Let’s continue our excursion around the Zhigulevskaya HPP.
The tremendous energy produced by the plant requires proper “care”. That’s why near every hydroelectric generator there is a substation providing such “care”.
These are vacuum circuit breakers. Everyone remembers from school that if you place 2 conductors with high voltage close to each other, there will be formed an electric arc between them. The circuit breakers are used to prevent its forming.
Obsolete equipment is actively reconstructed. These are, for example, old oil switches.
Some complicated mechanism.
A very interesting place. A generator is above us. The shaft of a turbine is in front of us. The blades of a wicket gate through which tons of water pass are below.
A cylinder (every generator has 4 of them) which is responsible for the angle of the blades.
Hydroelectric generator №17. The drive of the blades is not yet upgraded. That’s why instead of 4 cylinders, 2 huge running on oil are used.
Here you can pop out of the window and get that thrilling feeling when a huge multi-ton mechanism is rotating above your head.
This hydroelectric generator is unique.
It’s the only one at the plant having such a plate. “Leningrad Metal Plant Named After Stalin”. The surname of Stalin wasn’t rubbed out.
The engine hall.
The view from the crane.
To feel the scope of all this, let us note that the thickness of the wall on the right is 4 meters.
White vertical cylinders contain oil under pressure.
All equipment is quite impressive by its size.
“The 6th floor. 41.30 m”. Each floor has its own mark. The water level on the side of the headrace is 54 m.
While constructing, much space was left empty in order not to waste a lot of concrete.
It’s very dry and cosy there.
At the end of 2009 the media informed of some accident which happened at the Zhigulevskaya HPP. People, due to lack of details, became really concerned… It turned out that the reason of the accident was drainage pumps intended for pumping out water leaks which got broken.
Such pumps are able to pump out 7 bathtubs in a second.
This is a dry gallery needed for monitoring the state of inner parts.
The museum of the HPP. Behind the suit you can see a special device for delivering oxygen.
A small model of the plant.
Highly qualified specialists monitor the state of the plant round the clock.
And finally, the gantry crane which we spoke a lot of in the previous post about the Zhigulevskaya HPP.
Location: the Zhigulevskaya HPP
via photo-discovery
Highly qualified specialists? That’s guys playing Donkey Kong!
That looks like a schematic program used to monitor complex electrical,hydraulic and other complex mechanical systems.If you think that looks like Donkey Kong then you may need to get some glasses.
My God, no sense of humor, none.
Nice clean, renewable energy.
Are you one of those Greenpeace weirdos, or just a nutty tree-hugger? 🙂
ayaa,
Not only NGO member but also everyone MUST support clean and renewable enerey.
Its feel good when your hometown polluted?
Semipermanent, too
Yeah. Its not Putin or Medvedev that walked out of the Kyoto Protocol, is it. It’s our good friend Bush.
And yeah, my hometown of Borisoglebsk, is no Moscow or Petersburg, but all heavy industries are located well out of the city center and residential districts. So none has to worry about pollution. And there are more than enough trees all around. And trees are the best fighters of pollution, aren’t they?
“Some complicated mechanism.” At least ER is honest with us! 😉
I’d rub out Stalin’s name given a chance… 😉