Coatings for Protection Against Silt Erosion in Hydro Turbines

Silt in the water passing through the Hydro Turbine, causes excessive erosion of the underwater components of the Turbine. Inspite of taking various preventive measures including the use of best available erosion resistant materials and doing design modifications, the extent of damage is enormous. If this problem is not tackled effectively, the resultant damage can be so great as to throw the machines out of service in the very first year of operation. We, at IPM, study the phenomena of erosion at the silt affected power station and offer our customer a suitable surface enhancement solution. Coatings are further optimized through extensive field trials conducted under close coordination with the customer. In this paper, through a case study, we will be discussing how surface enhancement solutions, provided by IPM, have helped silt affected power stations to manage their erosion problem and improve their overall performance and profitability.