Indian River Power Supply LLC

Rehab and 2009 Reconstruction Progress Report

An access door was cut into powerplant wall and 2 sections were removed to install security doors.

Indian River began construction by installing a tie line to the point of interconnection with Western Mass Electric Company in January 2008 but financing and to gain FERC approval of the project's Construction Plan.  ISO required an impact study before it was able to draft an Interconnection Agreement for the project. The interconnection together with dredging permits required to remove the silt from the forebay, which built up during years the plant was out of operations, delayed further construction until the summer of 2009.  In this section we propose to track the rehabilitation of the project during the next 18 months. This will be a photo essay, limiting work descriptions to photo captions as it progresses.

Waterproof door will replace these doors once operating.   The old generator was embedded in 18" of concrete.

The SRHOCO crew had to dislodge the generator that was embedded in the floor of the powerhouse.  It was a major job to take out the rebar and concrete foundation under and around the Westinghouse generator that will be removed for use at another hydro site. The embedment of the larger GE generators will be caste into the pedestal under the powerhouse so that the generator will be bolted down, but can be realigned if needed.

Railroad jacks were a critical tool needed to place cribbing under the generator and to raise it to put rails in place.

It took a lot longer than expected to remove the concrete that imprisoned the generator and exciter in the powerhouse floor for the last 90 years.  The second generator will be removed latter in the year when work outside is difficult.  The river flows are subsiding so it is possible that the excavation of silt from the forebay will begin before the end of September.

To break the generator free took railroad jacks and hydraulic lifters placed in pockets under the generator and exciter.

The generator was removed by pulling along two beams until it reached the doorway where the crane could be used to lift the equipment to a waiting flatbed trailer truck so the equipment could be put into storage. The next step was to remove the end of the pressure chamber, that with the S. Morgan Smith design is the crown plate of the wicket gate case of the downstream runner.

Some of the old wicket gates and the top of the runner are visible. Now removed we find the runner in fairly good condition.

The upstream S. Morgan Smith runner was completely destroyed, so rather make a new one, Indian River purchased two new 43" Leffel Type F Francis runners as replacements. New wicket gates will be caste and assembled with new steel wicket gate pins and links rebuilding the wicket gate case to fit the new runners.  SRHOCO next removed the Holyoke cylindergate turbine including its pressure case as required by FERC in its construction plan in order to make way for construction of a water tight flume that will be poured inside the T-1 side of the powerhouse next year.  You can see that all of the equipment has been removed and the Holyoke turbine is now sitting outside the power plant.

Prior location of T-1 turbine after its removal from the powerhouse

1908 Holyoke cylindergate turbine with runners intact after removal from its pressure case

The Holyoke turbine may end up in a museum, while the Westinghouse generator will live to generate again. SRHOCO has been very careful to remove all of the existing turbine and generators without cutting them up with a torch because this equipment can be refurbished and used again. T-2 is now at the SRHOCO shop being completely rebuilt with mostly new parts that will increase turbine efficiency and reduce water losses.

T-1 generator after being rigged out of the powerhouse, ready for shipping

It took more than a day to move the two generators on a small trailer to the adjoining parking area where they could be loaded onto a low boy trailer for shipping to their next owner.  After nearly a century of use, the two generators are in good operating condition.

The 1905 and 1917 Westinghouse generators will be stored in SRHOCO's warehouse for safe keeping.

The generators were taken away by the same low by truck that brought Indian River's substation equipment. A 1500 kVA transformer, with the rest of the substation switches and breakers were moved to the construction site ready to installation on the roof of the powerhouse (where the equipment will be out of the flood zone around the powerhouse. The equipment is stored inside the security fence that protects the power equipment from vandals and parties that broken into the powerhouse bent on stealing the copper from the old generators.

The substation foundation can be seen on the roof and the transformer and switches (to left) are ready for installation.

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