Loup Generator — Fall 2020

New Digital Governors
for Monroe Powerhouse
It’s time for an upgrade at the Monroe
Powerhouse.
The three digital governors are no longer
supported by the manufacturer. The software is
obsolete and the District has been using legacy
equipment to interface with those governors.
Because of these limitations, Loup replaced the
first of three digital governors in July. The second
will follow this month, with the third scheduled
next year. The cost is around $300,000.
“The purpose of the governor is to control speed
of the generator and it does this by controlling the
amount of water to the turbine with the wicket
gates,” said Hydro Superintendent Brad Morton.
The governors also function as auxiliary equipment
controllers and provide mechanical protection for
the generators. They do so by sounding alarms
when something isn’t quite right, like temperature,
oil pressure, or headwater levels. Each governor is
configured with more than 200 alarms.
The mechanical controllers were first upgraded
in 1997. At that time, the Tainter Gate controls,
powerhouse synthesizer, mechanical headwater
level indicator, and other mechanical equipment
was also digitized at a cost of about $535,000.
That cost included fees to Voith Hydro, which
helped design, engineer, and program the
controllers. It also included fees for electricians
and millwrights who installed the mechanical and
electrical components.
This time, Voith is again doing the design and
commissioning work for the governors, but Loup
personnel is handling the rest of the work since
only the electric components of the governors
(inside the cabinets) are being replaced. The
hydraulic and mechanical equipment replaced in
1997 is still in good condition.
The design for this upgrade began last year when
Loup contacted Voith, based in York, Pa. After
approval and engineering, the design went to a
subcontractor for assembly.
Morton was planning to travel to Philadelphia for
factory testing of the new governors this spring.
That plan was scrapped due to the Covid-19
pandemic. Instead, Kent Matson, Lead Project
Hydro Superintendent Brad Morton
demonstrates how the old digital
governors work. The new governors
have an improved operator screens,
as shown above.
10 GENERATOR