Chirkeyskaya HPP. Dagestan (photo report). Chirkeyskaya HPP - the highest arch dam in Russia (2011) The highest in Russia
I continue to rake in tons of photo information from our Dagestan blog tour with RusHydro. And today we will talk about another pride of our hydro-construction idea, a unique hydroelectric power station located in a fabulously beautiful place - the Chirkeyskaya hydroelectric power station.
The Chirkeyskaya HPP is located on the Sulak River near the village of Dubki, in the Buynaksky district of Dagestan. It is the largest hydroelectric power plant North Caucasus. It is included in the Sulak HPP cascade, being its upper step regulating the entire cascade. In addition, it is the main regulating station in the United Energy System of the South of Russia. Plus, in emergency situations, it is able to quickly replace the missing capacity of 150-300 MW of thermal power plants. The dam of the Chirkeyskaya HPP is the second highest (232.5 m) after the Sayano-Shushenskaya HPP (245 m) and the highest arch dam in Russia.
The installed capacity of the station is 1,000 MW, the provided capacity is 950 MW, and the average annual electricity generation is 2,430 million kWh.
In 1928 - 1930, the Leningrad branch of Energostroy carried out field surveys and design studies on the hydropower use of the Sulak River. The result of which was that the Chirkeyskaya hydroelectric power station should be in these places. Since 1931, the design of the station has been carried out by the Moscow branch of Glavhydroelectrostroy, which in 1933 prepared a draft design of a hydroelectric power station with an arch-gravity concrete dam, but it was rejected due to the need to continue survey work in the alignment of the Chirkeyskaya hydroelectric power station due to difficult engineering and geological conditions.
1956 - 1960 returned to this problem, but the design of the station was already transferred to the Baku branch of the Hydroproject. Two options for the layout of the HPP were considered - with arch and earthen dams. The first option was chosen and approved by Decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR No. 570 of June 8, 1962.
2. View of the Sulak Canyon from the crest of the dam. By the way, in terms of its depth in this place (1,920 m), it significantly exceeds its well-known brother, the Colorado River Canyon (depth up to 1,800 m) in North America. 
In practice, everything turned out to be not so simple, so it was decided to transfer further patronage of the project to the Lengidroproekt Institute, which, having analyzed it, made significant changes to the project, namely: the abandonment of the underground building of the hydroelectric power station in favor of the dam building due to doubts about its reliability in difficult geological conditions; design of the HPP building with a two-row arrangement of hydroelectric units, which made it possible to halve the length of the building; a change in the design of the construction tunnel with an increase in its length from 350 m to 730 m, which made it possible to move it beyond the unstable section of the slope.
December 14, 1967 technical project The Chirkeyskaya hydroelectric power station was approved by order of the Council of Ministers of the USSR No. 2881-R, but the go-ahead to start construction was already given on June 11, 1963 by order of the USSR Ministry of Energy No. 84. The construction of temporary roads to the HPP construction site from Buynaksk and Kizilyurt, as well as power lines necessary for power supply of construction - 35 kV transmission line from the Buynakskaya substation and 110 kV transmission line Chiryurt-Chirkey by the Construction Department "Chirkeygesstroy". In August 1963, the development of the site for the construction of the station began, and in November 1964, the site was finally selected for the permanent settlement of hydropower engineers Dubki.
3. General form at the outdoor switchgear (open switchgear) - 330 kV, control building with an observation deck and an elevator shaft. 
On October 29, 1967, the Sulak River was blocked, and on February 28, 1970, the first concrete was laid in the foundation of the dam (bank openings of the plug). The work, as always at that time, went according to Stakhanov's way, record after record, and already on August 13, 1974, the dam of the Chirkeyskaya hydroelectric power station was put under pressure. On August 7, 1974, the filling of the Chirkey reservoir began.
The first hydraulic unit of the Chirkeyskaya HPP was launched on December 22, 1974, at the intermediate level of the reservoir and the dam, built to a height of 185 m. The second and third hydroelectric units were launched on September 28 and December 30, 1975, respectively. The last, fourth hydraulic unit was put into permanent operation on June 30, 1976.
Officially, the construction of the Chirkeyskaya hydroelectric power station was completed on February 9, 1981 with the signing of an act of acceptance of the hydroelectric complex for commercial operation. During the construction of the Chirkeyskaya HPP, 2.686 million m³ of earthwork and rock work were carried out (including 2.143 million m³ of rock excavation), 1.491 million m³ of concrete and reinforced concrete were laid, 9.8 thousand tons of metal structures and mechanisms were assembled.
4. By the way, we will not see such beauty soon. According to the plan of the RusHydro modernization program, the local outdoor switchgear-330 kV will be replaced by a modern switchgear - 330 kV (gas-insulated switchgear) 
The structure of the plant includes an arch dam, a dam building of a hydroelectric power station, an operational tunnel spillway and the Tishiklinskaya dam (not part of RusHydro, but belongs to the municipality Chirkey Village, Buynaksky District) located 10 km above the dam designed to protect against flooding of the valley Shuraozen river.
5. General view of the dam of the Chirkey hydroelectric power station and the reservoir. The area of the Chirkey reservoir is 42.5 km², the total and useful volume is 2.78 and 1.32 km³, respectively. The concrete arch dam is divided into 18 concreting sections 16 m wide. It has a crest length of 338 m and a maximum height of 232.5 m. The dam itself consists of an arch part, a wedge-shaped plug and a right-bank abutment. A feature of the dam is that it has a double curvature - it is concave not only horizontally, but also vertically. Thanks to this and its arched structure, its width is only 6 meters at the crest and 30 meters at the base of the dam. 
The base of the dam is a plug 48 m high, 40 m wide and 88 m long along the base, in the lower part of which there is a longitudinal cavity of an elliptical shape 21 m long and 21 m span. The central part of the dam 75 m long (four sections) is a station. It has inclined water intakes (from the side of the upper face) and 4 turbine conduits (located on the lower face of the dam).
6. Turbine conduits have a diameter of 5.5 m and an average length of 250 m. For the convenience of monitoring the condition of the platinum, 10 galleries have been created at different levels. 
8. Another panorama of the Sulak river canyon 
9. When we were at the station, the water level in the reservoir was quite low, and we could observe such a picture. All these items can swim :) 
10. The inlet of the operational spillway of the Chirkeyskaya HPP has a span of 22 m, is blocked by a segment gate 14 m high. The operational spillway is located on the left bank, 85 m from the dam. Bandwidth spillway is 2,400 m³/s at FPU and 2,900 m³/s at FPU. 
11. Lower pool of the Chirkey hydroelectric power station 
13. The HPP building is of the dam type, directly adjacent to the dam plug, has a length of 60 m and a width of 43.8 m. 
17. We begin our tour of the hydroelectric power station itself and, of course, we are looking for any "raisins". Here, for example, is one of the tunnels passing through the body of the dam. 
19. And this is the machine room, where 4 vertical hydraulic units are installed with radial-axial turbines RO 230 / 9896-V-450 manufactured by the Kharkov Turbine Plant and VGSF 930 / 233-30 generators with a capacity of 250 MW each manufactured by Uralelektrotyazhmash. 
Another highlight of the station is the two-row arrangement of these same hydraulic units with a two-tier arrangement of suction pipes. This made it possible to almost halve the length of the structure. Such a revolutionary solution in hydro construction was implemented for the first time in Russia and there are no analogues in our country. Accordingly, the station has two parallel machine rooms.
21. As part of the modernization program, the equipment is constantly being updated, so soon the last hydroelectric unit No. 2 will be like new 
22. And this is the Central control panel 
25. This is how, in short, the Chirkeyskaya HPP looks like. 
Many thanks to the press service of JSC RusHydro, as well as Khaibulaeva Patimat Sirazhutdinovna, head of the public relations group of the Dagestan branch of JSC RusHydro, for such an interesting and rich program.
More from my Dagestan tour with JSC RusHydro:
Gotsatlinskaya HPP.
Chirkeyskaya HPP strikes the imagination every time you find yourself on it. It is exactly what "takes your breath away" when you see this graceful arch, more than 200 meters high, sandwiched in the narrow gorge of the Sulak River in Dagestan.
1. Majestic view of the Chirkey reservoir. Clickable:
2. One of the features of the station is that the water level can vary widely - by about 40 meters.
3. Insidious and almost quicksand. We almost left one car at the bottom.
4. A feature of mountain hydroelectric power stations is that in winter the water flow is minimal and the station operates on accumulated reserves, triggering a reservoir. From the end of March, the flood begins, which ends only by August. The flow of the river is formed due to the melting of snow and glaciers, as well as rainfall, and the peak occurs in May-June.
5. You can see how far the water has gone, exposing the bottom of the reservoir. By the way, the Sulak River carries a large amount of sediment - 21.4 million tons per year.
6. First we went to the village of Dubki, which used to be a village of hydroelectric power plant builders. Now it is a very poor village. Our guide first offered to go see the canyon, which is visible from the village.
7. The view, to put it mildly, was mesmerizing. Clickable:
8. This is one of the deepest canyons in the world. Its length is 53 kilometers, the depth reaches up to 1920 meters. It is 120 meters deeper than the famous Grand Canyon. In depth it is second only to the Kotausi canyon. And to see it, it is enough to get to the village of Dubki in Dagestan. And there nearby, pass only by garages and dumps. Clickable:
9. Even an unusual view of the Miatli HPP, which is the counter-regulator of the Chirkey HPP, opens up, smoothing out fluctuations in the level of the river. Sulak, arising from the uneven operation of the hydroelectric power station.
10. Having found our jaws at the bottom of the canyon, we went to another observation point, to the benchmark. There is a fantastic view of the dam.
11. Insanely beautiful view.
12. The concrete arch dam has a crest length of 338 m and a maximum height of 232.5 m - this is the second highest dam in Russia (after the dam of the Sayano-Shushenskaya HPP, which has not a purely arch, but an arch-gravity structure).
13. The dam consists of an arched part, a wedge-shaped plug and a right-bank abutment. The arched part of the dam is of double curvature, symmetrical shape, 184.5 m high, the thickness varies from 6 m at the crest to 30 m at the contact with the plug.
14. The base of the dam is a cork 48 m high, 40 m wide and 88 m long along the base, in the lower part of which there is a longitudinal cavity of an elliptical shape 21 m long and 21 m span.
15. The presence of this cavity intrigued me. On the cross section the dam is marked, it remains to understand whether it is possible to get there?
16. These two panoramas were processed at different times, so they are different. But both are good in their own way. Yes, the color of the water there really is! Water from the mountains carries a lot of impurities that settle to the bottom of the reservoir. And in the downstream we can see the water of the most delicate turquoise color.
17. Trying to capture a view inside the arch. Well, something like this. It can be seen here that, indeed, the dam has a double curvature.
18. On the right bank there is an outdoor switchgear.
19. During construction on the left bank, a huge rock fall occurred, which jeopardized the construction of the station in general in this alignment. Managed by pulling down the mountain steel ropes from within. Clickable:
20. Portal of the road tunnel. You have to drive along it to go down to the lower pool.
21. We are discussing the filming plan. Since the water level in the reservoir has dropped almost to the minimum level and is below the spillway threshold, there cannot be water in it. Therefore, it can be entered.
22. We go there. In the photo, ending with a springboard with a side drain - an absorber; The open part of the spillway has a total length of 221 m.
23. An artificial wall 200 meters high. The height of the entire dam, as I already wrote, is 232.5 meters, but it is not all in the photo. Even considering the traffic jam height of almost 50 meters, there will be 180 meters here.
24. Open tray and people for scale.
25. Slightly inclined part of the spillway 350 m long and 12.6 meters high. If you look closely, you can find the person in the photo.
26. An inclined section of a horseshoe-shaped tunnel 158 m long, 9.2 m wide at the bottom and 12.6 m high.
27. The speed of water, or rather, the water-air mixture in an underground tunnel reaches 55 meters per second.
28. Engine room. Due to the narrowness of the gorge, for the first time in the world, a two-row layout of hydraulic units was used here. Those. 4 GAs are arranged in pairs in two rows.
29. Turbine shaft.
30. A very familiar phone. Previously, I saw these at the metro construction and they were called shaft phones.
31. Due to the low water level, we managed to see this structure, which is usually hidden from view
32. View of the dam from the side of the reservoir.
33. Naturally, it was impossible to miss the opportunity not to go down to the bottom of the reservoir and see that strange structure.
34. Beautiful metal texture.
35. Fantastic water color!
36. Some adit from the time of construction.
37. Devil's point, or spillway head. Now the top view.
The Chirkey hydroelectric power station is located on the Sulak River in the Republic of Dagestan. This is the largest hydroelectric power station in the North Caucasus and the highest arch dam in Russia. It was built in a narrow Chirkey gorge with a depth of more than 200 m, a width of 12-15 m in the lower part, and 300 m in the upper part. It is part of the Sulak HPP cascade. The installed capacity of the HPP is 1000 MW. The average annual output is 2.47 billion kWh.
General form.
The Chirkeyskaya hydroelectric power station was built in a seismically active area, in difficult geological conditions. Concrete laying and installation work performed using three cable cranes with a lifting capacity of 25 tons and a span of 550 m.
Construction began in 1964. The blocking of the river Sulak was carried out by the collapse of the rock mass by explosion. As a result of the explosion, more than 65 thousand m3 of rock was brought down. The total weight of the charge was 37t.
In 1974 the first hydraulic unit was put into operation. The last fourth unit was put into operation in 1976. At the construction of a hydroelectric power station, cable cranes were used for the first time to lay concrete in the body of the dam.
The dam has a maximum height of 232.5 m, the length along the crest axis is 338 m.
The arch of biconvex curvature of a symmetrical outline is elastically embedded along the contour into the base.
The thickness of the arch dam varies from 6 m at the crest to 30 m at the contact with the plug.
Chirkeyskaya HPP is the largest of the three hydroelectric power plants with arch dams available in Russia.
The Chirkeyskaya HPP, given its maneuverability, has become the main regulating station in the Unified Energy System of the South of Russia.
Open switchgear (OSG) with a voltage of 330 kV.
Herds of sheep are driven along the crest of the dam to summer pastures.
The reservoir of the Chirkeyskaya HPP of long-term regulation has a length of 40 km, and a maximum width of 5 km.
From the water intake openings of the ChHPP dam, 4 metal pressure turbine conduits with a diameter of 5.5 m originate.
The reinforced concrete shell of the conduits has a thickness of 1.5 m.
The building of the hydroelectric power station is located directly at the downstream face of the dam plug.
Transformers and generator voltage switchgears are located on the floor of the machine room.
original technical solution, which has no analogues in the practice of hydraulic construction, is the two-row arrangement of hydraulic units and suction pipes. This was done so that the building of the hydroelectric power station would minimally crash into the steep sides of the gorge.
There are 2 parallel machine rooms in the HPP building, while the machine rooms are combined in such a way that during installation it is possible to use a common assembly site. The transfer of the generator rotor weighing about 560 tons is carried out by two cranes with a lifting capacity of 320 tons, connected by a common traverse.
4 radial-axial hydraulic units with a capacity of 250 MW each, operating at a design head of 170 m.
Manufacturer of HPP generators - "Uralelektrotyazhmash"
During the press tour, a planned overhaul 4th hydroelectric unit and thanks to this we managed to get into the drained spiral chamber of the hydroturbine. The spiral chamber provides a uniform flow of water around the entire perimeter of the guide vane, i.e., the axisymmetric mode of operation of all guide vanes. The water passing here has a pressure of 17 atmospheres.
At the moment, the repair has been completed and the hydroelectric unit has been put into operation.
Turbine impeller diameter is 4.5 m, weight is 55 tons.
control room
Access to the HPP building is carried out through a tunnel 800 m long along the right bank road.
Gallery
Crane on the crest of the dam.
The idle spillway is made in the form of a tunnel with an open drain tray inside the rock of the left bank. An inlet with a span of 22 meters is located 85 meters from the dam.
A tunnel (12x9 meters) 160 meters long runs from it at a large slope. Then it passes into a slightly inclined part 350 meters long, and then into an open 221-meter flume with a springboard and a side drain-extinguisher.
Segment gate 14m high.
The operational spillway is capable of passing water from 2400 to 2900 cubic meters. m.
The climate of the area of the Chirkey hydroelectric station is arid. In the entire history of the operation of the Chirkeyskaya HPP, water has been empty only three times.
Technical corridors in the body of the dam
Geodetic mark
It was a special success to shoot the Chirkey hydroelectric power station at night.
Pride of Dagestan - Chirkeyskaya HPP
To the 30th anniversary of the launch
The Chirkeyskaya hydroelectric power plant with a capacity of 1100 MW is the largest in the North Caucasus and is part of the hydroelectric power plants of the Sulak cascade. It is designed to cover the peak part of the electrical load curve of the Combined energy system North Caucasus. The hydroelectric power plant, which has a reservoir of long-term regulation with a useful volume of 1.32 billion cubic meters of water, has a beneficial effect on the further development of irrigation of lands in the arid regions of the Prisulakskaya lowland and water supply to the population of the republic.
The hydroelectric power plant was built in a narrow Chirkey gorge with a depth of more than 200 m, a width of 12-15 m in the lower part, and 300 m in the upper part. The estimated seismicity of the area is 9 points on the Richter scale.
The main source of food Sulak - melt waters of high-altitude snows and glaciers and rainfall. The flow regime is characterized by prolonged high water (November-March). The maximum water flow in the river in May-June is 2120 m3/s. The average long-term water consumption is 176 m3/s. The maximum water flow with a repeatability of once in 1000 years is 3050 m3 / s.
A feature of the river Sulak is a large amount of sediment. The annual volume of sediments is 21.4 million tons.
The climate of the region is arid. The average annual temperature is +12°С. The annual rainfall is 360 mm.
The Chirkey hydroelectric complex has great importance to further boost the economy, culture and welfare of the population of Dagestan, improve energy supply throughout the North Caucasus. The hydroelectric complex makes it possible to comprehensively solve the problems of energy, irrigation of lands on an area of 340 thousand hectares, water supply settlements, fisheries and flood control in the Prisulak lowland.
The design of the Chirkeyskaya HPP was developed by the design and survey and research institute "Lenhydroproekt".
The construction was carried out by the Construction Department "ChirkeyGESstroy" and specialized organizations of the Ministry of Energy and Electrification of the USSR.
Construction of a hydroelectric power plant
The conditions for the construction of the Chirkeysky hydroelectric complex are very difficult, which is due to the mountainous terrain, the great depth and narrowness of the gorge, as well as the presence of potentially unstable rock blocks on the steep sides of the gorge, cut off from the main massif by side pressure cracks (the total volume of unstable blocks is about 300 thousand m2 ).
During the construction of the Chirkeysky hydroelectric complex, the following volumes of construction and installation works were carried out:
excavation of rocky soil, thousand m
including underground - 362
embankment and rock placement, thousand m
laying of concrete and reinforced concrete, thousand m
including underground - 129
grouting, thousand linear meters m - 245
installation of metal structures and mechanisms, thousand tons - 12.3
installation of electromechanical equipment, thousand tons - 11
Work on the main structures of the hydroelectric complex began in 1966 with the construction tunnel, 728 m long and 13D m2 in cross section.
rock work
The development of the hydroelectric pit was carried out from the upper marks by arranging temporary drives from the upstream side. The drilling and blasting of the next level of development was carried out to a depth of 10-20 m, after which the rock was loaded by EKG-4 excavators into 27-ton BelAZ-540 dump trucks and transported to the dump.
At the construction of the Chirkeyskaya HPP, for the first time, the method of contour blasting with preliminary slit formation (smooth spalling) was widely used. The tie-in of the arch dam and the slopes of the excavation of the HPP building were entirely made using a smooth spall. Deviations from the design contour of the tie-in do not exceed 1.0 - 1.5 m.
After an 8-point earthquake in May 1970, no work was done in the pit for about 6 months. At this time, mainly the frilling of the slopes from screes after the earthquake was carried out.
One of the important stages of construction was the blocking of the river bed. Sulak by collapse of a rock mass by explosion. To accommodate the explosive charge, three adits were passed, in which chamber charges were placed, and wells for contour spalling and loosening wells were drilled. The total weight of the explosive charge was 37 tons.
The explosion was made with three stages of deceleration at an interval of 25 ms. More than 65 thousand m3 of rock was collapsed. The flow of water in the river at the moment of overlap was 130 m/s.
After blocking the river bed and passing water through the construction tunnel, it became possible to dump the rock from the sides of the pit down with subsequent removal to the dump.
To fix unstable rock blocks on the left bank slope of the HPP building excavation, retaining walls were built in combination with prestressed metal anchors. In inclined wells up to 25 m deep, 300 stressed anchors were installed. A system of prestressed strands made of high-strength steel with a diameter of 56 mm is installed in the horizontal adits.
Concrete works
The main means of mechanization for supplying and laying the concrete mixture into the blocks of the dam were three cable cranes with a lifting capacity of 25 tons and a span of 500 m, working with cylindrical radio-controlled tubs with a capacity of 8 m3.
Concrete mixture from concrete plants was delivered by BelAZ-540 dump trucks with a converted body and KrAZ-256 with an increased body capacity to a distance of up to 100 m and reloaded into buckets.
For the formwork of the blocks, a two-tier unified cantilever formwork was used.
The entire complex of works in the block, including the installation and dismantling of formwork, was fully mechanized, for which a set of special machines was created at the construction site.
On the basis of the E-304 excavator, a manipulator for formwork rearrangement was designed and manufactured. Its difference from similar mechanisms is that it not only mounts and rearranges the shields, but can also pre-tear them from the vertical surface of the concrete.
On the basis of an electric tractor with crane equipment TK-53, a concrete paver was made, which performs leveling and vibrating the concrete mixture within a radius of 6 m, including hard-to-reach places. In addition to compacting the concrete mixture, it is possible to use the unit for other auxiliary works.
To remove the cement film from the horizontal concrete surface, a self-propelled cleaning machine was created on the basis of the DT-20 tractor with a capacity of 600 m2 of concrete surface per shift.
Thanks to the use of cable cranes and specialized machines for intrablock mechanization of construction work, high productivity was achieved - up to 12 m3 of concrete per 1 man-day.
The dam was put under pressure on August 13, 1974.
The first hydraulic unit of the HPP was put into operation on December 22, 1974,
The main structures of the hydroelectric complex
The structures of the Chirkeyskaya HPP include:
§ high-rise arch dam,
§ HPP building,
§ operational spillway,
§ open switchgear with a voltage of 330 kV,
§ Protective Tishiklinskaya earthen dam with irrigation outlet.
Concrete arched dam consists of an arched part, a wedge-shaped plug and a right-bank abutment. The maximum construction height of the dam is 232.5 m, the length along the crest axis is 338 m. The thickness of the arch part of the dam varies from 6 m at the crest to 30 m at the contact with the plug. The width of the plug at the interface with the building is 40 m, the length along the base is 88 m, the height of the plug is 48 m, the height of the arched part of the dam is 184.5 m.
The central part of the dam, 75 m long, is the station part. The water intake structure of the hydroelectric power plant is an inclined reinforced concrete structure 57.5 m high, placed on the upper edge of the station part of the dam.
Four metal pressure turbine conduits with a diameter of 5.5 m originate from the water intake holes (the final diameter is 4.5 m). The reinforced concrete shell of the conduits has a thickness of 1.5 m. The lower part of the conduits and the bend runs in a concrete plug.
Water intake device is located in the central part of the dam and is a reinforced concrete structure 64.5 m high and 20 m wide adjacent to the upper face of the dam. It contains shields equipped with hydraulic lifts and stopors.
Hydroelectric building of the dam type is located directly at the lower face of the dam plug. To accommodate the building with minimal tie-ins into the steep sides of the gorge, a two-row arrangement of units with a two-tier placement of suction pipes was adopted. The two-row arrangement of units and suction pipes is an original technical solution that has no analogues in the practice of hydraulic engineering. Four hydraulic turbines, part of pressure conduits, metal spiral chambers, suction pipes and pumping stations are placed in massive underwater concrete.
The above-water part of the HPP building has two parallel machine rooms. In order to reduce the length of the installation site and provide the necessary space, the machine rooms in this part are combined so that a common installation site can be used during installation. The transfer of the generator rotor weighing about 560 tons is carried out by two cranes with a lifting capacity of 320 tons, connected by a common traverse.
To transfer overhead cranes from one engine room to another, a niche with a rolling cart is provided in the right-bank wall of the HPP building.
Transformers and switchgears generator voltage are located on the floor of the machine room.
Hydroelectric outlet channel passes in a rocky excavation, matching the foundation pit of the hydroelectric power station building with a natural channel. Along the right bank of the tailwater there is a station site, where the oil facilities are located. Access to the HPP building is carried out through a tunnel 800 m long along the right bank road.
Control Corps is located on the right bank of the canyon and is connected to the HPP building by a vertical cable shaft.
Operational spillway tunnel type with an open drain tray is located on the left bank of the gorge, 85 m from the dam and provides free flow of waste flows at FSL 2400 m3/s and a test flow of 2900 m3/s. The inlet opening with a span of 22 m is equipped with a segment gate 14 m high. An inclined section of a horseshoe-shaped tunnel with a bottom width of 9.2 m and a height of 12.6 m, a length of 158 m adjoins the spillway, turning into a slightly inclined part 350 m long, and then into an open flume , ending with a springboard with a side drain - an absorber. The total length of the open part of the spillway is 221 m.
Reservoir characteristics
Mirror area at FSL, km2 - 42.5
Volume, km3
full - 2.78
useful - 1.32
The length of the reservoir, km - 40
Maximum width, km - 5
Runoff regulation seasonal and long-term
Characteristics of the main power equipment
|
TURBINE Type ............................ RO 230/9896 V-450 Net head, m: maximum........................ settlement ............................... minimum........................ Flow rate at design head, m3/s 168 Rated rotation speed, rpm .............................................. ......... Power, MW: minimum ......................... maximum ........................ Manufacturer Kharkov Turbine Plant TRANSFORMER Type ТЦ-400000/30 Manufacturer Zaporozhye transformer plant |
GENERATOR Type …………………….. VGSF 930/233-30 Power, MW……………………… 275 Voltage, V……………...15750 Rotor current, A...................... two-group Flywheel moment, tm2 …………............ Manufacturer plant "Uralelektrotyazhmash" |
Control and automation
In addition to the usual technological automation devices that automate the start-up, shutdown and normal operation of hydraulic units, as well as the operation of auxiliary mechanisms without the intervention of on-duty personnel, it is provided complex automation operating mode of the HPP.
For this purpose, an autooperator is used, which starts or stops the corresponding number of units from the condition of obtaining the maximum efficiency of the power plant, and the group control systems maintain the specified values of power and voltage on the buses of 330 kV.
Telemechanization of the HPP was carried out to the extent that ensures the efficiency of dispatch control.
The power plant implemented emergency and warning signaling of equipment damage or abnormal operating modes using new devices based on semiconductor logic elements of the "Logic" series. This system can significantly improve the quality of information provided to duty personnel.
Technical and economic indicators
Annual electricity generation, million kW/h - 2430
Installed capacity, thousand kW - 1100
Number of hours of use
installed capacity per year (hour
Electricity consumption for own needs, million kW/h - 6.0
Industrial and production personnel, people
Operation of the hydroelectric complex
During the period of operation, a large amount of scientific and practical developments have been carried out, which increase the reliability and efficiency of the hydroelectric complex. The system of cooling and excitation of hydrogenerators, the cooling system of transformers were reconstructed, fluoroplastic thrust bearings were introduced, an accelerated repair of VGU-330 SF6 circuit breakers was introduced; introduced an ultrasonic method of concrete control; methods have been developed for relieving internal overvoltages in the blades of hydraulic turbine impellers; hydroelectric units were modernized with an increase in power by 10% and efficiency by 1.5%. An automated process control system (APCS) has been introduced.
From the beginning of operation as of 01.01.2004. The Chirkeyskaya HPP generated more than 62 billion kW/h of electricity.
In 2003 the cost of electricity was 2.3 kopecks/kW/h, while the plan was 3.15 kopecks/kW/h.
The station has a friendly, competent team. For 30 years of operation, the station had no major accidents due to the fault of the personnel.
The main workshops (electrical and turbine) are constantly searching for the implementation new technology and equipment. Currently, work is underway to replace water-cooled thyristor excitation with more reliable air-cooled ones. Replacement has already been made on 2 units, in 2004 converters on 2 more units will be replaced.
A large amount of work has been done to improve the territory of the station and aesthetic design of the offices.
The stone protection gallery at the entrance to the HPP building was continued. A large amount of work has been done to repair roads at the station. Every year the station staff on your own overhauls of units were carried out (1 unit per year) with excellent quality.
In the coming years, a lot of work will have to be done to replace speed controllers as obsolete, to replace current and voltage transformers with ORU-330.
HPP production units
Director of the Chirkeyskaya HPP - Abakar Rasulovich Abakarov, Honored Power Engineer Russian Federation and the Republic of Dagestan. Works at the station for only 30 years.
Deputy Director of ChHPP - Gamzat Magomedzagidovich Gamzatov.
Chief Engineer - Sharabudin Abdulakhitovich Mutaev, Honored Power Engineer of the Republic of Dagestan.
Deputy chief engineer - Abakar Abdulakhitovich Abdulakhitov.
Chief Accountant - Salamat Ismailovna Zulpukarova.
Electrical shop(the head of the workshop - Magomed Musievich Bakhuliyev) carries out operational and Maintenance, repair, modernization and testing of electrical equipment and communications. The main tasks of the electrical workshop are to ensure reliable, trouble-free and economical operation of all electrical equipment of the HPP, maintaining equipment in constant readiness for operation, supplying electricity to the power system in accordance with the dispatcher load schedule, maintaining the nominal parameters of the supplied electricity, etc.
Turbine shop(head of the workshop - Kadiraga Mutaigadzhievich Atagadzhiev) operates the hydromechanical part of the HPP, as well as all types of repair, testing, adjustment and reconstruction of hydraulic power, hydromechanical and handling equipment. The main tasks of the workshop are to ensure reliable, trouble-free operation of the equipment of the turbine workshop, maintaining the equipment in a state of constant readiness for operation, achieving the most favorable technical and economic indicators of the operation of the workshop and the HPP as a whole.
hydroshop(the head of the shop - Shamil Bagavdinovich Gamzatov, he used to be the foreman of this shop, he became the head last year when his father, who had previously headed the shop, retired) operates and repairs hydraulic structures and buildings of hydroelectric power plants, makes field observations of hydraulic structures and buildings , operation of a biological wastewater treatment plant, as well as all types of repair and construction work on hydraulic structures, buildings and auxiliary facilities of the station. The main tasks of the hydraulic workshop are to ensure the safe condition and reliable operation of the GTK HPP, the implementation of the production and economic plan of the workshop. The hydraulic workshop includes a group of observations of hydraulic structures (KIA) and a section for the operation of hydraulic structures and buildings.
Other services
Automation, Relay Protection and Measurement Service(ARZI), headed by Deputy. chief engineer Abakar Abdulakhitovich Abdulakhitov, provides automation, protection control, measurement and heat control. The ARZI service includes 4 sections:
Automatic control systems (ACS) - chief;
Relay protection and automation (RZA) - chief;
Automation and excitation (AiV) - chief;
Prepared by the Public Relations Department
press service of the Chirkeyskaya HPP
Contact phone numbers:
Internet addresses: www. *****,
E-mail: *****@***ru
Issue editor G. Beibutova
The Chirkeyskaya hydroelectric power station is the pride of Russian hydrobuilders. The station on the Sulak River is the most large hydroelectric power station in the North Caucasus and the highest arch dam in Russia.
I have never met such a warm welcome and a rich educational and excursion program at any other industrial facility as at the Chirkeyskaya HPP. We climbed literally the entire station up and down and could not stop, filming until two in the morning ...
1. The Sulak river basin is located in the northern and middle parts of Dagestan. Water from the river is used to supply the cities of Makhachkala and Kaspiysk.
2. The Chirkeyskaya HPP is included in the Sulak HPP cascade and is its first stage. I already wrote about other stations of the cascade:
- the second step.
- the third stage.
3. Morning at the largest reservoir in the North Caucasus.
4. The area of the water surface of the reservoir is 42.4 km², and the volume reaches 2.78 km³.
5. The construction of the HPP began in 1964 and lasted 14 years. An arched concrete dam with a height of 232 meters and a length of 338 meters along the ridge, a hydroelectric power station near the dam and an operational spillway were built.
6. Panorama of the Sulak canyon. It is a pity that at this time of the year the sun rises low and only slightly illuminates the crest of the dam.
Enlarge Image
7. A road leads to the engine room through an 800-meter tunnel on the right bank.
8. Top view.
9. Sasha against the backdrop of the Chirkey reservoir, he carefully looks through his photographs.
10. A gantry crane on the crest of the dam is used to open / close the gates that regulate the main flow of water to the hydro generators.
11. Normally supported headwater level - 355 meters, dead volume level - 315.
12. Panorama from gantry crane. At the top, the thickness of the dam is only 6 meters! No matter how hard I tried, I could not convey with my photographs the deceptive feeling of the incredible fragility of this entire concrete structure, when there is SO MUCH water behind.
Enlarge Image
Google map will help to feel the scale of what is happening.
13. With a pressure of 170 meters, water enters the spiral chambers of hydroelectric units through water conduits with great speed.
14. The spiral chamber is designed to supply water to the turbine guide vane. The water pressure in the chamber is 17 atmospheres.
Enlarge Image
15. The turbine guide vane changes the flow swirl and regulates the turbine flow by turning the blades.
16. Water enters the turbine blades. Thus, the energy of the water flow is converted into mechanical energy and transferred to a hydrogenerator, which generates electricity.
17. During our visit to the station, a scheduled overhaul of the 4th hydroelectric unit was carried out.
18. Work here.
19. Due to the fact that the Sulak River runs in a narrow gorge, the designers adopted a fundamentally new layout of the HPP - a two-row arrangement of hydroelectric units. The machine room is divided into two parts - with two units in each.
20. Two halls - two overhead cranes with a lifting capacity of 320 tons.
21. The first 250 MW hydropower plant was connected to the grid in 1974. The last fourth unit was put into operation in 1976.
23. Control room.
24. Transformers and switchgears on the floor of the machine room.
26. HPP capacity - 1000 MW, average annual output 2.47 billion kWh.
28. So the energy of the Sulak River goes through the generator voltage switchgears to the Unified Energy System of the South of Russia.
29. At 85 meters from the dam, there is an inlet of a tunnel-type operational spillway 730 meters long. In the entire history of operation of the Chirkeyskaya hydroelectric power station, water was empty only three times - such is the arid climate in Dagestan.
30. The tunnel goes at a steep slope, then turns into a slightly inclined part, and then turns into a tray with a springboard and a side discharge-quencher. Through such a hole, you can easily spill a whole freight train - no one will notice.
31. Walk through the galleries of the dam.
A short video taken with my phone:
32. Glory and Sasha .
33. One of the shafts in the body of the dam.
34. Technical corridors.
36. At night, the station is especially beautiful.
It might be useful to read:
- What is needed to open a sole proprietorship;
- Dry cleaning activities Okvad laundry and dry cleaning;
- Factor analysis of the payroll;
- Fill out an application for opening a sole proprietorship;
- How to open a sports bar with minimal investment;
- Perfect competition: features and distribution;
- Information to be included in the sample;
- Method of financial ratios The analysis of financial ratios is;