New Voith Hydro turbine governor series enjoys high reputation – especially in Scandinavia

• World’s first HyCon GoHybrid in operation for more than one year
• Results include 92 percent less energy required in operation for SWU Energie GmbH in Germany compared to previous solutions
• Now, Swedish plant operator Fortum also relies on the innovative HyCon GoHybrid solution

The HyCon GoHybrid, launched to the market in May 2021, is a hydraulic unit for turbine governors in hydropower. Due to the significantly increased energy efficiency and low oil volumes, the GoHybrid enjoys high recognition, especially in Northern and Central Europe, where these features are becoming increasingly important.

First operation of the HyCon GoHybrid

The turbine governor was first installed in Germany at the site of SWU Energie GmbH (a subsidiary of Stadtwerke Ulm/Neu-Ulm GmbH) in Wiblingen. Since then, the GoHybrid has been in successful operation for more than one year. The customer is highly satisfied with the variable-speed pump drive’s consumption of only 100 kWh since commissioning. This means that the HyCon GoHybrid required 92 percent less energy in operation compared to previous solutions.

Further application at Fortum

The energy company Fortum in Sweden was already interested in the product from the beginning and identified the Nain project near Hagfors on the Uvån River as a suitable application site. At the station, Francis twin turbines with a capacity of 6.8 MW are installed. These were commissioned in 1944 and proved to be suitable for the GoHybrid’s smallest design size.

The turbine governor for Nain was successfully tested at Voith Hydro’s headquarters in Germany in the summer of 2021 – shortly after its market launch – and was commissioned and handed over to the customer in November. The HyCon GoHybrid already convinced in the first weeks after commissioning. Fortum expresses this through consideration of the system’s use in additional plants.

“The HyCon GoHybrid is a compact unit that contains less oil, has low energy consumption and exact control. Since the GoHybrid makes no noise during regulation or pump operation and requires very little space, it has improved the working environment in the power station a lot,” explains Fortum project manager Per Jansson. “Since commissioning in November 2021, we have had no problems and are very satisfied with both the turbine governor as well as with Voith’s support,” he continues.