IMPSA’s Technological Research Center (CIT), known worldwide as one of the most important in its field, is dedicate to research and technological development which is the basis for IMPSA Hydro’s prestige.

Hydraulic Machine Laboratory

In this Center’s Hydraulic Machine Laboratory located in Mendoza – Argentina, all types of hydraulic machine models are tested, with the incorporation of the latest worldwide scientific advances. Together with the physical modelling of the machines, an intensive use of numerical flow modelling (CFD: Computational Fluid Dynamics) provides for the optimization of hydraulic designs and power performance. The interaction between numerical flow modelling and the tests carried out on these physical models leads to a continuous improvement of IMPSA’s designs.

The Hydraulic Machine Laboratory equipment meets the strictest requirements for applicable regulations. The Lab has two universal test rigs where power, efficiency, cavitation behaviour, pressure pulse, release speed and hydraulic loads are measured on the stationery and rotating pieces of the model. The obtained parameters are transferred to the real machine resorting to the Similitude Laws established for this activity. Thus, the performance guarantees offered to our clients may be verified, and the unit behaviour may be anticipated with great reliability. Our models’ size is among the largest in the market, thus facilitating more accurate research of the hydraulic properties of our equipment.

For the hydraulic design itself IMPSA makes use of its own calculation programs, having recourse to well-known licenses such as the CFX-TASC flow package, for the fluid-dynamic analysis.

In addition to the usual calculation and structural design programs, IMPSA has at its disposal the structural analysis programme called MSC / NASTRAN (NASA STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS), which represents a major advance in the use of the finite element method. For all of these applications, IMPSA’s specialized staff has vast experience in projects of great importance.

Synchronous Machines

With respect to innovation, research and development in the area of electrical equipment, IMPSA has a distinctive approach: in-line development. In this approach the entire technical staff of the Engineering, Electrical Lab and Methods Departments work part-time in the R&D program. In this way, the people responsible for carrying out the plans are the same ones responsible for production and have broad experience in defined goals, deadlines and costs. All this substantially improves the cost efficiency and achieved results. It is always best to have a designer to develop the design technology, or an experienced production expert to develop a manufacturing method. Thus, the staff devoted to production also devotes time to development. With this scheme, IMPSA has developed all the technology necessary to conceive, calculate, design, manufacture and assemble its electrical equipment. As a result of this policy, IMPSA was one of the world’s pioneers in having an integral system for the optimal electromagnetic and mechanical dimensioning of salient pole synchronous generators (ARGEN). This allows equipment behaviour to be simulated under normal and extraordinary conditions. Furthermore, the PROGEN Software for mechanical measurement and verification of all the machine components has been developed with a library of more than 200 equipment verification programs capable of carrying out electrical and mechanical studies. Pre- and post¬-processors for Finite Element Method application have also been developed in order to evaluate a machine’s magnetic field distribution, diverse component overheating, structural analysis and vibration behaviour.

Computer Aided Design (CAD)
IMPSA has more than 100 workstations for the generation of design engineering, basic engineering and CNC machine tool programming. Graphical output as the system by-product enables transmission through the LAN (Local Area Network) of all the information for the automatic machining.

Automatic Machining for Three- dimensional Surfaces
Arising from its own technology, IMPSA has promoted machining systems for warped surfaces which were initially used for the generation of Kaplan turbine runner blades.