Saratov HPP on the Volga

Saratov HPP is one of the ten largest non-nuclear power plants in Russia and Europe. It is an integral part of the Volga-Kama cascade of hydroelectric power stations. 24 hydrounits installed at the station, can produce annually up to 6 billion kWh. The average annual rate over the past decade was 5.4 billion kWh.

Green Energy

Hydroelectric power plants of Russia play an important role in the uninterrupted supply of electricity to domestic and foreign consumers. The huge territory of the country, through which the largest rivers of Europe and the world flow, conceals in itself the unlimited potential of the "green" energy, based on renewable sources - water, wind, sun, geothermal energy, tidal wave force and others.

In Russia there are 102 hydroelectric power stations with a capacity of over 100 MW. Saratov HPP (1378 MW) occupies the 9th place in the list of giants, taking into account the completed ones. At the beginning of 2015, the total installed electric capacity of all stations was 47,712.39 MW - which is more than 20% of all the generated energy in Russia.

It is also important that HPPs are the most mobile systems. This type of power plant allows you to increase or decrease the energy production within minutes, which is incredibly important for solving the problem of peak loads in the global power grid. For comparison, in order to increase the return from the CHP, it takes several hours, and for the NPP this indicator is equal to several days. Not surprisingly, the construction of hydroelectric power plants continues.

Description of the Saratovskaya HPP

The hydroelectric power plant is the seventh in the Volga-Kama cascade and is located in the city of Balakovo, in the north of the Saratov region. 24 hydroelectric units with the capacity of 1378 MW allowed in 2014 to give the country 5504.6 kWh of electric power (useful leave). The spillway area is 1 280 000 km² with an average annual water flow of 7959 m3 / s.

The facility has become an important transport hub of the region - along its dam are the road and railways, linking both banks of the mighty Volga. Also, related functions of HPPs include the provision of uninterrupted large-tonnage shipping, irrigation, water supply.

History

The city-forming enterprise "Saratovskaya HPP", whose photo impresses with the grandiose sizes of the structures, began to be built on June 5, 1956 - this is the official date of the beginning of the All-Union Komsomol construction in the city of Balakovo. A few years later the out-of-town town got a second birth, turning into a major industrial center of the country. More than 20,000 people from all regions took part in the construction of a unique structure, many of the builders associated their destiny with Balakovo.

The hydroelectric power plant has in fact become a site for experiments, the embodiment of the latest achievements and original ideas in the construction of large hydroelectric power stations, not without reason some of the characteristics of the structure are unique. On December 27, 1967, the first two hydroelectric units were commissioned, and in January 1968 the Saratov HPP was connected to the country's total power system. At the design capacity of the station came in late 1970, since then, without fail supplying consumers with clean energy.

Saratovskaya is an integral part of the interconnected hydro complex of the European part of the Russian Federation. Other large hydroelectric power stations on the Volga and Kama: Rybinsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Cheboksarskaya, Kamskaya, Votkinskaya, Nizhnekamsk, Zhigulevskaya, Volzhskaya and others.

Interesting Facts

• Since the launch, the station has generated over 250 billion kWh of electricity.
• Saratov is one of the largest hydroelectric power stations, a photo of which can be seen in the media, encyclopedias, scientific works, Internet resources.
• The structure is characterized by a non-standard layout - the lack of catchment platinum.
• The engine room is the longest in Russia, with a removable roof.
• 24 hydroelectric units have 3 different sizes - some of which are the largest in Russia.
• The HPP facilities are assigned the 1 st class of capital, they include: embankment dams, earth dam, main building, bottom watersheds, navigable lock, fish receiver, 35, 220 and 500 kV switchgears.
• The dam has a length of 1260 m, the highest height is 42 m, for the dam is washed 6.6 million m³ of soil. It consists of the main (width of 360 m) and the station area.
• The total length of the dams of this large hydroelectric power station in Russia is over 13 km. The height at the highest point is 23 m.
• The main body of the channel type - that is, assumes the pressure of water, is located in the heart of the dam.
• The machine hall of the hydropower plant is the longest in the Russian Federation - 990 m. The diameter of the impeller of turbines is also a record - 10.3 m.

JSC RusHydro

Saratov HPP in January 2008 joined the RusHydro group - in Russia it is the largest generating company, and the second in the world among HPPs at an installed capacity (over 25 GW). At this stage, RusHydro has integrated 64 operating and 7 under construction thermal power plants, 23 operating and 7 hydroelectric power stations under construction, 3 geothermal power plants, one tidal power station, scientific centers, marketing companies and design organizations. Among all this diversity, Saratov is among the ten largest electricity suppliers among all types of stations. The association occupies a leading position in the "green" (renewable) energy.

The largest investment project

The construction of hydroelectric power plants continues, but one can not forget about improving the old ones, as evidenced by the tragic accident at the Sayano-Shushenskaya HPP. Taking into account the sad experience, the managing company RusHydro is carrying out a phased renovation of worn out equipment.

At the moment (and until 2030), the Saratov HPP is being phased in upgrading with the installation of the most advanced equipment. In particular, RusHydro has agreed with the Austrian company Voith Hydro to replace 21 hydroturbines and hydroelectric unit No. 24 with the delivery of facilities by the end of 2025 "on a turn-key basis." The current investment project, whose value exceeds 1 billion euros, has become unprecedented for the Saratov HPP and the largest for the region. It is planned that the turbines will be produced by the Russian-Austrian joint venture.

Modernization of turbines

Reconstruction of the HPP involves the installation of hydro turbines of a fundamentally new generation. Preliminary design provides for a radical change in impeller designs, which will be equipped with S-type blades and a servomotor located at the bottom. This patented "Voith Hydro" system makes the turbine "fish-friendly" (Fish friendly). The design is designed to significantly reduce the trauma and mortality of fish passing through turbines, which is a serious problem of the entire Volga-Kama cascade of HPPs. Also, environmental safety will improve due to the exclusion of turbine oil entering the water.

Modernization of power units

At the Saratov HPP, by the end of 2013, all five power units were replaced by energy. The equipment reconstructed and put into operation is more modern, reliable, safe and economical. Power units can do without overhaul for more than 30 years.

Together with the upgraded power units, hydraulic units No. 13 and No. 14 - the last of the vertical units of the station, on which the modern automatic control system (ACS) is installed - have been put into operation. Thus, the final stage of the five-year project on the reconstruction of the automatic control system for all vertical hydrounits has been completed.

Cost-effectiveness and efficiency

The complex modernization program assumes the renewal of the hydroelectric station taking into account the expediency, economic efficiency and using the latest technological developments. It is necessary to ensure a minimum simple and reduced production of hydroelectric power stations, the shortest possible time for the implementation of reconstruction projects.

When implementing the comprehensive modernization program, a comprehensive approach is planned with the participation of the customer, representatives of research institutes and equipment manufacturers. For the first time before the implementation of the program, a pre-project survey of the entire technological complex of the HPP is carried out, followed by the development of a project for its comprehensive modernization with the participation of the general designer of the Saratov HPP. At the same time, it provides for "lifelong" maintenance of the replaced units by the manufacturers.

Charity

To finance charitable programs, million means are annually sent. In particular, there is a chef-assistance to the school of the Children's Theater "ROSTO" in Balakovo, where the children are engaged in scuba diving and orienteering, "Children's Hospital No. 1" and other organizations. Within the framework of educational projects, HPP helped equip the laboratories of the Balakovo Polytechnic. Traditionally, there is mater support for veterans on the eve of Victory Day.

conclusions

Probably, there are no more large-scale projects than HPPs. The photo of these concrete giants amazes imagination in sizes, and the used units and technologies reflect the latest achievements of industrial potential and scientific thought.

Hydropower is given the leading role in providing the population and industry with electricity. The accumulated experience in the construction and operation of hydropower plants, the huge potential of Russian rivers, the relative environmental safety and the use of renewable energy sources make it possible to increase capacity through the construction of new stations and the modernization of already operated ones. The Saratov HPP, which has been working without fail for decades, is vividly confirmed.