Reservoir Pigniu: Successful Support of Flushing with Hydro Insights

Introduction

In June 2024, the Pigniu Reservoir, operated by Kraftwerke Ilanz AG, was completely drained to remove sediment near the intake and bottom outlet. These measures are crucial for ensuring smooth electricity production and the long-term safety of the dam. After years of planning and months of preparations, the Graubünden Office for the Environment gave the green light for the flushing – the perfect time to optimize conditions for an ecologically sound flushing process.

Challenge

One challenge in flushing the Pigniu Reservoir was the need to utilize a vast array of data from various sources. This data came from several dam stages of four different power plant companies, as well as external sources like the BAFU monitoring stations. The goal was to combine all this data into a user-friendly dashboard that would be accessible anytime and anywhere, which had previously not been possible.

The Solution: Hydro Insights

Hydro Insights, developed by Axpo Hydro Digital, is an advanced analytics platform specifically designed for the needs of hydropower plants. At its core is a central data pool where a wide range of high-resolution data from various sources and fields is stored long-term. With custom dashboards accessible on mobile devices, Hydro Insights provides clear and intuitive data visualization and analysis, significantly facilitating decision-making.

Application in the Flushing of Pigniu Reservoir

After Rudolf Büchi, head of the Vorderrhein power plant group at Axpo, outlined the requirements and timeline for such a dashboard, the Axpo Hydro Digital team immediately began implementation. The clearly defined requirements and a straightforward scheme allowed for efficient planning and rapid development of an intuitive dashboard.

With Hydro Insights already established as a proven data platform, the application was quickly and customer-focused. This is an excellent example of successful collaboration between the Vorderrhein power plant group and Axpo Hydro Digital.

All relevant management metrics for assessing flushing conditions were intuitively displayed in a hydrological scheme. The "live data" on flushing conditions is critical, as the optimal conditions only occur on a few days within two years.

The Hydro Insights dashboard performed exceptionally well during the flushing process. It enabled staff to monitor hydrological conditions in real time and to see at a glance whether the flushing conditions were being met. With the visual representation in red/green, quick and effective responses were possible. This solution allowed for precise and reliable monitoring.

Value of the Solution

The Vorderrhein power plant group at Axpo benefited significantly from the implementation of Hydro Insights. The solution enabled efficient and accurate monitoring of the flushing conditions, reduced manual effort, and minimized the risk of errors. The availability of data on mobile devices also provided increased flexibility and responsiveness for on-site personnel.

Situational Awareness refers to the awareness of the current situation and its potential development. The use case in the flushing of the Pigniu Reservoir is an initial example of implementation in this area. The advantages include improved decision-making through real-time data and enhanced safety through precise monitoring.

Without Hydro Insights, data would need to be manually compiled and combined, which is time-consuming and error-prone. By automating the "live" provision of data, Hydro Insights significantly optimizes the process.

Thus, the dashboard was a helpful tool for management support and situational assessment. The first successful implementation of a use case with live data demonstrates the enormous potential of Hydro Insights. This opens up opportunities for its use in similar projects and events where precise and real-time monitoring is required.

A special thanks goes to Axpo Hydro Surselva. The awareness that the operational data of the facilities is centrally available, and the idea of how to combine this data for such a demanding task, comes from AHS. At Axpo Hydro Digital, we thrive on such inputs, which allow us to unlock the full potential of the data.

Outlook

The focus of the use cases implemented in Hydro Insights so far has primarily been on the presentation and analysis of historical time series. This historical perspective allowed operators to identify trends and patterns necessary for long-term planning and optimization. However, the use case for management support in the flushing of the Pigniu Reservoir focused on the intuitive use of live data to make immediate decisions and monitor the flushing in real time.

Hydro Insights has proven to be a valuable tool for the efficient and reliable monitoring of hydropower plants and will continue to play a key role in the digitalization and optimization of such processes in the future.

The successful implementation of Hydro Insights during the flushing of the Pigniu Reservoir demonstrates its potential for other hydropower operators. We are confident that this success story will inspire other plants to implement similar solutions and benefit from the advantages.