The Bureau of Reclamation has awarded a USD 6.82M contract to Andritz Hydro Corp. of Charlotte, North Carolina, for the modernization and overhaul of the last three original pressure relief valves at Hoover Dam.
The pressure relief valves are part of the original turbine equipment in the dam’s power plant. When the water flow to the turbines must be stopped quickly, the pressure relief valves divert the water around the turbine and directly into the river. This reduces the pressure rise that would otherwise occur in the penstock – the large pipes that carry the water from Lake Mead to the turbines.
In October 2016, construction crews monitored by Reclamation’s Lower Colorado Region began the process of disassembling the first of the three remaining pressure relief valves at Hoover Dam. Also, they refurbished the units with new valves and related componentry, as well as installed new valve head covers and hydraulic actuators.
Conversion and overhaul of the existing valves at Hoover Dam with installation of the new componentry is expected to be completed over the next three years when maintenance schedules allow.
ANDRITZ HYDRO is a global supplier of electromechanical systems and services for hydropower plants.
