OREANDA-NEWS. November 08, 2010. Turboremont VVK, JSC – a subsidiary of RusHydro, JSC – and Power Machines signed a contract to upgrade an impeller of the hydraulic unit No. 16 at Cheboksarskaya HPP.

Under this contract, Power Machines’ specialists are to perform technical inspection of the plant’s hydraulic unit No. 16, which is to be upgraded, and also are to carry out works aimed at the impeller modernization, including the manufacture of new parts and units for the impeller blade actuator. Upon completion of these activities, the upgraded impeller is to be subject to functional tests before being dispatched to Cheboksarskaya HPP.

Delivery of hydraulic equipment is scheduled to complete by the fourth quarter 2011.

The impeller upgrade project is aimed to convert the hydraulic unit No. 16 from a forced-propeller to a movable-blade operation mode. It is anticipated to achieve improved performance and higher economic efficiency of the impeller along with enhanced operability of the entire power plant.

"With the current pressure rate, the power unit’s available capacity will increase by roughly 7% thanks to the new impeller, while blade mobility at hydroturbine power adjustments will enable us to cut the vibration of sub-structures in half at frequent start-ups and shutdowns. Thus, it would be possible to improve service life of the equipment within the entire unit," says Vladimir Dorofeyev, Director of Cheboksarskaya HPP.

Power Machines became engaged into the project to upgrade Cheboksarskaya HPP’s hydraulic units four years ago. An impeller of the hydraulic unit No. 7 was upgraded in 2008, and the activities to modernize an impeller of the hydraulic unit No. 8 are currently underway.

By implementing this project Power Machines and RusHydro continue their successful cooperation and contribute to the development of the national hydropower industry. Other projects that require joint efforts by hydropower specialists and power engineers include repair operations at Sayano-Shushenskaya HPP, construction activities at Boguchanskaya HPP and Zagorskaya PSPP-2 as well as a number of projects to upgrade hydraulic units at Volzhskaya, Saratovskaya, and Zhigulyovskaya HPPs.