Refurbishment of the Ruacana project in Namibia

Following more than 40 years of operation, the Ruacana hydro plant, operated by NamPower in Namibia, is undergoing uprating and refurbishment work. A new (fourth) 92 MW unit has already been commissioned, and upgrading of the three original units will be completed later this year. This paper describes the engineering study which preceded the project. Particular attention was devoted to eliminating a vibration problem which had occurred with the old units, and ensuring smooth operation in part-load and full-load conditions.