Krasnoyark, October 19, 2018 – The scheduled overhaul of hydrogeneration unit (HU) #5 continues at Krasnoyarsk HPP owned by En+ Group. During the overhaul a new runner was installed, including new hydraulic turbine equipment as part of a large-scale program of upgrading the Siberian HPPs of En+ Group, which will enable a reduction in the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the area in which the company operates by 2.3 mtpa.
The new runner was installed ahead of schedule. The work was performed by GES Engineering (an affiliate of EuroSibEnergo subsidiary – EuroSibEnergo-Engineering). The repair program includes upgrading the main equipment and secondary switching circuits.
Implementing the HU #5 upgrading program will take several months. The replacement of the runner will increase the reliability and efficiency of the hydroelectric unit and will improve the technical and economic performance of the power plant. It is planned that the upgraded HU #5 with a new runner will generate its first power in early 2019. The hydraulic turbines with new runners with an energy performance confirmed by model tests surpass the runners currently installed in the HPP due to the application of the innovation blade system in the runner which ensures efficiency and dynamic stability of upgraded turbines.
The HU #5 runner is the second to be replaced at the HPP. In April 2018, Krasnoyarsk HPP launched Unit #9 with a new runner. Several months of operation of the overhauled generation unit demonstrated better power and cavitation characteristics, incl. reduced vibration, capacity oscillations and cavitation wear. Meanwhile, the efficiency rose from 94% to 96.7%. This efficiency meets the best standards of global hydro power generation.
The new runners were manufactured by Leningrad Metals Works (part of Power Machines Group). Each runner weighs 244tn and is 8.5m in diameter. The equipment was delivered to Krasnoyarsk HPP in the autumn of 2017 by the Northern Sea Route through the Belomor-Baltic Canal, the White Sea, the Barents Sea, the Kara Sea and by River Yenisei to the pier near the HPP. The entire route was 6000 km.
Replacement of the runners at Krasnoyarsk HPP is part of the comprehensive New Energy program aimed at upgrading the Siberian HPPs of En+ Group. Installation of new impellers and other equipment is underway at the hydro power plants in Bratsk and Ust-Ilimsk, as well. The Siberian HPPs of En+ Group will increase the production of green energy by 1.9 bln kWh per year at the same water volumes passing through the turbines after 2022. After the upgrade, the HPP electricity will partially replace that produced by the Group’s coal-fired power plants and will help to reduce the GHG emissions of the Group by 2.3 mtpa, it will also have a positive effect on the environment in the Siberian regions.
In addition, the efficiency of the upgraded equipment will rise by 5-8%, and the cost of repairs is expected to go down.
Unit #5 was launched in 1968; it has operated for c. 247,410 hours and generated c. 96.5 bln kWh of electricity up to the date the overhaul started.
All 12 generators have been replaced at Krasnoyarsk HPP, the rebuild took 20 years. The upgrade will increase reliability of the HPP, which generates c. 60% of the power consumed in the Krasnoyarsk Territory.
Aleksandr Shistko, Deputy Director for Main Operations of Krasnoyarsk HPP:
“It’s a very important date for us. The seemingly simple replacement of a runner actually determines the future of the entire hydro power plant because the quality of assembly of a hydrogeneration unit determines its service life and, generally, the quality of the power that we will deliver to our customers”.
