Goals and expectations
The goal for Claytor Hydro’s boom system was to prevent floating debris from entering the unit intake structure. Subsequently, the organic material would need to be channeled downstream effectively. The new boom system is used for:
- Debris management and channeling
- Walking access for personnel to manage debris flow
- Boat access to intake structure through a dedicated gate for maintenance and operations
- Improved operational efficiency with continuous design
HDPE Boom System Specs
It’s a debris boom system with a four foot skirt underneath to prevent that floating debris to travel under the water. It then channels that floating debris away from the unit intakes into a desired area where we can pass the organic material downstream.
The boom system itself is made of HDPE material. Altogether, this particular installation is three foot diameter, with about an inch and a half (1.5″) wall thickness. Additionally, there are provisions for a 100 foot of walking section so personnel can get out in case we need to channel that floating debris through the discharge gate.
There’s also a boat gate to access the Hydro Electric plant. Specifically, the gate has a slider beam on the dam with a concrete anchor connected to the shoreline.
“If we need to bring one of our boats to the intake structure, we can pass through the system gate to get to where we need to be.” ~David Agee, Plant Support Specialist Senior
Key features include:
- 850-foot continuous boom system
- 4-foot skirt underneath
- HDPE material construction with 3-foot diameter
- 1.5-inch wall thickness
- 100-foot walking section
- Boat gate for access
Improved Performance
The previous system was not a continuous system. It was daisy-chained sections so there was some debris that navigated its way in between those sections causing operational issues. Comparatively, the new continuous boom system provides nearly 100% deflection of that floating debris.
A Successful Collaboration
This was a successful collaboration with Appalachian Power and Pacific Netting Products. Altogether, they achieved all the goals for design, engineering, and support across multiple installations.
“Pacific Netting Products has been great to work with from the design, the engineering and the support. We have a couple of installations where we have partnered with Pacific Netting Products and we work collaboratively with them on multiple installations.” ~David Agee, Plant Support Specialist Senior
PNP received positive feedback for:
- Design support
- Engineering assistance
- Overall support services
- Collaborative partnership on multiple installations
