Rwanda Case Study

Introduction

Rwanda is located in the eastern part of the central part of the African continent. The water in this region is polluted due to many effects such as mud, leaves falling from trees, branch pieces, etc. The water is polluted due to the presence of communities in the upper parts of the water.

Considering this, any damage to the system will adversely affect the living conditions in the surrounding area. Such a problem was apparent at a hydropower plant located in the Kigasa region in Africa. A system was needed to solve this problem, and since cleaning operations in this plant would be difficult, this system had to clean itself. Due to such issues, the slowdown of electricity production affected people negatively, and therefore the product had to be delivered urgently.

Coanda Screen

Coanda Intake Screens are special products used for water filtration. Coanda Effect Screens are filtration products with curved geometric shapes and they work via the Coanda Effect principle. The Coanda effect is the phenomenon of fluids adhering to the nearest surface. These Coanda Screens are special self-cleaning intake screens. They have no moving parts.

Thus, they have an excellent service life. They have excellent intake properties and they are very economical as they do not require much maintenance. Also, aquatic creatures are not harmed by Coanda Screen. These products are commonly used in hydropower plants due to their self-cleaning features. They improve energy production by preventing blockages in turbines by ensuring a smooth flow.

Working Principle

The slot opening tapers as the fluid passes through the screen. Residue and fragments that are much larger than the dimensions of the slot openings have two points of contact in the wedge wires and cannot pass through the opening in between. The contact points combined with the slots opening inwards make it difficult for particles to be trapped.

Application And Results

Considering the environmental factors, design parameters for this region must be adjusted accordingly. Therefore, ADENCO designed the most compatible Coanda Effect Screens for the hydropower plant by considering different factors such as dimensions, wedge wire material, and wedge wire spacing.

In addition, when the Coanda Intake Screens were produced, they were produced with a protection bar due to the accumulation of big particles in the surrounding water. Chemical reports of the local water were examined, and it was determined that there were magnesium particles in the water.

Hence, special galvanic corrosion protection was applied to the surface. ADENCO manufactured the project in about 4-5 weeks and shipped it. A large French construction company helped with the assembly. This project has been working perfectly for 3 years now ensuring constant electricity generation for the local communities.