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Bolina Log Screen Booms
Published on 28 Feb ‘21
Ecocoast helps improve operations at Montefurado Power Plant in Spain
Bolina Log Screen Booms

Ecocoast helps improve operations at Montefurado Hydroelectric Power Plant in Galicia, Spain. This is achieved through the successful deployment of its LSB600 booms to prevent build up of debris on one side of the dam.

Last year, Ecocoast was approached to work on the Montefurado Hydroelectric Power Plant in Quiroga, Lugo Province, in Spain’s Galicia region.

Operated by the Spanish energy giant Iberdrola, the Montefurado plant is located on the river Bibei. It has a power capacity of 38.4MW and is part of the Montefurado Dam, which has a water capacity of 10.4 million cubic metres.

Challenges faced by the Montefurado Dam

The plant was facing several disruptions to its operations due to large amounts of heavy debris accumulating on one side of the dam. In order to resolve the issue, Ecocoast was approached and asked to provide a solution that would allow the plant to resume normal operations. This followed our successful work and the positive results achieved on a similar project at the nearby San Esteban power plant. There, nearly 100 metres of Bolina Log Screen Booms (LSB600) were supplied and shown to efficiently contain the debris obstructing the dam.

Ecocoast’s involvement in the project

Therefore, the Ecocoast team proposed the supply and installation of 47 modules (of a total length of 190 metres) of the LSB600 floating debris booms with horse rails and pile floats. The client organised all the installation work for the project, including the building of the concrete structures on which the booms were anchored.

Ecocoast was called in for this project because of its extensive experience in helping to maintain power generation plants at some of the world’s major hydro dams, including the Kariba Dam in Zambia, and the Cahora Bassa Dam in Mozambique.

These dams often have an exceptional amount of natural floating debris carried downstream, which can have serious consequences for the plant’s operations, if there is a failure to control them.

The LSB series of booms used on these types of projects have a capacity of up to 100 tons break load, and up to 3 metres draft, using mesh screens that are joined to provide a seamless barrier for logs, trash, debris and so on, with full articulation of the boom’s universal joints that connect each module.

The wall rails accommodate a unique self-aligning compensator design, which allows the boom to smoothly follow any changes in water level regardless of the approach angle.

Overcoming installation challenges

A major challenge on this project was that there was a lack of suitable structures on which to fix the booms at either end. Therefore, in order to resolve this, the client worked with Ecocoast and oversaw the construction of two concrete structures, which were built at both ends, allowing the horse rails to be fixed. Once these were completed, the booms were delivered to site without any logistical problems. The client’s personnel were able to assemble them with minimal issues.

Following the installation of the LSB600 boom, the feedback from the client has been positive, with the enormous amount of debris clogging up the dam now significantly reduced. This has massively helped to improve operations at the Montefurado Hydroelectric Power Plant in Spain, reducing maintenance downtime and enhancing overall efficiency.

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Interested in knowing more about the Bolina Log Screen Booms? Download the technical datasheet.

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