Authorized Personnel Only - Kickstarting A Hydroelectric Turbine

[@hootowl2112]

My grandfather loved showing off his Hiawassee Dan with it's pair of reversible turbines that could also suck water up from the river below the dam and fill up the reservoir during the day when so much power wasn't needed, to run back thru via gravity in the night. That said, the "suck zone" in the forebay was a awe-inspiring thing to witness at 5 years old and Gramp's tales of its terrible power gave me a serious phobia of unseen intakes lurking in any unfamiliar body of water.

[@Greg_Rix]

I'm from the UK and I teach Physics, your Grandfather's dam was one of the first to be used to pump water back up using the generating turbines in reverse. We teach pumped storage in our GCSE's as part of our energy unit :) Every child in the UK will know of it, although perhaps not him directly. Thought you might want to know his work is known around the world and I believe it's an engineering landmark now? :)

[@carmadme]

When you said "his" dam I imagined a small backyard device not a ruddy great dam

[@isettech]

More modern dams use a volute around the wicket gates to remove the chaos of water entering the wicket gates. The water rotation going into the wickets improves efficiency by reducing turbulence. Instead of water entering a square room, from the side, the water enters a round spiral room from the side, spinning the water into the turbine.

[@BGrFSH24]

The age doesn't have much to do with it. You're speaking to a different design (Francis runner) that's more popular in this day and age. The setup in this video isn't an uncommon low head setup. Still though... By the looks of things this is definitely a pretty ancient plant...

[@shadowopsairman1583]

So an IGV then

[@bobkoure]

@@isettech I was wondering about that.

[@ChoChan776]

@@shadowopsairman1583 You could call it an IGV, sure

[@securi-t]

Wow... That's like a hundred times more terrifying than I thought it would be. That water has so much force and if you fell in (thank God for that tether you had!), There's almost no chance of getting back to the surface. Awesome video!

[@Physicsduck]

Thank you! :) I'm glad you understand why I had 3 different lines and a harness keeping me on that ladder. The real punchline is, I can't even swim. :)

[@skylined5534]

@@Physicsduck How you can be down there with all that water and machinery... Good god! Terrifying! Thank you for the awesome, interesting, and downright anxiety producing videos you make!

[@ToastenButter]

@@Physicsduckeven if you could swim it’s not going to help in aerated water

[@shadowopsairman1583]

You'd be pureed into watermelon

[@shadowopsairman1583]

​@@ToastenButterhe said that as a joke

[@bobthedog123456]

Man that is moving a insane amount of water. I know you said that it did before but seeing it go is something else. Terrifying and impressive at the same time.

[@Real_Tim_S]

This video is for a much larger hydroelectric dam in Europe - it's the expansion chamber that prevents water-hammer when they close the valve ahead of the turbine. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nHu5c5-enNlsoJo Note for scale the concrete staircase, and the guy on the gantry crane...

[@TheBlessedMeek]

I don't think it moving any water. The water is moving it

[@racookster]

This is not a huge turbine, but it's the biggest I've ever seen in operation. I'm guessing that this plant is near the upper limit of being something four guys can work on with hand tools, and it's big enough to be terrifying. Chris Boden has made an amazing series of videos. If you watch his whole playlist, you'll see every part of that assembly. I suppose it helps if you already know what you're looking at (I do), but it's all understandable with a little thought even if you don't have much engineering knowledge going into it.

[@vladimus9749]

These are the things we'd never get to see without youtube

[@mandarkumthekar8565]

Thats correct

[@227BlackAce]

@@mandarkumthekar8565 Yeah there's only KZbin...

[@patholio]

'charging the gravity battery', I will now see rivers, lakes and dams in a completely different way, thank you.

[@gyroscopix8bit]

This is the kind of channel that KZbin was made for.

[@Physicsduck]

Thank you! :)

[@oznetyoutube125]

@@Physicsduck No No, Thank You !

[@seaninpattison8888]

😮👍OMG! Thank you for posting this video; I’ve always wondered what goes on deep in the concrete walls and valves! Gives even heightened more respects and props to everything that goes into lighting our homes and cities! Thanks to all!

[@Physicsduck]

I'm genuinely thrilled you enjoyed it! There's a ton of other awesome powerplant related stuff on this channel. Go digging and you'll find a whole series called "Authorized Personnel Only" and it's exactly what you're looking for. :)

[@BruceBoschek]

Greetings from central Germany. My wife pushed to have a turbine installed in our local reservoir, and although it was we never got a chance to see it in operation. Thanks for showing how you started it and the amazing pressure of the water. Excellent video!

[@Sir_Uncle_Ned]

Why am I only discovering this now? I love this kind of stuff! I also like how the phrase to start the turbine is “jiggle the handle!”

[@darylcheshire1618]

Bit like “Igor - Throw the Switch” - “yes master!” (dragging one foot).

[@arkthefennecfox2366]

@@darylcheshire1618Pull the lever Kronk! - Click - , WRONG LEVER!

[@Rags2250]

I was a crane operator on a Snake River dam. Turbines a bit bigger, I think the scroll case was about 20' across. Well the turbine blade and hub weight was 120 tons, five blades each at 15 tons per. My brother in law is on the Missouri in MT at Holter Lake and the turbines are similar to that but appeared to be older. They had wood stop logs still, crazy! I remember dropping the stop logs in our project and each was 30' wide and 8' tall, 4 went in each slot and 2 slots.

[@josephpadula2283]

You have a Kaplan turbine in the snake river plant this is a Francis turbine .

[@Physicsduck]

This is a 4-bladed variable pitch Kaplan. You can see it up close in several videos. ;)

[@redsquirrelftw]

Wow that's awesome, it's cool to hear the sound of the turbine revving up.

[@TheBryce98]

Saw your comment 50 seconds in and pushed to plug in my good headphones. No regrets.

[@Physicsduck]

Thank you! I'm glad you noticed that, it was a ridiculous amount of work to get the audio right on this one.

[@Melanie16040]

@@Physicsduck You did an awesome job! I love the sound of turbines coming online, be they gas or hydro. Thank you so much!

[@Play_fare]

Really enjoyed this video. We have a number of hydro electric installations where I live, but you can only see the head and tail races, not the turbines themselves except for the old ones they leave on display. Seeing one at the moment of startup is fascinating!

[@Rickster5176]

I love your hydroelectric plant videos. This stuff is normally hidden from the public so I find it all very interesting. Great stuff.

[@DeweyLauridsen5000]

Hey man, I really enjoyed your videos I am watching out here! My dad worked for Nebraska for power at the Hydro plant my entire life until it got washed away two years ago on the Niobrara river. I spent my entire childhood in and out every which place of that plant I even went down the hole, you name it. Kick offs, synchronizing taking reading the whole works. That was my life what's the PowerPoint and I don't know exactly how everything works and it was refreshing to see your videos. The average person can totally get it from these videos. Bravo. Impacts of the switches and gauges were exactly the same. Spencer Hydro is NO MORE, but it lives on in my memory. It was quite tragic how it ended, water is a very powerful thing. And so is ice. Thanks for posting. I sent this channel to my dad and he is watching eagerly as we speak. I have a magically enhanced day man. 😎🌈🌏👏😁😉🚬✌️ Dewey lauridsen....

[@OneBiasedOpinion]

And this is why I have a pretty decent fear of being in water- especially opaque water -with machinery nearby. If you fell in there, it’d be curtains for you. Excellent stuff! I love seeing this sort of thing in action and natural forces are just so awe-inspiring!

[@eddiedeloy3758]

That was an amazing video. Regular people never get the opportunity to see anything close to that. I love these kind of videos. Please keep up the awesome work.

[@otiselevator7738]

‘enjoy this man’s enthusiasm and passion. Many (many many) years ago I serviced a small Pelton hydroelectric powerplant. Joy.

[@leinanightray4294]

So great, I remember visiting a hydroelectric plant during a school trip and was disappointed because I thought we would see the turbines in action. Now I have seen them

[@TechnoW1zard]

This series should get a million views or more. Folks should learn about the muck and grime and dirty water that powers their devices that let them complain about hard their white collar jobs are

[@Physicsduck]

Thank you! I agree, share it around and let's build an audience :)

[@jamesbuttleman3130]

Retired electrician,43 years at a wonderful trade. Just found you,enjoyed the first couple of videos and looking forward to more exciting info. Stay safe and well.

[@integr8er66]

Just like the turbo charger on my 65 Austin-Healey. Now seriously, I worked on an Un-Watering pump below Bagnell Dam once, I was about 110 ft under the surface of the lake with water leaking in. It was seriously spooky to know if the concrete let loose you had zero chance. This is just a few feet of head, imagine 100 ft.

[@lexicase8805]

Ok ive seen now two of your videos and im hooked, thankyou for taking the time to make this. I have submechanophobia, but watching videos like this somehow allows me to justify my fear and rationalise it, so this actually helps. Thankyou

[@Physicsduck]

Thank you for watching! :) I'm glad my dopey engineering videos can help you out. I make a lot of videos for people with Autism and Anxiety, but that's a different channel. I don't know if it'll help you at all, but you might want to check out kzbin.info/door/QjtnQbukuDUnsf0UkBbiFA

[@lexicase8805]

@@Physicsduck thanks ill check it out! My favourite videos are things like machines underwater, honestly seeing the turbine on a hyro in operation from an underwater camera would be so cool. Also things like theme park rides with underwater mechanisms, stuff that nobody has made videos of yet haha. I dont know why or how seeing the videos really helps me, but i think its a fascination that im too afraid to see in real life, so seeing videos of it helps rationalise my fears but also satisfies my curiosity. Thanks again for posting these, absolutely amazing

[@rherman9085]

I was hooked on the first one!

[@blastfromthepast7119]

@@lexicase8805 Phobia or philia?

[@lexicase8805]

​@blastfromthepast7119 phobia, im definitely not aroused by this lol. Ive been using exposure therapy to help with my phobia, trying to normalise it rather than having nightmares about it even though ill probably never encounter a situation like this, it helps not to be frightened of things as simple as whats under the bubbles in my bathtub. Its literally been that bad in the past for me that if i cant see exactly whats in the water, im not even touching the surface. My psych recommended exposure therapy, and honestly its helped. Google submechanophobia, its actually more common than you might think. My phobia in particular was triggered when i was younger, being sucked into a theme park wave pool mechanism (the hydraulic paddle type)

[@PSUK]

Retired UK Mech Eng here. A great post, thanks!

[@Vercus100]

I just discovered your channel today. Your video about syncing the 350Kw turbine came up in my recommended videos. I love getting to see things like this that I wouldn't normally be able to see. And yes, I also read the disclaimer. Loved it! Thanks for doing what you do.

[@mattgeo1545]

The coolest thing I have seen today!

[@estebanamador7601]

Man, i want your job 😂😂😂 I had been in bigger hydropowerplants (40-70 MW Francis and Pelton turbines), and water is around 300psi to 700psi, so you can't do this. Really nice to watch this !!!!

[@michaelj3971]

Interesting! I only ever got to be involved in one modification on a hydro plant, and it was a small one, which provided backup electricity for a nuclear plant. We changed out the control system for the wicket gates with a computer-based controller. Nonetheless, it was a fun experience. So when KZbin fed me some of your videos, I was intrigued. Great job showing the internal workings of the plant!

[@jeffreyyoung4104]

As a kid, I was allowed to enter the same area, different dam tho, and see the repairs going on with the turbine! The grate had been covered and sealed to keep the water out. It was quite the experience at 13 years old!

[@ryhol5417]

Cool video dude. I love how you achieve the activation energy by just closing the gates

[@technoadmin]

It took me over 10 minutes to read through the disclaimer as I couldn't stop laughing and had to go back a few lines every time. Loved it!

[@litigantdad1974]

Amazing video! Here in the UK I very much doubt we'd ever get permission for someone to be in there at that the same time as water is rushing through.

[@danielcarter305]

Been on personal tours of several large dams O'Shaughnessy, Hoover, Moccasin, Glenn Canyon, and sevreal smaller local dams but never got to see a view like this one.

[@petersipp5247]

This is similar to the Enterprise Mill on the Augusta Canal in Augusta Ga. I livesd 20+ miles from there . I worked for a contractor at this mill. I was interested in finding out how it worked. The canal has three levels. The first, or upper level, delivers the water. At the Enterprise Mill...there are two turbines. Each one makes 1/2 MW. The delivery pipe to the turbines are eight feet in diameter. They are rivited. The mill opened in 1845/6. It was enlarged during reconstruction. This is when the rivited delivery pipes were put in. When both turbines are making power, the water races out the tailrace to the third level. A real exciting thing to see.

[@TheCrystalGlow]

I just read the entire disclaimer at the end of your video… OMG is that EVER hilarious! This reminds me of the time you showed those equipment waivers you put out for the kids’ parents at the geek group that they got all pissed off over. It was pure genius. ALL the Karen’s came out that day. 😂

[@Physicsduck]

Thank you! I love it when people notice the little details.

[@Joebus100]

Be Kind, Rewind!

[@Ktulu789]

@@Physicsduck I just discovered your channel the other day and today I found this video with the disclaimer. I paused through every little part of it. It was hilariousssss!!!!! xDDDDD Thanks for that little (long in fact) jewel!

[@Ktulu789]

BTW the video (and the other couple I watched so far) was way too interesting to not watch it in my recommendations!

[@olivertrojovsky3027]

One friend of mine is a proud owner of a small hydroelectric power station, adm for him "flushing a toilet, means actually flushing a toilet into turbine outflow 😅🤣🤣

[@Physicsduck]

The toilets in our small-scale plants have all been removed because of that EXACT feature. Lemmie tell you how I feel about not having a working bathroom in any of the small powerplants. Several billion animals get to poop in the river, mine isn't going to make the slightest difference in the water quality. At municipal scale, certainly, but for individual users, not a chance.

[@olivertrojovsky3027]

@@Physicsduck yeah, exactly, and I'm not counting the fact that usually in cities drainage is mixed with sewage, so during storms it overflows to rivers anyway...

[@lightsabr2]

"Just let that handsome devil go on with his business" is the most obscure portal reference and the most unlikely place I've ever found one. /HT

[@russclifton2026]

Was amazing working on Hydro Tasmania’s west coast generation, and being involved in refurbishment of 5 out of 7, 1-megawatt vertical pelton wheel generators that started supplying power to a copper mine, first commissioned 1914, again, west coast Tassie

[@freddykruger6194]

Coolest video ive seen in a long time. Thanks for taking the time and having the curiosity to film that!

[@Physicsduck]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for joining in the fun! :)

[@GeeBeeMike]

I went to the Hoover Damn yesterday and took a trip down into the Turbine Hall. Its engineering on a truly monumental scale. Incredible.

[@randycook4364]

I always had to imagine what it looks like. Now, I know what it looks like. Very cool indeed, Thanks.

[@Joebus100]

I read the WHOLE disclaimer.. Love it! Love your content as well. Just stumbled on it today.

[@skypirate4806]

Great video, and very interesting. So you close the Wicker Gate, let the water level build up, and then re open the Wicker Gate, and all that weight of water kickstarts the Turbine. I’m a mechanical engineer by trade, and it’s great to see how other things work. 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@jacobbranker159]

This is truly terrific. Thank you for sharing this man!

[@Physicsduck]

My pleasure! I'm sincerely glad you enjoyed it. :)

[@Sum_Tings_Wong]

2:46 Look at that runout.

[@Ribberflavenous]

Amazing process, a machine of that size can be worked with that precision is just mind blowing.

[@daelinblack6681]

Living close to dwarshack dam in Idaho has given me the most terrifying respect for hydro dams. I remember having nightmares as a kid being in any water around a dam, so much deep turbulent water surrounded by huge vertical walls of concrete..

[@hootowl2112]

Dude, same. My dam was Hiawassee, and it's one of the tallest in the TVA and the world's first pumped-storage operation! Those turbines can suck in both directions!

[@russellking9762]

@@hootowl2112 sounds like my ex

[@noahater5785]

I’m sure that must be absolutely terrifying standing on that ladder, looking down and watching as the rungs underneath you disappear as the water level goes up

[@scottgray6276]

WOWIE!!!!! I got to see one of the turbines removed from its housing, for service, at the Grand Coulee Dam, years ago…it was like being in a sci fi movie! Aren’t people clever?!?!?

[@wolfguardian8312]

Thanks for showing us the workings of a small hydro plant....I appreciate your time and effort to make the video and post it....

[@WH32R]

This actually was pretty helpful to see. We recently (3 months ago?) had a small hydro plant gutted in Palmyra New York next to Erie Canal Lock 30. The two turbine and wicket gate assemblies were up on the grounds next to the lock having been torched free from their mounts and the shaft. They hadn't been in service for I have no idea how long. My understanding is that they would have originally provided power for the canal lock.

[@hcdenton]

Just found your channel -- very interesting videos! Seeing these turbines being started, synchronized, etc. I love it! But what had me really laughing was the multi page disclaimer in this video plus the music that accompanies it =)

[@chasecorrigan6596]

The amount of movement radially seems concerning. I guess it’s less of an issue with low head low rpm? The turbine in my area is high head 600rpm so I guess it’s quite different

[@kamboora]

very beautiful ya'll, things looks easy in books and in classroom, but when you see it by eyes it looks gigantic, thank you for your positive energy and demonstrations...

[@SuperS05]

Interesting to see such a low head dam. I was kinda surprised at the amount of air into the turbine that you're allowed. Very cool video all around.

[@wolfiexii]

Nice, really cool videos about things I'd never see otherwise

[@noneofyourbusiness7600]

You should campaign to film startups of other turbines as well. Combined cycle, coal, nuclear and even aeroderivatives. Starting a GW size machine after having it apart will make your butt pucker.

[@jimmddaniel]

After years of working on heavy equipment for years i got excited for you when it wiggled

[@cyrex686]

I worked in a machine shop that made wicket gates and such, some small like this, some larger. I always wondered what they looked like actually working with water flowing over them. Now I know what dirty ones looks like too haha, I'm used to everything being shiny.

[@Actrealsurprised]

How cool is that. Always wondered what that all looked like. All your knowledge and videos prove to me that starting an hvac business was not My best choice lol

[@fredsasse9973]

Very interesting indeed! Thank you for posting. I have zero experience with hydro power, however MANY decades ago I ran steam turbines on US Navy ships (those that turned generators and the main shaft) so seeing the similarities and differences between the two I find fascinating.

[@filanfyretracker]

Do navy ships have to spend a lot of time equalizing temperature in the turbines? I know I have heard power plants can sometimes spend more than a day just running steam through the system if its been a totally cold start in order to heat everything up as the steam going in has to be totally dry.

[@allezvenga7617]

Thanks for your sharing 👍

[@kleetus92]

Pretty cool, but the thing that scared me was the inch of runout on the turbine shaft! That needs some new bearings immediately!

[@russellking9762]

yeah like you would think there would be proper bearings in place to keep that in check…however i watched another video where it showed the pieces of wood used for that purpose

[@kls2020]

Yep that was my first thought too . An old Hydro Electrical Tech I Apprenticed under had this saying , "at some point you have to assume somebody knows what they're doing " . Maybe he was wrong?

[@ildeuraimundodasilva8230]

Mr. Chris Boden . It is the first time that i see the distributor working with open piping . Also the part of the turbine , where the equipment is completely flooded .I wouldn´t have the courage to stay where this technician stands in the forced open piping . Hugs from here in the Brazil .

[@diskgrind3410]

Cool to see. Thanks for sharing.

[@moalemnou4363]

That is something I don't see everyday. Simply awesome!. Thanks...

[@LtKernelPanic]

Talk about a pin and jack hammer moment as the water kept rising.

[@Physicsduck]

It was the flushing that scared the hell out of me actually, lol. There's suddenly a LOT of water, and it's all angry.

[@mortengreenhermansen4489]

A combination of fascination and fright! Thank you so much for these videos! :-)

[@AvidSurvivalist]

I don't know why KZbin recommended this to me, but I'm glad it did... This is fucking awesome.

[@Physicsduck]

Thank you! :) I'm thrilled you wandered your way into my little corner of the internet.

[@darylcheshire1618]

many years ago in the Lake Hume reservoir, an I beam got carried into the intake pipe and wreaked the turbine. On the news I remember the cracks in the floor of the turbine hall. Took 3 years to fix it I think. Unusual that this dam only had the one turbine.

[@Physicsduck]

We don't have enough river for two. ;)

[@pawfan]

Anyone interested in working at a hydroelectric facility need to see this and other info on this. This one of those jobs that many are unaware of, but need to know. This a small scale version. they get much larger and harder to startup.

[@fkyew]

Being a mechanical tech fuels my "fascination" for all things made and love of moving water, but standing in an oversized blender in an enclosed area with high voltage is for the fuckin' birds. I like an adrenaline rush but you're fucking nuts! Have loved the channel since it started and rewatching. Yeah it took twice to realize this point (I'm a slow thinker). Keep up the excellent vids, and thanks!

[@joshsmith950]

That was the best disclaimer I have ever read. 10/10

[@eklhaft4531]

2:26 I was wondering if there is a finer filter behind the rough screen. This is a clear no. The water is always drawn so clear on the turbine visualizations but in reality it's full of junk.

[@benorth0311]

That has got to be one of the coolest things I’ve seen! Neat!

[@ropeaccessinspection9472]

Confined space, mixed with fast flowing water and risk of crushing, getting sucked in by the turbine or drowning, golden stuff.

[@ThumperKJFK]

LMAO That poor fisherman up stream, and the water level just fell.

[@thepain2222]

The gigantic balls of steel on this man to bring us these videos. Impressive, terrifying and I can't look away.

[@asherael]

this stuff would make a stellar Silent Hill level, scary stuff, infrastructure, monsters, dangerous machines, puzzles....

[@victordkv8525]

"Starting up the gravity battery". Most upbeat turbine video ever.

[@chetmyers7041]

2:45 Something is worn, because that shaft is rotating "out of round." Imagine the flow if you cleaned the trash of the screens.

[@stephenrice4554]

That was fascinating, thanks for that 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@lizzw4216]

I’m not sure why KZbin recommend this to me but I enjoyed it! That was so cool to see

[@AuTo69420]

I am panicking just watching this

[@Kevthebish]

From an electrician's point of view that was very interesting. You can read about it and hear about it all you want but that picture was worth a thousand words

[@michaelsimpson9779]

Nice work, thanks for putting this together.

[@WeazelJaguar]

Is that ever cool! Thanks for posting!!!

[@goliathprojects7354]

This is the kind of place I find myself in in a nightmare

[@johnhedderly2288]

I was thinking the same thing!

[@ladybenjamincannon1574]

Your disclaimer is my new favorite thing

[@prestonburton8504]

simply - awesome! thank you !

[@scottlawson9206]

That's not just cool, it's freaking AWESOME!

[@TheLastDeadCat]

Seeing that much mass spin-up that fast made me grin

[@d4ngerd4n]

“Alright Bootsy jiggle the handle!” You guys are having too much fun 😂

[@spaxxor]

yeah, no... no no no no no no no no NOOOOOOOOOOPE that's a gigantic industrial blender, and I wouldn't go anywhere near that lol.

[@TheCh405]

Just discovered your channel by watching this video. I’m so much fascinated and at the same time a little bit horrified by hydromechanical systems. Thank you for showing us. Will now watch all your other videos 😁

[@davidsanders6957]

Gotta give it to ya, you sure know how to turn on !!!

[@terrysmith7076]

Thank You for sharing Chris that was cool.

[@74Gee]

That disclaimer at the end is awesome - yes I read all of it, and even found a typo, as typos are not covered by the disclaimer I feel duty bound to launch a formal complaint. The text in question "However this happen" (paragraph umpteen), led to recursive intellectual processing which burned out several of my neurons. However, despite the debilitating personal loss of a now unknown unknown quantity of consciousness I will settle out of court for a full copy of the disclaimer text so I can adapt it to the software I write for annoying clients.

[@ericblack7379]

I'm a maintenance guy for usps. I deal with electricity water ...everything. love learning how the big stuff runs

[@carlubambi5541]

Great video .amazing to see gravity and water at work .

[@dopplerfox]

That room when it’s full of water is a perfect example of a “liminal space”