The hydropower plant is ... Shushenskaya HPP

HPP is an object erected on the river in order to convert the energy of its current into electrical energy. One of the main structures of hydroelectric power stations in most cases is a dam, overlapping the channel.

How does HPP work?

The hydropower station is always an object of importance to the economy of the state, among other things, it is also a symbol of industrial progress. But, despite the monumentality, such large-scale constructions have a relatively simple principle of work.

Initially, the water on the HPP comes to the turbine blades installed in the engine room. The energy of rotation of the latter is transmitted to the generators. The generated electricity enters the power transmission line system in the region.

The basis of the characteristic of any hydroelectric power station is, of course, its power. And this factor, in turn, depends on the amount of water passed through the turbines and its pressure. The higher the last figure, the higher the station dam.

Varieties of stations

Thus, HPP is a significant large-scale facility built on the river. Currently, there are only two main types of hydroelectric power in the world:

• Dams;

• Derivational.

In the latter case, the water pressure in the branch channel or tunnel is used to generate electricity. Derived hydropower plants are usually built on mountain not too wide rivers with a strong current.

Elements of a conventional hydropower plant

In addition to the dam, in the construction of a hydroelectric power plant, such structures as:

• Building of hydroelectric power station;
• Gateways;
• Ship receivers and fish vessels;
• Spillway devices;
• Switchgear.

In the building of the HPP there is a machine room with turbines and generators.

What is the derivation station

Such a hydroelectric power plant is a special object, always built on a channel with a big bias. Water in such rivers flows under a strong pressure in a natural way, so there is no need to equip a dam in this case. The flow at such HPPs falls directly into the main building to the turbines. The reservoir is usually created, but in most cases they are very small. Reservoirs are needed for this type of HPP exclusively for flow regulation.

What kind of hydropower plants are available in the Russian Federation?

Hydroelectric power stations in Russia are built, of course, a lot. Most of them have been functioning since the times of the USSR. The very first power plant built on the territory of our country was Zyryanskaya. It was erected in Tsarist Russia in 1892. It was a small station providing electric power to the mine drainage of a local mine.

In the Soviet period, the government adopted the global plan of the GORELO, according to which for 10-15 years in the country it was planned to build a hydroelectric power station with a total capacity of 21254 thousand l / s. To date, the most significant hydropower plants in Russia are:

• Sayano-Shushenskaya (Sayanogorsk) with capacity of 6.4 GV;
• Krasnoyarsk (Divnogorsk) - 6 Gb;
• Bratsk (Bratsk) - 4.52 Gb;
• Ust-Ilminskaya - 3.84 Gb;
• Boguchinskaya (Kodinsk) - 3 Gb;
• Zhigulevskaya - 2.4 GV;
• Bureiskaya - 2.01 Gb;
• Cheboksary (Novocheboksarsk) - 1.4 Gb;
• Saratov (Balakovo) - 1.38 Gb;
• Zeya (Zeya) - 1.33 GV;

Also, the Nizhnekamsk hydroelectric power station (Naberezhnye Chelny) is quite a large object. The power of this station is 1.25 GV. The owner is JSC "Generation Company" and "Tatenergo". A station was built on the Kama River.

Sayano-Shushenskaya hydropower plant: history

It is this hydroelectric power station, which is part of the Yenisei cascade, today is the largest in the country. Every year, on average, it produces about 23.5 billion kW / h of electricity. The decision to build the Sayano-Shushenskaya station was made by the government of the USSR in 1961. The works on its erection began in 1968. In 1978, the Sayano-Shushenskoe reservoir was filled. Officially, the construction of the station was completed only in 2000.

The construction of the hydroelectric power station was accompanied, unfortunately, including by various kinds of troubles. During construction, spillway structures were destroyed several times, and cracks formed in the dam. However, in the end, judging by the reports of previous years, all such problems were successfully resolved.

Station Specifications

Located Sayano-Shushenskaya HPP near the village Cheryomushki near Sayanogorsk on the Yenisei River. Currently, there are 10 units installed in the main building, each with a capacity of 640 MW. In working condition, unfortunately, there are only 8 units. Turbines at this station are very powerful, brands RO-230 / 833-0-677, operating at a calculated head of 194 meters. The height of the dam of this hydroelectric power station is 245 m. At the same time, the area of the reservoir formed as a result of the construction is 621 km ² .

During the construction of Sayano-Shushenskaya HPP, a total of 35,600 hectares of farmland was flooded. At the same time, 2717 different kinds of buildings had to be moved. The water in the reservoir of the HPP is of good quality, therefore, in its lower part, several farms specializing in trout production were later organized. The reservoir of the Sayano-Shushenskaya station is located simultaneously in the territory of three regions: Khakassia, Tuva and the Krasnoyarsk Territory. On its shores, among other things, the Sayano-Shushensky Biosphere Reserve operates.

Accident at Shushenskaya HPP in 2009

At the beginning of the twenty-first century, a very serious accident took place at the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydropower plant, killing 75 people. August 17, 2009 in the engine room of the main building as a result of damage to the second hydroelectric unit there was a strong release of water from the turbine. The flooded stream destroyed the supporting columns of the building and damaged the equipment installed in it. As a result of water entering some hydroelectric generators, the generators went out of order, and in others they collapsed altogether. All technological systems located below the 327 level were flooded.

The consequences of the accident were eliminated initially by the workers of the station itself. Subsequently, contractors were involved. The specialists took about 9 hours and 20 minutes to close the hydraulic locks. The flow of water into the engine room was stopped. In total, 2.7 thousand people and more than 200 pieces of equipment took part in the operation to eliminate the consequences of the accident. To prevent water entering the hall, it was necessary to build barrier structures, the total length of which was 9683 meters.