The first water wheel for the Zaramagskaya HPP-1 under construction which had been manufactured by Voith Hydro was delivered to the construction yard in the city of Alagir. It took the full month to transport the oversize item from Sankt Pölten, Austria.
Two 171-MW turbines, unique for the Russian hydraulic power industry, will be installed in the Zaramagskaya HPP-1 building. They will use the highest hydraulic head among the Russian HPPs – 630 meters, and are going to be the largest and most powerful Pelton turbines in our country. A water wheel is the main part of a hydroturbine in direct contact with water stream, with special requirements imposed on quality of its manufacturing.
The water wheel is designed as a cast disc with 22 buckets and made from high-strength stainless steel. It weighs 26.2 tons, has a diameter of 4.22 meters and a running speed of 300 revolutions per minute.
Dedicated vehicles and special conditions were applied to carry the out-of-gauge load: the haul truck speed was no more than 60 km/h, with transportation ongoing only in daytime. The water wheel crossed several state borders enroute. The second water wheel for the plant is now on its way. Before the start of the Zaramagskaya HPP-1 building construction, these hydroturbine parts will be stored in Alagir.
Zaramagskiye hydraulic power stations are a hydropower complex on the Ardon River in Alagirsky district of North Ossetia. It consists of two interconnected HPPs – operating Golovnaya HPP and Zaramagskaya HPP-1 under construction. Construction of this complex started in 1976, but as of today, year of completion is not yet defined.
The project implementation is ongoing in harsh environmental conditions and is notable for a number of technical solutions, unique for the Russian hydropower – in particular, Zaramagskaya HPP-1 will have the highest hydraulic head, the Pelton turbines of the highest efficiency, and the longest diversion tunnel. Construction management is headed by OAO Zaramagskiye HPP, a subsidiary of OAO RusHydro.