Hydro-Dam Reflections
Jewel on the Kentucky River by: Atiba Bailey A small Kentucky Power Cooperative has resurrected a hidden jewel in Harrodsburg on the Kentucky river. Originally built in the nineteen-twenties Lock 7 was a revolutionary hydroelectric power generation facility that aided Kentucky Utilities in meeting grid power demand from nearby residents. As demand grew and power generation evolved KU then made the discussion to decommission the hydro facility (Mid 1990’s). The plant operated for almost 70 years. Unfortunately their decision to decommission the plant cost some where around 13 million dollars, that is until alternative energy specialist Robert Fairchild and his team of engineers plotted a rescue that would save 12 million dollars. In addition to saving money it would continue to generate clean electricity, which could then be purchased by Kentucky Utilities and be redistributed. What I found most fascinating about the visit to Lock 7 is the fact that a power plant was essentially recycled. It produces tangible results that don’t harm the environment. Whats also amazing is the fact that mechanical generators that were built almost a hundred years ago are expected to outlast my generation creating relatively cheap, clean electricity. I would recommend that any student interested in hydroelectric power generation see this facility. They most certainly will enjoy climbing thirty feet down into the seventy year old turbine and admiring its ingenuity from the inside as did I.
Field Trip Reflection 2 by: Daylan Claar We took a trip to see a Hydro electric system which was very educational. Once we arrived, we had to take a boat out onto the river to get to the place. The gentleman that was giving us the tour was worked with the hydro electric system for a living so he was very knowledgeable. He started off explaining about the river it’s self on the boat ride over. We then arrived on shore and hiked up a small hill to be able to get inside where the turbines were at. The building was pretty small for the amount of things that were inside of it, not to mention that it was incredibly hot due to the turbines being on. Inside of the building were three large turbines. He explained how the actual turbines worked and how much energy each one could produce. The cost of each turbine was much more than I had anticipated, but the amount of money they make, covers how much the turbines are easily. We were able to go down inside of one of the turbines to look at what looks like underground. After climbing down a ladder for a good twenty feet in a small dark whole, we ended up at the base of the turbine. He explained all of the moving parts and how he would come down and fix anything. This was probably the best part of the whole trip because you were able to get very close to the turbines and actually see how they worked from the inside. After that we climbed back up the ladder and we were actually able to climb onto the top of the building to see the crane. There was a very nice view of the river from onto of the building. He explained how relatively easy it was to put the turbines into the building because the roof was able to come off, so all they had to do was lift the turbine with the crane from the river into the building. Finally we headed back down the ladder and walked back to the boat. We then took the boat back to the dock and got back into the van to drive back to Berea. The trip was very educational and I would recommend it to anyone. They would learn a lot from going to a place like that. Field Trip Reflection: Hydro Electric Dam by: Jessie Miller The trip to the hydro electric dam was very helpful to see how a hydro electric dam works and very fascinating as well. To be able to climb around on the dam, especially into the turbine, was not only incredible but also a great experience to help see how it all works. The engineer was very thorough in explaining how it all works and he also gave some interesting information on the history of the dam. Like the other field trips, it is really interesting and helpful to learning about the alternative energy system when we can see it in action. The first look at the hydro dam was from the boat we took down the river. It was smaller on the outside than I thought it would be, it looked like half a bridge to me. On the climb up and closer to the dam, we could see the electric lines from the dam to the transformer set into the cliff. The whole set up seemed precarious being so close to the water, but realistically there was no other way that would work. The machinery that ran the turbines above the water were huge and it was interesting to see the different mechanical parts when the engineer took apart pieces of a turbine that was stopped. Climbing down into the turbine was a little frightening, but was worth it. We were able to see the different levels of the turbine, the gears and the parts that generated power. It was really amazing to be inside with all the moving parts and to actually see how it all worked.
Hydro Dam Reflection by: Micah Korban This past Wednesday we drove an hour out to the 7th lock on the Kentucky River, nearby Danville. Since there was not road access to the dam we had to take a boat a short distance down the river, the other option would have been to hike down a trail, but the trail was quite wet from rain. We could see the dam from the distance as three concrete piers rising approximately 25 feet out of the water with a large building on top. The building housed the generators, with shafts going down through the piers to the turbines. Nearby on the side of the river was a transformer station, connected by a wire to the dam. It was quite interesting to me to visit the dam, for while a long time ago my uncle who is a civil engineer showed me one of his dams, this was the first time I have been able to get a close look at the mechanics. Indeed since the man in charge of showing us around was able to turn off one of the turbines, I was able to climb down through the pier alongside the shaft coming from the turbine, and see the turbine itself. It was impressive to view the inner workings, and the guy explained how when the turbine was on, it would spin over 100 rpm, and if someone were so unfortunate as to fall in would quite unceremoniously kill them. One thing that was interesting to note was that the turbine used wooden bearings, which were made out of hardwood about 6x6 inches wide and a couple feet long and a few hundred dollars apiece. Impressively, while the dam can generate in the neighborhood of $50,000 in a month, in a good 15 minute period, they can generate the majority of that. However, all this is less than the Kentucky utility system marks down for error on their books. This goes to show how much energy is used in the state overall.
Hydro Trip Review by: Shannon Lee Overview: For our last trip we traveled out to a hydro dam. Once we got close to our destination, we took a short boat ride and then hiked up a small path that lead to the entrance of the plant. Once inside, our guide discussed the mechanism of three turbines that operated within the plant. After a brief history of the plant and an introduction of how the machinery worked, we were then allowed to go inside one of the turbines that had been shut down for our viewing. In order for us to actually get to the bottom of the turbine, we climbed down a ladder to a point about 6 feet below the surface of the water. At the bottom, we saw that where the blades connected to the turbine lay a special type of wood. This wood worked well with the excess water coming up from the opening and it helped keep the turbine stationary as it spun. After we resurfaced from the viewing the turbine, we climbed to the roof of the structure where we saw the built in crane which was used for clearing debris near the dam head. The most interesting part of this trip would be amount of money that the plant generates. In my mind, it is a lot and it is a large amount to the owners of the plant. However, when it is compared to the coal plants, the money that the hydro plant generates is almost nonexistence. Knowing this puts a few things in perspective. If this hydro plant that only has 3 turbines generates 400,000 dollars, what does the coal plants generate or other larger hydro plants? The numbers to me are staggering .
KY River Lock & Dam #7 by: Stephen Brice This review will talk about KY River Lock & Dam #7, located in Jessamine, KY. The dam was built in 1927 with the thought that many of them would be built along the river. Soon after though the great depression started and was followed by the first world war, so only a few where actually finished. When the dam was built a concert and wood mill were built right next to the sight so that they could supply the dam construction because the location is very difficult to get to. In December of 1978 a flood reached the electric generator of the dam, which was a good 70’ high from the water level when I visited. The entire dam had to be rewired and the generator moved to a higher location. In 2005 a team of investors and engineers bought the dam for a ‘pittance’ from KU after plans of demolishing it became know. It would have cost the utility company 3.5 million dollars to demolish the dam but it only cost the engineers 1 million dollars to make it produce again. The reason the dam was not worth the 1 million for KU to fix is because it does not produce much power, at least on KU’s scale. The power generated by the dam is so small it does not even show up on KU systems even though the energy produced by the dam earns the LLC $400,000 a month. The entire dam was designed to be accessible. Each roof over the three turbines can be taken off so that a crane attached to the roof of the power house can easily take parts out without a great deal of effort. The crane is also useful for clearing debris out of the river that clogs the opening to the turbines. Each of the three turbines is rated at 1000 horse power and each of the generators is rated a little less than that. We went down into the turbine shaft and looked at the drive shaft. The engineer that guided us said that the shaft only spun about 150 rpm/ min. This is so slow (compared to a car) so it must be very powerful and the generator must be massive in order to generate any energy. Over all this trip was fascinating. Up in till now I really didn’t know how a dam functioned.