OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE CLOSED-CIRCUIT TELEVISION A closed-circuit television system is in use at the Dalles hydroelectric project to permit remote surveillance by the powerplant control room operators of the dam spillway and navigation lock gates for increased safety of operation and to permit surveillance of the project entrance areas for security. Four strategically located television cameras equipped with remotely controlled pan, tilt, and multiple lenses provide both detailed and general surveillance of the areas involved. Video signals are transmitted from the pickup cameras to the monitor screen in the control room through approximately 2 miles of triaxial cable. Two cameras are used in the spillway gate system. One camera upstream is used for observation of the forebay and upstream gates areas. A second camera downstream is used to observe the downstream spillway gate area including downstream river and lock areas. Spillway gate position, the presence of small craft in the intake and downstream areas, and the presence of trash in the immediate gate area are easily observed by these cameras. Two cameras are used in the security system. One camera at the north entrance gate to the project is used for identification of personnel and general project access area surveillance. This installation also includes remote gate opening and closing and voice communication between the security building and the gates. The second camera is used to observe the visitors area around the Washington shore fish ladder and to keep equipment storage areas under general surveillance. The TV installation is capable of 600-line horizontal resolution under normal lighting conditions and provides excellent picture detail. It is expected that the use of this equipment will increase the safety and efficiency of project operations and will permit a reduction in the number of security personnel required. This equipment is available from five or more manufacturers. ELECTRONIC OPERATION RECORDERS Electronic operation recorders using static solid state construction except for the printing mechanism have been provided in the control rooms of hydroelectric powerplants to provide printed records of abnormal conditions, equipment troubles, and selected equipment operations. Their use simplifies and saves time in trouble-shooting and increases plant operating efficiency. This equipment is available from at least three manufacturers. SEMIAUTOMATIC LOAD-FREQUENCY CONTROL Facilities are being installed at Bonneville, McNary, The Dalles, and Chief Joseph powerhouses to operate in conjunction with facilities provided in the load dispatcher's office of the Bonneville Power Administration, Portland, Oreg., which will provide semiautomatic oad control of selected generating units at five Federal hydroelectric powerplants on the Columbia River. Provisions are also being made or future extension of the facilities to include semiautomatic load control at other Federal hydroelectric plants in this area. The equipnent is being furnished by the Leeds & Northrop Co., Philadelphia, Pa., and consists of a system deviation console and a station alocator console from which control signals will be transmitted to each of the controlled powerplants by microwave radio. It is anticipated that the use of this load-frequency control equipment will result in increased efficiency in the use of water for power production, improved system frequency regulation, closer control of power interchanges over tielines, and better control of the interconnected power system during emergencies. SUPERVISORY CONTROL AND SUPERVISION OF HYDROELECTRIC Seven Corps of Engineers hydroelectric powerplants currently in operation and under construction are designed for unattended operation (except for maintenance personnel) with control from other remote attended plants, using direct wire, powerline carrier, or microwave radio channels for supervisory control, supervision and telemetering. Other powerplants under design will also be controlled in a similar manner wherever this type of control is determined to be suitable and economical. AUTOMATIC COMPUTER CONTROL OF HYDROELECTRIC POWERPLANTS Studies are being made to determine the feasibility and economy of providing closed loop automatic electronic computer control of groups of hydroelectric powerplants, particularly in cases where several plants are located on the same river or in the same watershed. It is believed that such control will result in optimum operation of such multipurpose plants for flood control, power generation, navigation, and related purposes. CATHODIC PROTECTION TO REDUCE PAINTING COSTS FOR SUBMERGED STEEL Painted submerged hydraulic structures, in general, will corrode at breaks in the paint film and, after a number of years, in those places I where the paint has deteriorated. To mitigate this corrosion, a cathodic protection system is installed. The purpose of this system is to eliminate galvanic (electrochemical) action which occurs between dissimilar metals or areas of the same metal when in a corroding medium. This is accomplished by impressing an external cathodic current onto the structure which polarizes the corrosion cells and neutralizes the corrosion current. Tests have been conducted in the laboratory and on field installations to determine design criteria and installation techniques to produce a cathodic protection system which will give complete protection at maximum efficiency without destroying the paint coating. Experience has shown that a paint coating will last twice as long when cathodically protected. In those cases where the structure is submerged in sea water, it has been determined that the most economical protection can frequently be obtained by eliminating the paint coating on those surfaces continually submerged and applying cathodic protection to the bare steel. Thus the cost of maintaining submerged hydraulic structures has been substantially reduced by increasing the life of the paint coatings and in special cases by the elimination of the paint coating. ELECTRONIC SURVEYING Numerous types of electronic distance measuring and radiolocation systems have been investigated and are used in civil works activities for the precise measurement of distances in land surveys and for the accurate location of soundings in hydrographic surveys of rivers, harbors, dam reservoirs, and the Great Lakes. The use of the above electronic devices and systems has resulted in faster and more accurate surveys; reduction in personnel required; ability to make surveys during fog, darkness, and rough weather when conventional survey methods would not be feasible; and, in general, more efficient and economical operations. The types of electronic equipment used and investigated for precise distance measurements include: Tellurometer. This equipment is manufactured by Tellurometer (PTY) Ltd., Cape Town, Union of South Africa, and distributed by Tellurometer, Inc., Washington, D.C. The system uses microwave radio and the commercial version costs about $11,000 for a complete system. AGA Geodimeter. This equipment is manufactured by Svensks AB Gasaccumulator, Stockholm-Lidingo, Sweden, and distributed by Berg, Hedstrom & Co., Inc., New York, N.Y. The system used reflected modulated light and therefore is restricted to nighttime use. The estimated cost is $12,000 to $15,000 for a complete system. Model DM-20 electrotape. This equipment is manufactured by the Cubic Corp., San Diego Calif. This equipment is similar to Tellurometer, using microwave radio, and the estimated cost for & complete system is $12,500. Type DM Raydist range system. This equipment is manufactured by Hastings-Raydist, Inc., Hampton, Va., and measures distance by means of phase comparison of continuous wave signals. This equipment is particularly applicable where extreme accuracy is not required and where errors in distance of a few feet can be tolerated. It is also particularly suitable for use with boats and moving vehicles. The equipment for measuring single distances is estimated to cost $25,000. Radio location systems. The types of radiolocation systems investigated and used for the location of soundings in hydrographic surveys include the following: Raydist manufactured by Hastings-Raydist, Inc., Hampton, Va. All Raydist systems used phase-comparison of continuous wave signals as the means of measurement. The type E system is a hyperbolic system requiring three shore-based stations at known points in addition to the master station aboard the boat. The type DM system presents the data in terms of distances from the boat to two separated stations located at known points on shore. The location of the boat is determined by plotting fixes using the measured dis tances. The estimated costs of type E and type DM Raydist systems are $50,000 and $40,000, respectively. The accuracy of plotted positions obtainable with the above systems is in the order of 5 to 10 feet at distances up to 10 miles from the shore-based stations. Shoran. This equipment obtained from the Air Force is used by the U.S. Lake Survey for the location of offshore soundings in the Great Lakes. Shoran measures the distances from the moving boat to two transponder stations located on shore by measuring the time required for round-trip transmission of signals, and the position is determined from plotted fixes. This equipment is used in areas beyond the range of conventional survey methods and in areas where Raydist is not applicable. The cost of a complete Shoran system is estimated to exceed $100,000. RADIO EQUIPMENT COMMUNICATIONS Many Corps of Engineers civil works radio communication installations are now using single sideband units for communication between districts and divisions. This system is utilized to insure better voice communications because of its spectrum and power economy and because it is less susceptible to the effects of selective fading and interference than AM systems. RESERVOIR CLEARING In a continued effort toward reducing the cost of clearing reservoirs, the Le Tourneau tree crusher has been tested recently in clearing a reservoir. With the massive machine, trees and brush are literally crushed into a compressed mat. The machine used had an overall length of 39 feet, 10 inches, overall height of 15 feet, and weighed approximately 50 tons. The purchase price of this machine is approximately $82,000. Although the data compiled in the test have not been completely analyzed at this time, it appears that the use of this type of machine may result in substantial savings in some instances. NUCLEAR TECHNIQUES-PEACEFUL PURPOSES GENERAL The Atomic Energy Commission, through its Plowshare program, has made extensive studies of past underground nuclear explosions to determine the feasibility of using nuclear explosives for peaceful purposes. These studies have cast considerable light on the characteristic effects of underground explosions and have suggested a number of peaceful applications. The suggested uses include, but are not limited to, excavation and the construction of aquifers. These two applications are of particular interest to the Corps of Engineers. The techniques of using nuclear explosives for such purposes are still in the early stages of development; however, present scientific data are sufficient to indicate the feasibility of using this new method of construction for large-scale excavation projects. The application of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes has tremendous potential since it can make possible many large excavation projects which are not now feasible or economically justified by present excavation methods The Civil Works Division of the Office of the Chief of Engineers is keeping abreast of the new developments and techniques in order that they may be applied to applicable civil projects. Recent studies indicate that nuclear excavating can be employed with complete safety for human life and that it may result in great cost savings on certain large-scale excavation projects. Additional investigations will be required to perfect the techniques so that projects can be engineered and executed with optimum success and the greatest cost savings. The application of nuclear devices to civil projects and the securing of additional data is being closely coordinated with the Atomic Energy Commission and the Department of Defense. EXCAVATION When chemical high explosives are used in excavation work, they are normally used to break up the rock so that it can be moved by mechanical means. The earthmoving by machinery is the major cost in such projects. In nuclear excavation, the forces of the explosion can be used to move the materials from the excavation, thus eliminating the need for costly earthmoving equipment. By detonating the nuclear devices fairly deep underground optimum crater dimensions are obtained, thus increasing their efficiency. When the devices are detonated at slightly greater than optimum depth, the blast effects are significantly reduced and only a few percent of the radioactivity escapes to the surface. By the use of the cleaner nuclear explosives the release of activity is reduced even further. Most of the radioactivity which does escape is scavenged by the heavy dust cloud formed by the explosion and falls back to earth very close to the excavation. |