Egger axial turbine pump for a mini hydroelectric plant on the Birs river 

Electricity production with a part of the water flow from the newly built fish ladder at the Juramill power plant.

Egger was consulted by multiple engineering firms regarding pumps as turbines (PaT) designed for high flow rates and low heads, aligning with the domain of Kaplan turbines. Through a CFD simulation study using scFlow software by Cradle/Hexagon, we successfully provided solutions with our RPG/RPP program for elbow propeller pumps.

Since March 2024, a DN 350 axial pump (RPG 351) with suction by the elbow has been operating as a turbine on the Birs river in the canton of Basel-Landschaft in Switzerland. It uses a part of the energy lost in the fish pass of an existing hydroelectric power station equipped with a Kaplan turbine. Our pump-turbine enables the plant to produce between 75 and 125 kWh of electrical energy per day.

Compared with a conventional Kaplan turbine with guide vane, this is a simplified machine in which the elbow replaces the distributor.  This success was achieved without modifying any parts of the axial pumps already in our portfolio. The addition of a frequency converter enables the operating point to be set as close as possible to the PaT’s best efficiency point. Installation is based on a vertical motor axis, with horizontal suction and vertical discharge. This means that only one elbow) needs to be installed in the entire system – apart from the pump.

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