Main inlet valves on two units at Idukki hydel project to be replaced

KSEB clears a proposal for replacing the valves at an estimated cost of ₹34 crore

The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has decided to replace the 48-year-old main inlet valves (MIV) on the second and third units of the 780 MW Idukki hydroelectric project.

The KSEB management has cleared a proposal for replacing the valves at an estimated cost of ₹34 crore. The decision was prompted by the “substantial leakage” detected in the valves, which have been in service since 1976, a recent KSEB order approving the replacement said.

In hydro power stations, MIVs are used to control the water flow to the turbines. Spherical valves are used as MIVs at Idukki, given the high water pressure in the penstock system. The old valves will be replaced with 1,600 mm spherical valves.

Idukki has six generators, each having a capacity of 130 MW. The MIVs of No.1, No.2 and No.3 machines at the Idukki hydroelectric project were installed in 1976. The valve of the No.1 unit had been replaced in 2020 following leakage.

Several maintenance issues including substantial leakage through the valve body of the spherical valves of units 2 and 3 have been reported, the KSEB noted in the order.

Besides, in the event of a major leakage in the valves, the only option would be manual/local closure of the butterfly valves (BV) in the Butterfly Valve Chamber located 18 km away from the Moolamattam power station.

Published - November 16, 2024 08:01 pm IST