OREANDA-NEWS. May 4, 2009. Power Machines OJSC have put into operation a new welding centre, second to none in Russia.

Specialists of one of Power Machines branch, Leningradsky Metallichesky Zavod (LMZ), together with leading European companies including Fronius (Austria), Kistler (Germany) and Hitmasters (Finland) have participated in the creation of this unique centre costing about 52 million rubles.

Power machines have set their course to build steam turbines rated for operation with advanced steam parameters. These machines are characterised by high effectiveness and reliability. Rotors for this type of turbines are fabricated from extra high tensile steel alloy having a high chromium content. This alloy has never been used before for building steam turbines in our country. To ensure proper operational conditions of the rotor its journals must be protected by welding a special alloy deposit over their surface. This will be done by an automated welding centre, which is mounted at the LMZ branch, according to a procedure developed by specialists of the LMZ and Polzunov Power Engineering Research and Design Institute (NPO CKTI) that is a member of Power Machines Group.

The turbine prototype (K-225-130-12,8-R, rated capacity of 225 MW) with a rotor made using this new technology is to be supplied to Kharanorskaya HPP (OJSC OGK-3). This turbine will replace medium capacity machines being serially produced by Power machines and laying at the heart of power generation equipment for dozens of thermal power plants in Russia and abroad. It will increase the Company's competitiveness in the market of power machine building.