Another important success factor of the company is its intensive investment activity in new technologies. An example is the pumped hydropower station Yang Yang in South Korea, which was activated this September. There, the head of 800 m and an output of 250 MW per unit was a true technological challenge. ALSTOM solved this task by installing a two-stage pump-turbine. This not only reduced the load of the turbine components, but also improved efficiency.
A further ALSTOM specialty are the so-called peak-load motor-generators. Due to frequent load changes (starting and stopping, change from turbine to motor operation), the machines are exposed to considerable thermal stress. However, since hydropower generators are an important factor in the stability of the grid, their functioning in particular has to be continuously ensured. This is achieved by the following technological characteristics:
- a bevel arm construction in the upper bearing star, by which the thermally induced radial forces acting upon the upper pilot bearing are reduced to a minimum. This construction also guarantees the concentricity of rotor and stator;
- a solid, maintenance-free connection of the stator casing with the foundation by means of bevelled spring elements;
- an optimised cooling system with special field coil construction;
- a stator plate compression device, which provides for constant pressure distribution in the stator plate package, which prevents buckling and vibrations on a long-term basis.
Together with further technological innovations, this results in a failure-proof system contributing significantly to the great reliability of the generators. The extensive maintenance freedom and minimum downtimes provide for considerable customer advantages in the production of peak energy. In Austria, ALSTOM Power Austria GmbH based in Vienna represents the ALSTOM Group. CEO Wolfgang Kölliker considers his company to be optimally positioned for the future: “The fact that we belong to an international group guarantees our customers technological top services and individual complete solutions.”
(Source: aqua press Int. 4/2005)
Contact & Information:
ALSTOM Power Austria GmbH
Clemens-Holzmeister-Str. 4
A-1100 Vienna
Tel.: +43/1/60 888-2422
