Experience with operation of the 50th anniversary of the great October Bratsk hydroelectric plant over several years

Abstract

1. In multiple-unit hydroelectric plants, where year-round attendance by the personnel is ensured, it is not necessary to use centralized maintenance methods, with the exception of specialized work such as replacement of transformer and generator windings. Experience with operation of the Bratsk plant has shown that by the economic method it is possible to carry out a large volume of reconstruction work in shorter periods and at a lower cost than by the centralized method; thus, a high work effectiveness of the maintenance personnel is achieved. 2. At large hydroelectric plants it is necessary to have design groups and to engage engineering—technical workers and front-rank production specialists for solving problems relating to increasing the reliability, lengthening the intermaintenance periods, and developing special equipment and instruments. 3. Combining the trades of on-duty machine operator and on-duty electrician, as well as of the shift superintendents of the turbine and electric shops, and concentrating all on-duty personnel in the electric shop, contribute to their better training, improvement of qualifications, and increase in responsibility, reduce the probability of errors, and increase the effectiveness of the work under normal and emergency conditions. 4. It is necessary to devote more attention to the control of unit efficiency. Experience acquired at the Bratsk plant has shown that comparative checking of the efficiencies of all the units should be performed using accessible locations for current meters (e.g., emergency gate grooves). Efficiency measurements should be carried out by the relative method before and after major maintenance operations, and the runner blade geometry should be checked. 5. The manual labor required for maintenance of the plant area and buildings can be reduced by using reliable machines operated by a single person and fitted with suspended equipment for removing snow, sand, and gravel from footpaths and for loading such material into hoppers; reliable machines complete with suspended equipment for mowing and gathering grass, and small lawn-mowers with attachments for raking up the grass; and multipurpose machines for cleaning the machine halls (floors, walls, and window openings).