bulawayo Polytechnic Electrical Department HODs for their
encouragement on coming to ZPC Kariba South Power Station for industrial attachment
training.

The trainee is very grateful and thankful for the full support of her parents, family and friends
not forgetting church members and the Pastors. She is also grateful for having a chance to
meet so many wonderful people and professionals who led her through this attachment
period. The trainee perceives this opportunity as a big milestone in her career development.
The trainee will strive to use gained skills and knowledge in the best possible way, and will
continue to work on their improvement, in order to attain desired career objectives.

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1 PROFILE OF THE ORGANISATION

Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) was founded in October 1996 as an investment vehicle in
generation of electricity and became operational in 1999. It is a subsidiary of Zimbabwe
Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) Holdings Limited which is a state-owned company
whose task is to generate, transmit and distribute electricity in Zimbabwe. ZESA Holdings
Limited operates under the Ministry of Energy and Power Development.

Structure of ZESA Holdings Limited

The diagram above shows the structure of ZESA Holdings Limited. ZESA Holdings Limited
was founded in 1985 following the passing of two Acts by the Parliament of Zimbabwe thus,
the Electricity Act (Chapter 13:19) and the Rural Electrification Fund Act (Chapter 13:20).
The Electricity Act went on to make way for the formation of five subsidiaries of ZESA
Holdings Limited namely:

 ZPC
 Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission Company (ZETCO)
 Zimbabwe Electricity Distribution Company (ZEDC)
 ZESA Enterprises (ZENT)
 Power Tel Communications

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To date, ZEDC and ZETCO have since been merged to form Zimbabwe Electricity
Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC).

In line with the approved structure in the diagram above, all of ZESA Holdings Limited’s
power generation assets and operations fall under ZPC. Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC)
was incorporated in 1996 as an investment vehicle in the generation of electricity and became
operational in 1999.

As stipulated in the structure of ZESA Holdings Limited, ZPC has the authority to construct,
own, operate and maintain power generation stations. Its mandate is to generate electricity
mainly for the domestic market. ZPC’s portfolio consists of five power generation plants
comprising of one Hydro Electric Power (HEP) generation plant in the form of Kariba South
Power Station (KSPS), and four thermal power stations namely Hwange, Harare, Bulawayo
and Munyati thermal power station. Of the four thermal power stations, three are small scale.
These are Harare, Munyati and Bulawayo thermal power station. All five have a total of 1960
MW as installed capacity.

The Kariba South power station is a 1,050MW hydroelectric power plant located on the
Zambezi River at the Kariba Gorge, in the Mashonaland West province of Zimbabwe. It is
currently the biggest power plant by installed capacity in Zimbabwe

The Kariba South power station was originally developed with six generating units
commissioned between 1959 and 1962. The facility was expanded by two additional units of
150MW capacity each in March 2018. The Kariba South facility has been the biggest source
of domestic electricity supply in power-starved Zimbabwe that relies on electricity imports
from other countries including South Africa and Mozambique

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1.2 VISION, MISSION AND CORE VALUES

Vision
 To be the preferred supplier of electricity and related services within the region by
2030.
Mission
 To generate and supply electricity through the use of environmentally friendly
technologies
Core Values
The core values serve the purpose of guiding the company when it comes to pursuing its
vision and mission. In pursuit of the vision and mission, risk-based thinking forms an integral
part of the company’s planning and decision-making process. The company is committed to
achieving and maintaining Zero Harm to people, environment, property and community
through appropriate risk management programs.
To facilitate the achievement of value for the organisation and interested parties, the company
is guided and upheld by the following principles/core values:

Systems- Adoption and implementation of risk based integrated internationally recognised

management systems (safety, health, environmental, risk and quality-SHERQ).

Management - Managing our company in an ethical way that strikes an appropriate and
well-reasoned balance between economic, social and environmental needs.

Teamwork – Bound and powered together as one, we shall maximise on the skills base of
team members.

Environment - Towards clean and sustainable energy generation, we shall minimise waste
generation, health stressors, emissions, effluent and resource consumption, e.g., water,
electricity, and fuel.

Customer – Powering the economy into the future.

Creativity – Creating energy solutions with the courage to implement.

Professionalism – Fearless, diligent and accountable application of our skills without favour.

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Social Responsibility – Uplifting the welfare of our communities.

Risk Management- Identify, assess and manage all activities and processes which may pose
a risk or opportunity to the environment, community, employees, contractors, product and
services.

Compliance obligation- Commit to comply with all relevant SHERQ laws, company
policies, world-class standards and voluntary codes to which it subscribes.

Communication- This policy will be communicated within the organization and made
available to interested parties.

Competence and awareness- Facilitate the education of employees and contractors in

relation to their roles and responsibilities in SHERQ management and to require each to
correspondingly accept their own duty of care and responsibilities to themselves and their
colleagues.

1.3 INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (IMS)

The company is ISO certified and has an Integrated Management System (IMS) which is an
amalgamation of three stand-alone international standards as summarized below

a) Environmental Management System ISO 14001:2015

ISO 14001:2015 is intended for use by an organization seeking to manage its
environmental responsibilities in a systematic manner that contributes to the
environmental sustainability. The intended outcomes of an environmental
management system include enhancement of environmental performance, fulfilment
of compliance obligations and achievement of environmental objectives.

b) Quality Management System ISO 9001:2015

ISO 9001:2015 is an international standard dedicated to Quality Management Systems
(QMS). It outlines a framework for improving quality for any organization looking to
provide products and services that consistently meet the requirements and

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expectations of customers and other relevant interested parties in the most efficient
manner possible

c) Occupational Health and Safety Management System ISO 45001:2018

ISO 45001 of 2018 is an international standard that provides a framework for an
organization to manage risk and opportunities to help ensure the health and safety of
employees. Through the training of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS)
management system, ISO 45001 of 2018.

1.4 Products and Markets

The main product from ZPC KSPS is electricity which it sells to its primary customer
ZETDC and other secondary international customers. ZPC sells electricity to its primary
customer ZETDC through the use of a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). A PPA is a
document that was drafted to govern the interaction between ZPC and ZETDC. It contains
information on how the price of electricity is calculated, how it supposed to be paid for and
the legal actions to be taken if either party is not satisfied with the conduction of business.

1.5 Location
The Kariba South power plant is located on the south bank of the Kariba Dam, the world’s
biggest man-made dam based on water storage capacity. The reservoir created by the dam is
called the Kariba Lake that has up to 185 billion cubic metres (bcm) of water storage capacity
with a surface area of 5,580km2.

The Kariba Dam is located on the Zambezi River at the Kariba Gorge, on the border of
Zambia and Zimbabwe.

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1.6 ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE FOR ZPC KARIBA SOUTH POWER STATION

The organizational structure is a system used to define its hierarchy. Each employee’s
positionis identified, including their function and who they report to within the firm. The
organizational structure refers to how an organization arranges its staff and jobs so that its
work can be performed and its objectives and goals met.
The chart above shows the organisational structure of Kariba South Power Station, it clearly
outlines the top management hierarchy for ZPC KSPS. For flow of information within the
organizational structure, thus communication, ZPC KSPS relies on telephones, cell phones,
notice boards, memorandums, Systems, Application and Products (SAP) software, electronic
mails etc. SAP is ZESA Holdings Limited’s proprietary software which integrates all of
ZESA Holdings Limited’s areas of business.

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ORGANOGRAM

GENERAL
MANAGER

GENERAL
MANAGER
SECRETARY

RISK MAINTANANCE FINANCE FINANCE HUMAN

OFFICER MANAGER MANAGER MANAGER RESOURCES
MANAGER

ACCOUNTANT PRINCIPAL
HUMAN
RESOURCES
OFFICER

OPERATION SHIFT
S ENGINEER CHARGE
ENGINEER

STUDENT
PRINCIPAL PRINCIPAL PRINCIPAL
ENGINEER ENGINEER ENGINEER
PLANNING SYSTEMS MAINTANANCE

FIGURE1.2 SHOWING THE HIERARCH

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2 ASPECTS OF THE COLLEGE CURRICULUM COVERED

2.1 PROCESS PLANT SAFETY

a. Pneumatic systems-danger associated with the use of pressurised air
b. Demonstrate knowledge of identifying loose connections or terminal and the
associated dangers
2.2 CALIBRATION TECHNIQUES AND INSTRUMENTS
c. Pressure gauge (calibration by use of dead weight tester)
d. Hand held calibrating equipment, as temperature probes (for setting
temperature switches and pressure pumps (for calibrating pressure gauges and
transmitters)
2.2 SENSORS AND TRANSDUCERS
e resistive elements -resistance thermometer
2.3 PROCESS MEASUREMENT
f) pressure: pressure indicators, seals, transducers
g) temperature -measuring temperature using thermocouples, thermowells,
resistant temperature
2.4 COMPUTER BASED CONTROL- SCADA SYSTEM

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3 SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE ACQUIRED

During the training the trainee rotated to three different departments as it is a mandatory to
rotate so that every trainee have the appreciation of different departments. The trainee was
deployed under her main department that is Control and instruments (C&I). She then rotated
to Electrical Maintenance Department (EMD) and to Protection department under Zimbabwe
Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC)
3.1 SKILLS ACQUIRED IN THE FIELD
Control and instrumentation department is responsible for undertaking maintenance of C&I
equipment. The student was involved in the outages that conducted between January 2020 to
April 2021.

 calibration techniques using process calibrator and wet bath, dead weight tester
 Wiring and installation booster pump
 trouble shooting instruments and system failures
 responding to instruments and other systems call outs
 conducting maintenance, repairs on old or faulty fixtures, machinery and equipment
 providing suggestions for equipment replacement or re-calibration
 adhering to safety and performance standards
 reading schematic diagrams
 protection philosophies
 equipment testing and commissioning (transformer, circuit breaker, etc)
most maintenance works that are done are done under following types of maintenance
a. planned maintenance
b. corrective maintenance
c. condition based maintenance
d. time based maintenance
in every outage, the machine before being loaded calibrations in Turbine panels, static exciter
panels and where there is C&I equipment are conducted for the following reasons:
 to ensure the reliability of the instrument
 to determine the accuracy of the instrument
 to ensure the readings are consistent with other previous measurements.
 To ensure that the instrument still perform as manufacturers standard

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3.1.1 calibration processes

Process calibrator and a Resistance thermometer detector (RTD) and thermocouples.

process calibrator has different magnitudes that should be attributed to measurement signals.
These measurement signals are attributed as the test signal which the calibrator is capable of
providing. They are defined as:
 0 to 20mA
 4 to 20Ma
 0 to 10V
 0,2 to 1bar
These magnitudes signify, for example, temperature output settings of a test value.
A resistance temperature detector (RTD) is a device with a significant coefficient thus, it
has a resistance that varies with temperature. It is used as a temperature measurement device,
usually by passing a low current through it and measuring the voltage drop. Its resistance
increases as the temperature increases and decreases as the temperature decreases.
Thermocouples also called junction thermoelectric thermometer, a temperature measuring
device that uses the see back effect states that when a closed circuit is formed by joining two
dissimilar metal at two junctions and maintained at different temperatures an EMF is
induced.

Thermocouple versus resistance

Thermocouple Resistance temperature detector
Fast time response Self-heating problems
Less expensive More expensive to test and diagnose
Low accuracy measures 350degree High accuracy can operate -200 to 850
celcsius degrees celsius

3.1.2 brush gear maintenance on stage 2 Kariba South Extension unit 7and 8
The maintenance procedure involved cleaning equipment using blowers, hoovers, and
tightening any lose connections for equipment inside the panels designated to C & I
department. The panels that are designated to the C & I are
 Local Control Unit (LCU) panel
 Excitation panel
 Unit auxiliary devices control panel
 And house-keeping around the panels

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3.1.3 heat run test on stage 2 extension

The tests were conducted in the presence of the trainee and the trainee observed the
procedures. Heat run test is known as the temperature rise test is one of the type tests on the
power transformer. This test’s results are really important for the operational economy to
show the performance of the transformer in the fields. The mean purpose of this test is to
check whether the oil and winding temperatures of the transformer meet the values specified
in the standard and technical projects.

3.2 HEATING, VENTILATION, AIR CONDITIONING (HVAC) system

An HVAC system is an assembly of various types of equipment such as chilled water pumps,
cooling water pumps, piping for chilled water, and cooling water sides, etc, installed together
to provide heating, cooling along with climate control of a confined space with respect to
goods or persons in the confined space.
Under ZETDC, the trainee also got a chance to have appreciation of Switch yard of 330KV,
under department of Protection and under the supervision of Test Engineer. The transformer
tests, relay testing and the power system protection were explained clearly to the trainee.
During this period tests that were done are;
 Turns test ratio
 Insulation resistance
 Transformer winding resistance
 Over current and earth fault relays
 Relay testing
 Circuit breaker testing.
The trainee was also given opportunity to tour guide auditors from Hwange power station,
headquarters Harare and Bulawayo power station this gave the trainee more exposure.

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4 EXCITATION PROCESS AT HYDRO-POWER STATION KSPS

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4.1 SOURCES OF INPUTS

Zambezi River Authority (ZRA0

ZRA is a corporation jointly and equally owned by governments of Zimbabwe and Zambia.
Its primary function is to operate and maintain the Kariba Dam on the Zambezi River. ZPC
KSPS procures the water it uses for power generation from ZRA through the use of a Water
Purchase Agreement (WPA) as ZRA is solely in charge of managing the use of water from
the Kariba dam. A WPA is a contract of sale and purchase of water.

ZPC KSPS Self Supply

ZPC KSPS gets its self-supply of electrical power from the 11 KV Bus Bar which is fed by
the following sources:
 A step-down transformer owned by ZETDC – the step-down transformer steps down
the 330kV from the National Grid and also from Kariba North Power Station (KNPS)
owned by Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (ZESCO) to 11kV.
 Diesel Generators (DG)s – the Diesel Generators produce an output voltage of 380V
which is stepped up to 11kV as well.

4.1.1 INPUTS
Water from Lake Kariba Reservoir
The water used for the power generation process is drawn from the Lake Kariba reservoir.
However, not all the water in the reservoir is reserved for power generation. Therefore, the
WPA between KSPS and ZRA, governs KSPS to maintain a reservoir maximum retention
level of 488metres above sea level and a reservoir minimum retention level of 475.5metres
above sea level.

Auxiliary Power

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The Auxiliary Power for ZPC KSPS comes from two sources. Thus:

 A ZETDC step-down transformer

 Diesel Generators (DG)s

ZETDC step-down transformer supplies 11kV directly to the 11kV busbar, the Diesel
Generators supplies 380V to a step-up transformer which the supplies 11kV to the 11kV Bus
Bar. The 11kV Bus Bar is found in the Powerhouse, Stage 2 GTx Platform and The Diesel
Generator 2 Station. The 11kV from the 11kV Bus Bar is then stepped down by the Common
Services Transformers 1, 2 and 3 to 380V. Common Services Transformer 3 serves the
purpose of supplying the Ventilation plant board, common services transformer 1 and 2
supplies auxiliary power to the Unit Board, station lighting other equipment that needs power
in the station.

4.1.2 PROCESS

Cross sectional view of the general layout of the Stage 1 Powerhouse water canal

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Trash Screening

Trash screening is done by the Intake Screen Gate as the water to be used for power
generation is being drawn into the headrace. Trash is not required in the water canal as it has
a potential of damaging the Guide Vanes hence, the need for the Intake Screen Gate. The
pressure of the water at this point is dependent on the difference in height between the Intake
Screen Gate and the top of the Lake.

Water Intakes

The Water Intakes are where the water used for electrical power generation is drawn from the
reservoir. Initially before the water is drawn from the reservoir, potential energy will be the
dominant form of energy.

Stage 1 Powerhouse
Generator or unit 3, and 4 have a separate headrace from that of unit 1, 2, 5 and 6. The
headrace for unit 3 and 4 was placed at a lower level than that of unit 1, 2, 5 and 6. This was
done in order to ensure that at least two units remain functional even in the case of extreme
drought.

Stage 2 Powerhouse

The water to be used for electrical power generation is drawn via two separate headraces for
the Stage 2 Powerhouse. Thus, each unit has its own headrace.

From the horizontal shaft, the water flows into a cylindrical vertical shaft with an
approximate diameter of 6m. Both the horizontal shaft and the vertical shaft form the
Penstock. At approximately 39.5 metres above the Turbine Centreline, the diameter of the
Penstock narrows down to approximately 5.178metres. The Penstock becomes horizontal
again at approximately 376 metres above sea level. The volume flow rate of water in the
Penstock at this point is150 m3
For the Stage 2 Powerhouse, the Penstock has a diameter of approximately 6.5 metres. Just
inside the Penstock, is a slot for the Emergency Gate and another slot for the Service Gate.

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The Service Gate is hydraulically operated whilst the Emergency gate is operated using a
gantry crane.
Turbine Inlet Valve (TIV)
The butterfly type TIV serves the purpose of isolating the Penstock from the Spiral Casing
for the Stage 2 Powerhouse. The Penstock is isolated from the Spiral Casing when the unit is
going through maintenance, the TIV is closed so as to cut off water flow from upstream.

Spiral Casing. from the Penstock, the water then flows into the Spiral Casing. However, as
the water flow inside the Spiral Casing, it loses its pressure due to the circular movement. In
order to maintain the pressure of the water, the diameter of the Spiral Casing gradually
decreases as the Spiral Casing spirals to its end. This is done in order to achieve a constant
volume flow rate for the water flowing between each Stay Vane and Guide Vane or Wicket
Gate.
Both the Stay Vanes and Guide Vanes are found inside the Spiral Casing though the flowing
water firstly comes into contact with the Stay Vanes. The Stay Vanes are always stationery,
and serve the following purposes:

 Guiding the flowing water to the aerofoil shaped blades of the Runner at specific
design angles.
 Converting the pressure energy of the flowing water into kinetic energy before the
water impinges the blades of the Runner.
 Reducing the swirling action of flowing water before it impinges the Runner blades or
Turbine.

As for the Guide Vanes, they serve the purpose of regulating the output electrical power of
the generator through controlling the flow rate of the water coming into contact with the
Turbine.

Electrical System

ZPC KSPS Powerhouse is divided into two section. Thus:

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 Stage 1 Powerhouse – it comprises of six generators each having an electrical power

output capacity of 125MW and producing an output voltage of 18kV. Thus, the Stage 1
Powerhouse has an electrical power output capacity of 750MW.
 Stage 2 Powerhouse – it comprises of two generators each having an electrical power
output capacity of 150MW and producing an output voltage of 15.75kV. Thus, the Stage
2 Powerhouse has an electrical power output capacity of 300MW.

Despite the difference in output power per generator for the two stages, the generation
process is the same as all the generators are Francis Turbines. Francis Turbine are the most
common water turbines. They make use of a combination of both reaction and impulse
turbine. Thus, the blades rotate using both reaction and impulse force of the water coming
into contact with the Turbine radially. As the water comes into contact with the Turbine, the
mechanical energy of the Turbine is converted into rotational kinetic energy.

A Francis Turbine is made up of the following parts:

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 Spiral Casing or Scroll Case

 Stay Vanes
 Guide Vanes
 Runner Blades – They are divided into two parts thus:

i. Lower half – It is made in the shape of a bucket in order for it to be able to

utilize the impulse action of water to rotate the Turbine.
ii. Upper half - It uses the reaction of water flowing through it.
Draft tube- It is a conduit that connects the Runner exit to the Tailrace. Its primary function is
to increase the pressure of the discharged water at the expense of its velocity in order to
minimize the loss in kinetic energy at the Tailrace. Thus, the water discharged from the
Runner flows into the Draft Tube where its pressure is increased at the expense of its kinetic
energy along its way to the Tailrace where it is discharged back into the Zambezi River.
Hence, the Draft Tube increases the pressure energy of the water at the expense of its kinetic
energy.
A Shaft is attached to the Turbine such that when the Turbine rotates, the Shaft also rotates
along with it. The Shaft is mounted vertically so as to isolate the water from the generator.
Attached to the Shaft is the Salient Pole Rotor which is the rotating part of the generator.
Each generator consists of a Salient Pole Rotor and a Stator which is the stationery part of the
generator. For the Stage 1 Powerhouse, the Rotor for each generator is made up of 36 poles
as for the Stage 2 Powerhouse, the Rotor for each generator is made up of 40 poles. Thus, the
synchronous speed ( N ) for each unit in the Stage 1 Powerhouse is:
f .120
N=
P
50∗120
N=
36
N=166.67 revolutions per minute
As for the synchronous speed ( N ) for each unit in the Stage 2 Powerhouse, it is:
f .120
N=
P
50∗120
N=
40
N=150 revolutions per minute

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Excitation
Each Unit has an excitation system whose function is to provide DC to the field winding to
create a magnetic flux. This system is powered by the Excitation Transformer which is an
18kV/735V dry type transformer that taps from the main connection of the Stator. During
run-up before the Excitation Transformer has an input to its HV winding, a field flashing
circuit provides the DC to the Static Excitor. The Field Flashing circuit has its supply on the
Unit Board.

In stage 1, the Unit Board receives its power supply from either of these two sources
 Unit Transformer – this is an 18kV/380V that taps off its supply from the generator’s
main connection.
 Common Services Transformer – this is an 11 kV / 380V transformer that is supplied
by the 11 kV busbar from the Station Transformer.

In the Stage 2, the Unit Board is also supplied by two sources

 The Unit Auxiliary Transformer (UAT) – this is an 11 kV /400V transformer and is
supplied from the Unit’s main connection.
 Station Services Transformer – an 11 kV /400V transformer that is supplied by the
11kV Switch Board.

Before a generator starts running, pre-start checks of conditions which have to be satisfied
before the generator starts running are performed by the Sequencer. A Sequencer is a
Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) which controls and supervises the generator run-up
and shutdown sequence. Some of the conditions which have to be satisfied before the
generator starts running are as follows:
 The Turbine Guide Vane lock should be closed.
 The Intake Gate should be open.
 There has to be a Direct Current (DC) supply of 50V and 220V to the Turbine panel.
 Machine Cooling Water (MCW) valve should be closed.
 Generator brakes should be released.
 There should be a supply of 380V to the Unit Board from the Common Services
Transformer
If these conditions have been satisfied, The Sequencer begins by starting up the necessary
auxiliaries then starts the Turbine run-up sequence. At 90% of synchronous speed, the

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excitation begins. The excitation current of a generator comes from an exciter which receives
its power supply from an excitation transformer. The excitation transformer, which taps
directly from the stator windings is an 18kV/0.735kV. The 735V are converted to 350V DC
for excitation using a thyristor circuit.
In the event of an initial start-up, whereby there is no power for the Excitation Transformer to
tap, the excitation comes from a field flashing circuit, which is powered by the Unit Board
which at first is powered by the Common Services transformer. The field flashing circuit
provides excitation until the voltage reaches a self-sustaining level of 85% - 90% of the
terminal voltage 18kV. The supply for the Unit Board becomes the Unit Transformer instead
of the Common Services Transformer. At this point the field flashing is complete and the
Static Exciter starts supplying DC to the field winding. At this point, the generator is said to
be at Speed No Load (SNL) and ready to synchronize provided the Sequencer is on remote
mode and the Excitation is in auto mode.
Generator Transformer (GTx)
From the generator, the output electrical power is transported to the GTx via the bus bars. A
GTx is a step-up transformer which steps up the output voltage from each generator from
18kV for the Stage 1 Powerhouse and 15.75kV for the Stage 2 Powerhouse to 330kV. From
the GTx transformer, the electrical power is transmitted to the National Grid.
Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) System
An HVAC System is an assembly of various types of equipment such as water chillers, and
heaters, chilled water pumps, Air Handling Units (AHUs), valves for cooling water and
chilled water sides, ducts, electrical power supply control, piping for chilled water, and
cooling water etc. installed to provide heating, cooling along with climate control of a
confined space with respect to people and equipment. For KSPS, the HVAC System gets its
supply from one of the three Common Services Transformers. The Common Service
Transformer is a step-down transformer which steps down the 11kV from the 11kV Bus Bar
to 380V. The HVAC System is used to provide heating, cooling along with climate control of
the Powerhouse with respect to employees and the equipment such as the generators,
generator transformers etc.
Equipment Cooling
For ZPC KSPS, water is used as the dominantly used cooling agent for most of the equipment
that needs to be cooled such as generators, generator transformers. The water is tapped from
the Spiral Casing via the Machine Cooling Water (MCW) valve and transported to equipment
that needs cooling via pipes. From there, the cooling water goes to the Drainage Water
System and then it flows to the Tailrace along with the water used to rotate the Turbine.

4.1.3 OUTPUTS
ZPC KSPS has two outputs. Thus:

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a) Electrical power – the electrical power produced by ZPC KSPS.

b) Water – the water is discharged from the Tailrace into the Zambezi River.
a) Electrical Power
The electrical power produced by ZPC KSPS supplied to the National Grid in the form of
330kV. ZPC KSPS has two output users thus:
 ZETDC
 Nam Power – ZPC KSPS exports power to Nam Power. Nam Power is the national
power utility company of Namibia.
b) Water
The water discharged into the Zambezi River from the Tailrace is used by the flora, and fauna
and downstream community.

5. PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED.
During the industrial attachment, the student encountered the following problems;
a) Understanding the Power Station Equipment, Systems, Machinery and their wirings.
ZPC Kariba South Power Station is currently the biggest power station in Zimbabwe, there
are a lot of aspects to be studied and mastered for one to have a general understanding of the
Power station, hence it took time for the student to finally understand the basics of the
station’s wirings, equipment, machinery and their functions, different systems and Power
generation process as a whole and as well as Control and Instrumentation department’s
responsibilities.

b) Lock down due to Covid 19.

Due to the outbreak of the Covid 19 pandemic and the National Lockdown, the number of
times of attending work per month were reduced. This led to disturbances on the student’s
training program, due to these disturbances, the student could not rotate to other departments
of the organisation like the mechanical maintenance department and the operations
department. However, the problem was rectified through an attachment extension which was
offered by ZESA for all attaches, the student extended with four months that is from 01
January 2021 to 30 April 2021.

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6 ASPECTS IN THE FIRM THAT THE COLLEGE

CURRICULUM DOES NOT ADDRESS.
a) Alarm systems
b) Protection of different Plant equipment
c) Programable logic controllers

7. ASPECTS THAT HEXCO COULD INCLUDE IN THE

CURRICULUM.
An understanding of the responsibilities of a maintenance technician

8. ASPECTS OF INDUSTRIAL ATTACHMENT THAT COULD

BE IMPROVED.
Increasing the coverage of the course core subjects syllabuses before going on attachment
training can help create a foundation for the student to go on attachment knowing somethings
and be able to easily adopt to the industry.

ABREVIATIONS MEANING
C&I Control and instrumentation
GTX Generator Transformer
KSPS Kariba South Power Supply
TX Transformer
KV Kilo Volts

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TRAINEE SUPERVISOR……………………………………………….

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HR TRAINING OFFICER ………………………………………………

TRAINEE……………………………………………………………

DATE………………………………………………………………………

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