#perimeter alarm
Innovative solutions for ensuring the safety of hydroelectric power plants.
It is better to win with ingenuity and intelligence than with resistance.
John Damascene
On the wave of interest in renewable energy sources, hydroelectric power plants (HPPs) are being built in the world, the dams of which amaze the imagination with their grandeur. The construction of hydroelectric power plants is extremely profitable for the state, since the cost of electricity generated at Russian hydroelectric power plants is more than two times lower than at thermal power plants.
For efficient production of electricity at a hydroelectric power station, the following key factors must be met: year-round water availability, large river slopes, and canyon-like terrain.
While paying tribute to engineering solutions, it should be remembered that the huge masses of water held by the dam contain a terrible destructive power.
A brief description of the principles of constructing a hydroelectric power station
Without going into the details of the classification, hydroelectric dams are divided into gravity and arch dams. A gravity dam, which usually has a triangular cross-section, is built from soil, stone or concrete blocks. Such a dam holds the mass of water with its weight. Since the river current is unable to move the dam from its place, the water begins to rise upward, forming a reservoir in its upper part (in the upper pool).
Arch dams are used in mountainous areas. Due to their shape (essentially, it is a fragment of a dome extended towards the pressing water), such a dam transfers the load to the sides of the canyon. An arch dam is more difficult to build, but more economical in terms of material consumption. There are also mixed (gravity-arch) dams. A rocky bottom is ideal for dam construction; slippery clay soil is less preferable.
A hydroelectric dam is a structurally complex structure. It consists of blind dams, through the crest of which water does not pass, station dams, through which water from the reservoir enters the chambers with turbines that rotate the shafts of electric generators, spillway dams, through which water is discharged to regulate its level in the reservoir.
The spillway system is one of the key elements of the hydroelectric complex. Level
The water level in a dammed river can fluctuate significantly depending on the season and climatic factors, such as melting snow and ice in the upper reaches of the river or heavy rains. Uncontrolled water release from the upper pool or minor destruction of the dam by intruders/terrorists can lead to the destruction of the entire dam structure. In this case, loss of life in nearby settlements is inevitable. Water carries a huge destructive force that can destroy houses, infrastructure, take lives, cause enormous material damage, which will undoubtedly lead to a disaster.
That is why the dam must be maintained in working order, or after a certain period of time the hydroelectric complex must be dismantled, and the reservoir drained or turned into a closed reservoir. The dam and other hydraulic structures must be equipped with modern safety and monitoring equipment capable of warning and preventing actions aimed at the destruction or damage of the hydroelectric power station structures.
This is the only way to avoid catastrophic consequences at the hydroelectric power station.
The principle of operation of a hydroelectric power station is based on the use of the kinetic energy of falling water. A chain of hydraulic structures provides the necessary pressure of water flowing to the blades of hydro turbines, which drive generators that produce electricity.
All power equipment is located directly in the building of any hydroelectric power station. Depending on its purpose, it has a certain division into types. In the machine room, there are hydraulic units that convert the energy of the water flow into electrical energy. Also in the hydroelectric power station building there is various additional equipment: control and monitoring devices for the operation of the hydroelectric power station, a transformer station, distribution devices, etc.
The hydroelectric power station may include additional structures, such as locks or boat lifts that facilitate navigation along the reservoir, fish passes, water intake structures used for irrigation, etc.
Threats
Every year, about 3,000 accidents occur at hydroelectric power plants worldwide. Of these, a significant number of damages are observed during periods of catastrophic high waters and floods, which is usually associated with shortcomings in design and technical solutions, as well as due to poor performance of operational services.
More than 50% of existing hydraulic structures are considered dangerous, since settlements, economic facilities and social infrastructures are located in the lower pool of ponds and reservoirs. This means that people live under threat from possible accidents at hydroelectric power plants. Dams are often located so close to cities that in the event of serious accidents, such as a dam break, residents of nearby settlements will have no time to evacuate, since the wave spreads very quickly. A dam break will inevitably lead to numerous casualties. In addition, there are known cases of combat destruction of dams and hydroelectric power plant units.
Based on the system of threats that pose a danger to any hydroelectric power station, process equipment, products and life support systems, a physical protection system (PPS) is created, which is constantly improved and modernized during the life of the facility's infrastructure, due to changes in external and internal threats. The degree of certain threats is determined for each specific facility, and sometimes for each specific technological installation separately. In some cases, in particular for high- and medium-pressure hydroelectric power stations of large and medium capacity, the formulation of their security tasks is the prerogative of the state. Here, a threat should be understood as any action in relation to the facility that may entail a serious man-made disaster, the death of a large number of people, any catastrophic consequences (or the creation of appropriate conditions for this), as well as the possibility of committing major terrorist or sabotage acts.
In order to optimally set requirements for the PPS of a hydroelectric power station, a specific list of threats must be taken into account and developed already during the construction of the facility. Usually, when designing a PPS, terrorist and sabotage threats are taken as a basis, for which the corresponding calculations are carried out.
An analysis of terrorist attacks that have taken place in Russia and other countries in recent years allows us to identify the following possible general scenarios for the actions of terrorists, criminals or mentally ill individuals in relation to hydroelectric power stations:
— penetration of the facility and hostage-taking;
— carrying out terrorist acts causing major material damage to an object;
— carrying out actions aimed at creating panic and psychological instability.
Hydroelectric dams pose a particular danger, since their destruction can lead to an environmental disaster and the death of a large number of people.
The set of technical means for ensuring the safety of a hydroelectric power station must meet modern requirements in the direction of counteracting threats formalized for the facility and be implemented on the basis of a single (functionally undispersed) technical complex of the facility’s physical protection system with control of all elements of the Integrated Security System from a single situation center.
Technical means for ensuring the safety of a hydroelectric power station
The safety of hydraulic structures is a matter of primary importance, since any production cycles in this industry are dangerous and can pose a threat to the environment, health and life of people. In addition, ensuring the safety and reliability of hydroelectric power plants (HPPs) is a requirement of the legislative framework of the Russian Federation.
The safety of this class of facilities is a necessary condition for the functioning, stability and development of market relations.
The security systems market is constantly evolving and creating new opportunities and conditions for competitiveness. Modern security systems for facilities must create conditions that allow obtaining sufficient information to make operational decisions, rational use of human resources, ensure the ability to prevent potential threats, and monitor the facility.
Hydroelectric power plants are characterized by large territories, extended «water-land» sections, wide approaches through water areas, severe meteorological conditions, and changes in the water level in the upper and lower pools. In such conditions, protection by traditional SPPs is significantly complicated, and often impossible.
Traditionally, perimeter security is provided by using sensor systems based on various physical principles. The disadvantages of this class of systems include an uninformative interface and blind operation. Such systems are capable of registering the fact of penetration into the facility with some probability, and the effectiveness of such systems directly depends on the actions of security personnel aimed at finding and detaining a possible intruder.
«Blind» systems do not provide accurate information about the location, number of intruders, speed and direction of their movement, behavior, and whether they have weapons. Under such conditions, it is impossible to assess the potential threat, and therefore there is an obvious risk of human losses among the rapid response team.
Such systems are ineffective for protecting extended perimeters of large facilities and do not allow for the rational use of security personnel. Information is one of the most valuable resources. The same is true in security: the task force carrying out actions to detain the offender must have enough information to plan its actions as effectively as possible and minimize possible losses.
In addition, periodic changes in the water level lead to unstable operation of the sensor systems, as a result of which an intruder can penetrate the facility using the high or low tide.
So what kind of SPS should protect dams and hydroelectric power station territories from intruders?
Innovative solutions for ensuring the safety of hydroelectric power stations
Currently, the security systems market offers intelligent systems that can not only replace, but also integrate into previously installed security systems at hydroelectric power plants, thereby expanding their functionality and increasing efficiency. For example, the integration of sensor systems with computer vision video surveillance systems eliminates the main drawback of the former — blindness. In this case, the sensors act as target designators, and the video analytics video surveillance system serves to confirm the detection of the target, performs detailed observation and tracking of it.
Intelligent security systems independently (without human intervention) analyze the situation at the facility, recognize alarming situations, evaluate the totality of events and offer the system operator possible solutions, while all actions of the operator are recorded by the system. In case of his inaction, an alarm signal is generated. As a result of using such systems, the negative impact of the human factor is reduced, and the role of man in the process of ensuring security is reduced. This eliminates the possibility of collusion between the operator and violators. After all, he may be an internal violator — the most dangerous. An internal violator, motivated by material and other benefits, is capable of letting terrorists into the facility, as a result of which a catastrophe will occur, people will die, huge resources and time will be spent on localizing the consequences, the economy and reputation of the state will be undermined.
To protect hydroelectric power plants, it is advisable to use integrated security systems (ISS), which combine all the PPS that ensure the safety of the facility. At the same time, the systems operating as part of the ISS must function in a single information environment, have a single interface and one system operator. This approach can often be implemented by using security systems from a single manufacturer. The ISS must include video surveillance systems that allow monitoring the perimeter and territory, the internal premises of the hydroelectric power plant, as well as individual structures, access control and management systems (preferably with the ability to identify by biometric features and license plates for transport checkpoints), radar security equipment and other PPS. Such systems are presented on the security systems market as ready-made integrated solutions.
As already mentioned, the most dangerous structure of hydroelectric power plants are their dams. How to protect a dam, the length of which can reach several kilometers, in conditions of poor visibility with the possibility of approaching through the water area?
Currently, perimeter and territory radar systems (RLS) capable of detecting targets moving both on land and on water have become widely used to protect hydroelectric power plants, hydraulic structures and other strategically important facilities. The use of radars allows preventing unauthorized intrusions, conducting detailed surveillance of targets, providing an objective picture of the target situation at the facility and on the approaches to it.
By analyzing the radar reflection pattern, perimeter and territory security radars detect moving targets, automatically classify them (a person, a group of people, a car, a watercraft), determine their coordinates, speed, direction of movement and provide this information for analysis to the system operator. As a rule, such systems have a highly developed information interface, presented in the form of a topographic map of the object, on which the targets are displayed as mnemonic symbols. Modern radars can be designed for regions with a cold climate. Such systems are capable of performing detection around the clock in the temperature range from -50 ° C to + 50 ° C with a relative humidity of over 90%. As a rule, radars have a rotating antenna, due to which they perform detection in a sector determined by the system settings, or operate in a full-rotation mode (360 °).
Such capabilities ensure the rational use of human resources, allow you to remotely assess the situation at the facility, recognize intruders, track their route of movement within the detection zone. The ability to detect intruders on the approaches to the facility allows the task force to carefully plan measures aimed at eliminating the possible threat.
Radars are network devices operating on the IP protocol, which allows any number of stations to be combined into a single facility security system with the ability to build centralized integrated security systems on its basis by integrating any number of video surveillance, thermal imaging, and other equipment into them.
The use of these systems is also justified from the economic point of view, since one radar can provide perimeter protection and monitor an area of up to 7 km². At the same time, large capital investments are not required at the stage of system installation and commissioning.
Hydroelectric power plants assume the presence of workers, therefore, when choosing a radar, it is necessary to pay special attention to the power of electromagnetic radiation and the presence of an appropriate Sanitary and Epidemiological Conclusion. Many radars have a high level of radiation, which can adversely affect the health of the plant personnel, therefore, the use of such radars in close proximity to people is unacceptable.
Hydroelectric power plants need to modernize existing PPS, introduce new systems, and modern approaches to organizing the work of security personnel. Manufacturers develop and bring to the market innovative systems, such as perimeter and territory protection radars, which are widely used to protect hydroelectric power plants and other strategically important facilities not only in Russia, but also abroad (Israel, USA, South Korea, England, Kazakhstan, etc.).