Upgrades & Rehabilitation
Weldon Hydro Station Upgrade and Frequency Conversion
The Weldon Hydro Station is an unmanned facility located on the Penobscot River in northern Maine. The station contains four turbine-generator units with a total installed capacity of approximately 20 MW. GLHA engaged the services of Devine Tarbell & Associates Inc. (DTA) to study these units and develop a program for runner replacement, generator rewind, unit upgrades, and 40 to 60 Hz frequency conversion.
The services provided by DTA are part of an EPC (Engineer, Procure and Construct) approach to upgrade the generating units and convert the plant from 40 cycle to 60 cycle. DTA’s hydro mechanical and electrical engineers first conducted a detailed study of the existing units, including dewatered turbine inspections, index performance tests, and development of rehabilitation and upgrade alternatives, along with cost and energy estimates. Based on this study, the owner decided to upgrade the turbines by replacing the runners. The objectives of the turbine upgrade were to decrease cavitation, increase and reshape operating efficiency, and increase