The dam of Baihetan Hydropower Station, the worldwide largest hydropower station under construction, finishing concrete work recently, announced that its first batch of units are to be put into production in July. This exciting news spreads like wildfire in TISCO. Those who have participated in the R&D and supply of the high-grade magnetic materials for the Station for more than 10 years are particularly excited. Being inspired, they expressed their resolution to further study the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech on investigating China Baowu, keep in mind Xi’s entrustment, make greater progress in technology, and continue to make bigger contributions to Chinese wisdom and strength.
The dam of Baihetan Hydropower Station is 289 meters high, equivalent to a skyscraper with 100 floors. A total of 8.03 million cubic meters of concrete is poured to shape the dam. There are 6 surface holes and 7 deep holes in the dam body, enabling a maximum flood discharge capacity of 30,098 cubic meters per second. It is estimated that the West Lake can be filled in 8 minutes with water discharged from the dam.
During the construction of this worldwide largest and most technically sophisticated hydropower station, many world records has been created. There are 16 hydroelectric generating units in the dam, each with a globally biggest capacity of 1 million kilowatts. The motor rotor in the dam is the largest one in the world, with an ex-circle diameter of 16.2 meters, a maximum height of 4.1 meters and a total weight of about 2,300 tons.
Yoke and magnetic poles are important component of the rotor. Magnetic materials used in yokes and magnetic poles, which are featured with high strength, high precision and high magnetism, were not available in Chinese industry and had to be imported for a long time due to stringent technical specification. In order to completely solve this "neck sticking" problem, in recent years, TISCO insisted on scientific and technological innovation, and made a great breakthrough in independent research and development of magnetic materials for giant hydropower equipment. By continuously optimizing the process, the company successfully produce the magnetic materials with high strength, high straightness, high surface and low internal stress, which fully meet the requirements of the project. What’s more, with the outstanding flatness of less than 1mm/m, TISCO product has outperformed and replaced its international competitor.
When the news of the dam reached TISCO, Cao Yonglu, the team leader of high strength HR plate felt very pleased. “The requirements on strength, toughness, precision and magnetism of this high-grade magnetic material are extremely tough. Although we had already developed magnetic materials for general hydropower projects, our R&D team endured tremendous pressure in the face of the materials for this extra-large project. After numerous tests and corrections, we finally found the best parameter to upgrade our existing product so as to meet the requirements of the project. Now the project is about to run to generate electricity, we are deeply proud and excited, and will continue to devote ourselves to research and climb the technological peak. Our team is busy with a new task now, marching towards the development of higher-grade magnetic materials,” he said.
Mass production is another challenge following technological innovation. Ning Qingjun, the chief of the hot rolling workshop, stated that the high-grade magnetic material products were difficult to roll, and its rolling procedure was twice as much as the conventional products. Although the plant is very experienced, he knew it was a great responsibility as these materials were to be delivered to a national key project. It was a great challenge and test for him and his co-workers to achieve excellent plate shape with flatness under 1mm/m, and they must concentrate the power of the whole factory to brainstorm and do well. They worked out a complete set of rolling process and technical control parameters after delicate process adjustment and technical research. Their products turned out to be with good performance, excellent shape accuracy, and outstanding lamination effect. Ning said proudly:” Knowing that our high-grade magnetic products were applied in the pillar project that benefits the country, I see the manifestation of my value. It is an honor to make some contribution to the great project. The high-grade magnetic product is the pride of TISCO people, the demonstration of scientific attitude and dedication of TISCO people who have experienced hardships and pioneered in innovation, as well as a heroic feat of TISCO people who do not disgrace their mission and win glory for their country!”
The seamless dam of Baihetan Hydropower Station has become a model and a master piece that represents a miracle in the history of dam engineering. Wang Jinli, a marketing staff member of TISCO, was extremely excited. "Since 2012, we have been involved in the preparation work for projects of Wudongde and Baihetan million kilowatt power stations in Jinsha River. We provided users with 'one-stop' service. The production and marketing research team regularly visited motor manufacturers and Jinsha River hydropower project sites, giving timely feedback to customers' needs. We cooperated with production and technical departments to provide all-round solution to customers. Our high-grade magnetic products have been highly recognized by manufacturers including Dongfang Electric Corporation and Harbin Electric Corporation. At present, a number of TISCO's high-grade silicon steels for yokes and magnetic poles have been applied in the construction of Baihetan Hydropower Station. TISCO's magnetic material, after on-site rounding, cutting, installation and testing, has met related requirements and obtained qualification certification. We are convinced that TISCO's high-grade magnetic products will have more outstanding performance in hydro-generator power generation and usher in a broader prospect," he said.