OREANDA-NEWS. October 10, 2012. Power Machines OJSC has shipped the last consignment of large-size equipment produced by the company and designed to reconstruct Sayano-Shushenskaya HPP (SShHPP).

Heavy assemblies for SShHPP hydropower units have been loaded to the Arsenal motorship on the quay of Sverdlovskaya embankment in Saint Petersburg. The transportation of the large-size equipment comprising a hydroturbine impeller (having a weight of 145 tons and a diameter of 6.84 m), a generator thrust bearing oil bath (having a weight of 21 tons and a diameter of 6.1 m) and a 13 ton frame of auxiliary generator rotor (6.09 m in diameter) will be carried out by the only possible way – by sea and river routes during the summer navigation period. After fixing the cargo the vessel has left the quay. The delivery will take from 35 to 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 White Sea – 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 Maynskaya 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.

Starting from June 2011, nine sets of large-sizeequipment produced by Power Machines for the SShHPP hydropower units have been delivered by the same way from Saint Petersburg to the plant. Upon request from RusHydro JSC, Power Machines are fulfilling the order to produce equipment for the SShHPP reconstruction ahead of the production schedule so that to meet the deadline of navigation period 2012.

In addition to the produced ten sets of large-size assemblies, by now Power Machines have produced and shipped to SShHPP eight complete sets of hydroturbine and hydrogenerator equipment.  The production of the remaining two turbines and one generator 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 overhaul, will also be 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. The third new hydropower unit (under plant’s No. 8) was successfully put into operation in mid-June this year as well.  

Three hydropower units are to be put into operation annually till the end of 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 OJSC carries out manufacture and installation of the new hydropower units, including installation supervision and commissioning works. According to the contract, the group will manufacture 10 hydroturbines and nine hydrogenerators each having a capacity of 640 MW, as well as six excitation systems (one new generator and four excitation systems have already been manufactured and installed at the hydropower units that were put into operation after their overhaul in 2010).

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.