*Sponsored Content

Marmen Inc., a heavy manufacturing company based in Quebec (Canada), is active in the energy sector, working closely with major hydro OEMs. Leveraging its experience in demanding markets that require unique capabilities, Marmen develops customized production and tooling solutions—both for its own needs and for its clients—to address complex industrial challenges.

This case study focuses on a project where Marmen’s expertise in end-user tool design was applied to make a user-friendly on-site machine tool for a major OEM, which was used at Carillon Dam. It is most relevant to asset owners seeking to internalize or enhance maintenance, and to on-site machining service providers looking for a new, innovative approach.

TAILORED ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS FOR HYDROPOWER EFFICIENCY

Refurbishing hydroelectric dams requires adapting existing turbine pits to accommodate new turbine designs, a process that demands precision machining, complex welding operations, and careful planning of on-site activities. Traditional approaches can lead to inefficiencies, extended downtimes, and higher costs.

Through a close collaboration between Marmen and the OEM, a modular and transportable machine tool was developed and delivered in record time—just 12 months from the first discussion to commissioning. This achievement was made possible thanks to a highly coordinated approach and optimized scheduling, including measures such as ordering raw material in parallel with finalizing design drawings.

To ensure an efficient development timeline, the machine was engineered concurrently while procuring longer lead-time items. The machine tool was engineered to perform critical machining and welding operations directly inside turbine pits, integrating flexibility, reliability, and compliance with the highest health and safety standards. Its main technical features (detailed in the following section) illustrate how engineering innovation can effectively address the challenges of dam refurbishment while ensuring responsiveness and cost efficiency. To see a 3D model of the machine, please visit Marmen at booth 1646 at Clean Currents 2025 in Pittsburgh.

• Reduced Set-Up Time with Increased Safety: Turbine downtime is expensive; an on-site machine tool with a significantly reduced setup time is highly valuable. Traditional on-site machining set-ups often require a significant number of sacrificial welds during set-up to ensure rigidity and safety. These welds take time and can sometimes lead to non-ideal safety risks. Lowering heavy equipment into confined areas and stabilizing that equipment during setup are generally two of the riskiest steps. During the concurrent engineering for this tool, Marmen developed solutions that simultaneously addressed the requirements for quick setup and safe setup. Using remotely operated installment mechanisms, Marmen’s tool has largely circumvented the need for numerous weld placements and reduced the need for human intervention during setup. The end result is a faster and safer tool setup.

• Transportability: Because hydroelectric plants are in diverse and often challenging environments across North America with wide variances in transportation access, there is great value in an on-site machine tool that, in addition to being safe, reliable, and quick to set up, has been designed for modular transport. Marmen’s innovative solution addresses this challenge: a modular design that makes transportation quick and easy, enabling end-users to overcome logistical barriers and quickly deploy advanced machining capabilities wherever they are needed.

• Motor Sizing: There are two requirements that must be considered when sizing an electric motor for on-site machining at hydroelectric facilities:

1. The available power supply
2. The required torque to work with each plant’s unique turbine pit geometry

Marmen selected a motor that provides both high torque and high speed to ensure that the required performance would always be available regardless of the turbine pit diameter.

• Flexible Reach: Asset owners typically have a diverse set of hydroelectric facilities in their portfolio. Within that portfolio, there is often no “standard geometry” for turbine pits. The geometries of, and distances between, the draft tube, runner chamber, bottom ring, and head cover can differ significantly depending on when the dam was built. Turbine pit diameters also vary widely depending on the flows for which each pit was designed.  Given these varying conditions, the more flexibly an on-site machine tool can operate within the confines of the pit, the more valuable the tool. Marmen’s on-site machine was designed in an agile manner such that adjusting the tool to each turbine pit’s unique dimensions is quick, safe, and accurate.

• Agile Design: The type and quantity of maintenance needed in each turbine pit vary. Corrosion and cavitation damage need to be addressed in different ways at different locations within the pit. Turbine pits need to be occasionally re-sized to handle new runners. In some situations, damage requires material overlay or welding. Marmen’s on-site machine behaves like a robust multi-tool as it performs milling, turning, material overlay, and welding, all with the same primary setup. To accomplish these tasks, the machine was designed with rigid members that, while keeping the machine compact and modular, enabled low-vibration machining and deeper cuts. These abilities, combined with the flexible reach of the machine, make the tool an ideal choice for end-users seeking to maximize the return on their capital investment.

Beyond this project, Marmen designs and manufactures custom tooling solutions tailored to its clients’ requirements in terms of performance, health and safety, and environmental considerations. These solutions extend across various industries, including hydropower, nuclear, and aerospace. The development of this machine tool is just one example of Marmen’s capabilities. Industry professionals will also have the opportunity to learn more about Marmen’s expertise at booth 1646 during the Clean Current 2025 event in Pittsburgh.