Quality control and assurance plan for the recovery of a Francis turbine runner from a hydroelectric power plant

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to establish the procedure for the inspection and execution of tests to control and assurance of quality, during the recovery process of the Francis runners, which are elements used as a fundamental part in hydraulic turbines for the generation of electric power. The recovery is based on executing the dimensional control over runner geometry, the material characterization, the metallographic analysis and non-destructive tests (NDT) on welds based on the guidelines of the specification for hydraulic machines CCH 70-4; to determine the zones of wear affected by phenomena such as: cavitation, corrosion and erosion; as well as areas damaged by failure mechanisms as a result of efforts to design, loads and operating factors of the machines. In addition, this creates a reference in terms of technical and technological capabilities in the country, which is projected at the regional level to provide services and specialized engineering solutions, achieving to break the dependence of big foreign companies, creating an added value with the transfer of knowledge; obtaining in this way a substantial saving in costs and time in the process of runner’s recovery.