Copel's generation and transmission subsidiary initiated two new research and development projects: one in the area of civil project for hydroelectric plants and another aimed at the evaluation of mercury emissions in thermoelectric plants, contributing to the compliance with the guidelines of the Convention of Minamata.

The first initiative seeks to develop a methodology to determine the efforts generated by the impact of the hydraulic jump on spillway gates. The objective is to allow the adequate dimensioning of this type of penstock for hydroelectric plants installed in places with low waterfall. In this type of undertaking, it is common for the spillway gates to be partially submerged. Operating in this condition, when the spillway is opened to discharge water from the reservoir, the level downstream (below the dam) forces the waves of the hydraulic rebound (phenomenon that occurs to dissipate energy from the flow) against the face of the floodgates, producing efforts which may not have been considered in their design, since there is still no established calculation methodology for this.

The R&D project led by the manager of the Generation Studies Division, Raquel Sayuri Omoto Takeda, foresees the development of experiments in physical and computational models to analyze the flow of water through spillways that suffer from the effects of partial drowning by water levels. downstream in order to determine the efforts acting on the gate. "The demand for this type of study tends to grow, considering that most of the plants with the use of large falls have already been built in the country and the new projects are mainly for plants in places with low waterfalls", explains Raquel.

According to the engineer, there are older plants that present this situation of the impact of the rebound on the gates without any problems having been reported. However, in these ventures, the floodgates were designed with more robust dimensions than today. This started to change with the improvement of structural analysis tools registered in recent years. “As the process of concession of hydroelectric projects is conducted today in the country, companies that enter into the dispute for new concessions need to work with increasingly lean budgets and engineering projects must be optimized without jeopardizing the safety of structures. That is why it is so important to define methodologies to support decision making ”, adds the manager. The project has an estimated budget of R $ 8.9 million.

Sustainability 

In the thermal generation segment, Copel GT and the Association of the Carboniferous Industry of Santa Catarina (SATC) are starting studies to evaluate the emissions of mercury into the atmosphere in processes involving the thermal conversion of mineral coal. According to the manager of this project at Copel, Thiago Luis Zanin, "R $ 6.8 million will be allocated to this research that reinforces the Brazilian commitment to the Minamata Convention, which deals with the monitoring and reduction of emissions and releases of mercury in the environment ". Brazil is one of the signatories of this international pact, which came into force in 2017 and was conceived based on discussions carried out under the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).

Copel and SATC are signatories to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and continue to strengthen this commitment through partnerships and strategic studies: "The investment in this project is yet another demonstration of the company's constant concern with the protection of the environment in the development of energy generation projects from thermal, hydraulic or wind sources. In addition, we know that research of this nature contributes to the development of relevant technical knowledge not only for the company, but for the Brazilian electricity sector and society ", highlights the general director of Copel Geração e Transmissão, Moacir Carlos Bertol.

The project will also involve researchers from the graduate programs of the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR) and the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC). Resources will also be allocated for two Doctoral and one Master's scholarship involving the theme.