Study on the Semiactive Control and Optimal Layout of a Hydropower House Based on Magnetorheological Dampers

With the continuous development of hydropower stations, the capacities and the heads of hydro generator units are increasing, and the plant vibration problem is becoming more and more serious. A numerical simulation method for the vibration reduction control of magnetorheological (MR) dampers suitable for large-scale complex structures was proposed. The method is simple and easy to implement, and the semiactive control of the MR damper could be achieved by adjusting the current switch and size. On the basis of a numerical simulation, a mathematical model for the optimal layout of an MR damper device was established. The objective function was the vertical velocity and the vertical acceleration response of the generator floor. The results showed that the proposed semiactive control numerical simulation method could be applied to the vibration control of the hydropower plant structure, and the vertical velocity and vertical acceleration were reduced by 10.96% and 12.90%, respectively, compared with those without structural vibration control. At the same time, the proposed optimized layout method was effective and feasible, and the damping effect of the MR damper could be effectively improved through the optimized layout.