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Elena Vagnoni

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Related publications (38)

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On the sloshing free surface in the draft tube cone of a Francis turbine operating in synchronous condenser mode

François Avellan, Loïc Andolfatto, Elena Vagnoni

Hydropower plants may be required to operate in synchronous condenser mode in order to supply reactive power to the grid for compensating the fluctuations introduced by the intermittent renewable energies such wind and solar. When operating in this mode, t ...

2017

The new role of sustainable hydropower in flexible energy systems and its technical evolution through innovation and digitalization

Elena Vagnoni

Hydropower has played an important role in Europe in recent decades, offering a unique combination of safe, low-cost, and clean power generation. Today, it is still one of the largest renewable energy sources (RES), accounting for about 35 % of RES electri ...

Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd2024

Local Effects of Grid-Forming Converters Providing Frequency Regulation to Bulk Power Grids

Mario Paolone, Sidi-Rachid Cherkaoui, Elena Vagnoni, Yihui Zuo, Francesco Gerini, Antonio Zecchino

The progressive displacing of conventional generation in favor of renewable energy sources requires restoring an adequate capacity of regulating power to ensure reliable operation of power systems. Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESSs) are considered to b ...

IEEE2022

Simulation of energy recovery on water utility networks by a micro-turbine with counter-rotating runners

François Avellan, Loïc Andolfatto, Elena Vagnoni, Vlad Hasmatuchi, Cécile Münch-Alligné

Wherever relief valves and other energy dissipation devices are installed to limit the pressure, water utility networks provide unexploited hydropower potentials. This is mainly due to a lack of economically viable technologies for energy recovery in the p ...

International Association For Hydraulic Research2016

An experimental study on the upper part-load elliptical vortex instability in a Francis turbine

François Avellan, Elena Vagnoni, Andres Müller, Arthur Tristan Favrel, Ali Amini

This paper presents preliminary results of an experimental study on the occurrence and development of the upper part-load instability in a reduced-scale Francis turbine. The study includes draft tube pressure measurements, high-speed flow visualization, an ...

IOP Publishing2021

A physics-based and data-aided transient prediction framework for sustainable operation of pumped-storage hydropower systems

Elena Vagnoni

Achieving accurate predictions of transient processes for pumped-storage hydropower stations (PSHSs) remains a key challenge due to uncertainties in on-site parameters, particularly the pump-turbine characteristic curves (PTCCs), and limitations of the phy ...

2025

Improving frequency containment reserve provision in run-of-river hydropower plants

Mario Paolone, Sidi-Rachid Cherkaoui, Elena Vagnoni, Francesco Gerini

The paper presents a model-based control strategy for optimal asset management of hydroelectric units in run-of-river hydropower plants. The proposed control strategy aims to operate the unit at the best efficiency while improving water flow management and ...

2021

Underground Pumped Storage Hydropower Case Studies in Belgium: Perspectives and Challenges

Elena Vagnoni, Alessandro Morabito

To avoid the geographical and topographical prerequisites of the conventional pumped hydro energy storage, the use of underground cavities as water reservoirs allows countries without steep topography, such as Belgium, to increase the potential of the ener ...

MDPI2020

Digitalization in hydropower generation: development and numerical validation of a model-based Smart Power Plant Supervisor

Mario Paolone, Sidi-Rachid Cherkaoui, Elena Vagnoni, Francesco Gerini

The paper presents the development of a model-based Smart Power Plant Supervisor, a digital tool targeting the optimization of the operation and maintenance of hydroelectric units to improve ancillary services provision to the power system. The paper focus ...

IOP Publishing2021

CFD-based analysis of pumped storage power plants implementing hydraulic short circuit operations

Elena Vagnoni, Alessandro Morabito

Hydraulic short circuit (HSC), corresponding to the simultaneous operation of the pumps and turbines, enhances the power flexibility of a pumped storage power plant (PSPP). However, comprehensive analyses are imperative to guarantee a secure and reliable o ...

Elsevier Sci Ltd2024

Fatigue damage reduction in hydropower startups with machine learning

Elena Vagnoni, Martin Seydoux, Ekaterina Krymova, Alessandro Morabito

As the global shift towards renewable energy accelerates, achieving stability in power systems is crucial. Hydropower accounts for approximately 17% of energy produced worldwide, and with its capacity for active and reactive power regulation, is well-suite ...

2025

Damage prediction of turbine start-up sequence of a full size frequency converter variable speed pump-turbine using transient stress signals

Victoria Marie Andréa Gauthier, Elena Vagnoni

Hydropower plants have a high ability to control the stability of the electrical power system, since they are dispatchable energy sources and have a fast response time for providing ancillary services. Therefore, they are key players to guarantee the energ ...

IOP Publishing2025

Application of Laser Doppler Velocimetry to the development of a counter rotating micro-turbine

François Avellan, Elena Vagnoni, Cécile Münch-Alligné, Loïc Andolfatto, João Nuno Gomes Borga Delgado

The sustainability of the electricity mix can be increased by introducing recovery energy systems on existing water supply infrastructures. The concept of the new counter rotating micro-turbine presented in this work is a competitive option for energy reco ...

2015

On the prediction of the induced damage by the start-up sequence of Francis turbines: On operational resilience framework

Mario Paolone, Christophe Nicolet, Elena Vagnoni, Martin Seydoux

The number of transient operations in hydraulic machinery connected to power grid, notably start-ups and shut-downs, has observed a substantial increase in recent decades, primarily driven by the global shift toward intermittent renewable energy sources. S ...

Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd2024

Analytical hill chart towards the maximisation of energy recovery on water utility networks with counter rotating micro-turbine

François Avellan, Elena Vagnoni, Cécile Münch-Alligné, Loïc Andolfatto, João Nuno Gomes Borga Delgado

Existing water utility networks provides a wide, distributed and unexploited hydropower potential. The installation of energy recovery stations on existing infrastructures limits both the required investment and the environmental impact. The counter-rotati ...

2015

Optimal CAM Computation of Kaplan Turbines Accounting for Wear and Tear Originated by Frequency Control

Mario Paolone, Sidi-Rachid Cherkaoui, Elena Vagnoni, Francesco Gerini

Nowadays, the importance of providing frequency stability to power systems with hydropower units is significantly increasing due to the growing proportion of volatile renewable energy sources. However, the provision of such services, as frequency containme ...

IEEE2021

Structural impact of the start-up sequence on Pelton turbines lifetime: Analytical prediction and polynomial optimization

Mario Paolone, Elena Vagnoni, Aldo Leonardo Alerci

Hydropower plants play a crucial role in the power system facing ambitious renewable energy targets. Due to their inherent controllability, they are well suited to provide flexibility to the grid. However, an increased flexibility provision leads to a prol ...

Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd2023

Air-Water Ring in the Vaneless Gap of a Reversible Pump-Turbine Operating in Condenser Mode

François Avellan, Elena Vagnoni, Loïc Andolfatto

2018