Power Machines has announced that 14 out of 18 hydropower units have now been refurbished at RusHydro’s Cheboksarskaya hydropower plant, with unit number 3 placed into operation in April.
In the course of the modernization, the design adjustable-blade mode of the hydraulic turbine was restored. The turbines of Cheboksarskaya, which were put into operation in the 1980s, have an environmentally friendly design with oil-free impeller bushings. Over time, the machines have lost the ability to turn the blades and were fixed in propeller mode, reducing efficiency. To return the turbines to their design characteristics, they were reconstructed with the blade turning mechanism replaced.
As part of the work the hydrogenerator on hydropower unit number 3 was also updated. Experts of the RusHydro subsidiary, Gidroremont-VKK JSC, replaced the generator stator and the rotor rim iron.
Further modernization work is nearing completion on another hydropower unit at the plant – number 11.
