Southern Company
Feature Project
Wallace Dam Pumped Storage – Oxygenation System Programming, Testing, and Performance Monitoring
Georgia Power’s Wallace Dam Pumped Storage Project uses 19,050-acre Lake Oconee as the upper reservoir and 15,300-acre Lake Sinclair as the lower reservoir. The new FERC license issued for the project in 2020 required Georgia Power to install and operate a forebay oxygen line diffuser system in Lake Oconee to enhance summer dissolved oxygen (DO) conditions in the Wallace Dam tailrace. The system must be operated during the period May 1-October 31 each year to benefit water quality, fisheries, and recreation and meet water quality standards. Construction of the system was completed in spring 2022
Services Provided
- Programming of Oxygenation Control System and Operator Interface
- Continuous Water Quality Monitoring
- Oxygenation System Testing and Performance Monitoring
Kleinschmidt Solution:
Kleinschmidt partnered with sub-consultant Reservoir Environmental Management, Inc. (REM) in 2022-2023 to program the oxygenation system controls, develop a system monitoring and testing plan, install and maintain a buoy-mounted tailrace DO monitor for system feedback, and test and tune the system through its first full season of operation in 2023. The Kleinschmidt team developed the PLC logic and HMI functionality used in implementing an advisory system for plant operator control, which was designed based on a prior modeling and assessment project. The Kleinschmidt team tested the oxygenation system, monitored its performance, and adjusted the control algorithm to perform under a range of pumped storage operational scenarios.
Client Benefit:
The Kleinschmidt team’s services simplified plant operator control of oxygen flow rates, ensured reliable monitoring of the tailrace DO signal, improved oxygenation system performance in meeting the DO compliance targets while minimizing liquid oxygen use, and facilitated Georgia Power compliance reporting.
