OREANDA-NEWS. July 25, 2012. Power Machines OJSC has shipped the third consignment of large-sized equipment produced by the company and designed to reconstruct Sayano-Shushenskaya HPP (SShHPP).

Heavy components for SShHPP hydropower units have been loaded to the Arsenal motor ship on the quay of Sverdlovskaya embankment in Saint Petersburg. The transportation of the large-size equipment comprising three hydroturbine impellers (each having a weight of 145 tons and a diameter of 6.84 m), two generator bearing oil baths (each having a weight of 21 tons and a diameter of 6.1 m) and two 13 ton frames of auxiliary generator rotors (each 6.09 m in diameter) will be carried out by the only possible way – by sea and river routes during the summer navigation period. The ship will leave Saint Petersburg as soon as it obtains all necessary permits. The new equipment delivery will take about 35 - 40 days.

The vessel loaded with the heavy hydropower unit components will go through Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega. Then it will go through the Baltic Sea Canal to the White Sea and next – along the Northern Sea Route to the mouth of the Yenisei River. Then the motor ship will go upstream the Yenisei to Krasnoyarsk. At the Krasnoyarsk river port the equipment will be reloaded onto a river barge which will pass through Krasnoyarsk HPP using its ship lift and, with the help of a river tug, will deliver the cargo to the transfer point in the lower pool of Mainskaya HPP (located downstream the Yenisei in 21.5 km from SShHPP). In this point the equipment will be reloaded onto a special purpose truck, which will deliver the hydropower unit components to SShHPP. The route total length is around 5900 km. For more information on the vessel location tracing and details of the transport operation for the new equipment delivery can be found at the website of RusHydro JSC affiliate company, P.S. Neporozhniy Sayano-Shushenskaya HPP: http://www.sshges.rushydro.ru/press/tracing/.

Six sets of large-size equipment produced by Power Machines for the SShHPP hydropower units were delivered by the same way from Saint Petersburg to the plant last year. The delivery of the last consignment of large-size equipment is scheduled to August this year. Upon request from RusHydro JSC, Power Machines are fulfilling the order to produce equipment for the SShHPP reconstruction ahead of production schedule to meet the deadline of navigation period 2012. Thus, the generator equipment and impellers are being manufactured ahead of schedule. By now Power Machines have produced and shipped to SShHPP eight hydrogenerators and seven hydroturbines. The production of the remaining equipment is to be completed by the end of 2012.

In 2010 the hydropower units under plant’s numbers 6, 5, 4 and 3 (the least damaged during the accident) were reconstructed at Sayano-Shushenskaya HPP. In 2011 RusHydro JSC began implementing the second stage of the SShHPP reconstruction. During this stage ten brand new hydropower units will be installed in the plant’s turbine hall. At the same time the four machines, returned to operation in 2010 after their refurbishment, will be also replaced with new ones. According to the SShHPP reconstruction works schedule, the first hydropower unit (under plant’s No. 1) was put into operation in December 2011 and the second unit (under plant's No. 7) – in March 2012. 72-hour comprehensive commissioning tests of the third new hydraulic unit (under plant’s No. 8) were successfully completed in mid-June this year as well. 

Three hydropower units are to be put into operation  annually till 2014 in accordance with the SShHPP reconstruction works schedule. As the result the plant will be completely fitted out with brand new and state-of-the-art equipment having enhanced performance characteristics and meeting all reliability and safety requirements.

Power Machines and RusHydro JSC entered into a contract to produce main power generation equipment for the Sayano-Shushenskaya HPP reconstruction in November 2009. In accordance with the contract Power Machines will manufacture 10 hydroturbines and 9 hydrogenerators each having a capacity of 640 MW, as well as 6 excitation systems. In addition, Power Machines specialists will provide equipment installation services, including installation supervision and commissioning works. The contract value amounts to 11.7 billion rubles (excluding VAT).

The new hydropower units’ service life is extended up to 40 years, while the maximum hydroturbine’s efficiency will amount to 96.6%. Its output and cavitation characteristics will be enhanced. The turbines will be also equipped with an advanced process protection system which automatically shuts down the unit if any unacceptable performance deviations of monitored parameters occur.