About company. steam turbine manufacturing

The difficult international situation is forcing Russia to speed up import substitution programs, especially in strategic sectors. In particular, in order to overcome dependence on imports in the energy sector, the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation are developing measures to support domestic turbine construction. Are Russian manufacturers, including the only specialized plant in the Ural Federal District, ready to meet the growing demand for new turbines, the RG correspondent found out.

At the new CHPP "Akademicheskaya" in Yekaterinburg, a turbine manufactured by UTZ is operating as part of a CCGT. Photo: Tatyana Andreeva / RG

Pavel Zavalny, Chairman of the Energy Committee of the State Duma, notes two main problems of the energy industry - its technological backwardness and a high percentage of depreciation of the existing main equipment.

According to the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation, over 60 percent of power equipment in Russia, in particular turbines, has exhausted its park resource. In the Urals Federal District, in the Sverdlovsk region, there are more than 70 percent of these, although after the commissioning of new capacities, this percentage has slightly decreased, but there is still a lot of old equipment and it needs to be replaced. After all, energy is not just one of the basic industries, the responsibility here is too high: imagine what will happen if you turn off the light and heat in winter, says Yuri Brodov, head of the Turbines and Engines Department of the Ural Power Engineering Institute, UrFU, Doctor of Technical Sciences.

According to Zavalny, the fuel utilization ratio at Russian thermal power plants is slightly above 50 percent, while the share of combined cycle gas plants (CCGTs) considered the most efficient is less than 15 percent. It should be noted that CCGTs were put into operation in Russia in the last decade - exclusively on the basis of imported equipment. The situation with the Siemens arbitration lawsuit regarding the alleged illegal delivery of their equipment to the Crimea showed what a trap this is. But it is unlikely that it will be possible to quickly solve the problem of import substitution.

The fact is that if domestic steam turbines have been quite competitive since the times of the USSR, then the situation with gas turbines is much worse.

When the Turbomotor Plant (TMZ) in the late 1970s and early 1980s was tasked with creating a 25 megawatt power gas turbine, it took 10 years (three samples were made that required further refinement). The last turbine was decommissioned in December 2012. In 1991, the development of a power gas turbine began in Ukraine; in 2001, RAO "UES of Russia" made a somewhat premature decision to organize serial production of the turbine at the site of the Saturn company. But it is still far from the creation of a competitive machine, - says Valery Neuimin, Ph.D.

Engineers are able to reproduce previously developed products, there is no question of creating a fundamentally new one

This is not only about the Ural Turbine Plant (UTZ is the assignee of TMZ. - Ed.), but also about other Russian manufacturers. Some time ago, at the state level, it was decided to buy gas turbines abroad, mainly in Germany. At that time, the plants curtailed the development of new gas turbines and switched for the most part to the manufacture of spare parts for them, - says Yuri Brodov. - But now the country has set the task of reviving domestic gas turbine construction, because it is impossible to depend on Western suppliers in such a responsible industry.

The same UTZ has been actively involved in the construction of combined cycle units in recent years - it supplies steam turbines for them. But along with them, foreign-made gas turbines are installed - Siemens, General Electric, Alstom, Mitsubishi.

Today, two and a half hundred imported gas turbines operate in Russia - according to the Ministry of Energy, they make up 63 percent of the total. About 300 new machines are required to modernize the industry, and by 2035 - twice as many. Therefore, the task was set to create worthy domestic developments and put production on stream. First of all, the problem is in high-power gas turbine plants - they simply do not exist, and attempts to create them have not yet been successful. So, the other day, the media reported that during the tests in December 2017, the last sample of the GTE-110 (GTE-110M - a joint development of Rosnano, Rostec and InterRAO) collapsed.

The state has high hopes for the Leningrad Metal Works (Power Machines), the largest manufacturer of steam and hydraulic turbines, which also has a joint venture with Siemens to produce gas turbines. However, as Valery Neuimin notes, if initially our side in this joint venture had 60 percent of the shares, and the Germans 40, then today the ratio is the opposite - 35 and 65.

The German company is not interested in the development of competitive equipment by Russia - years of joint work testify to this, - Neuimin expresses doubts about the effectiveness of such a partnership.

In his opinion, in order to create its own production of gas turbines, the state must support at least two enterprises in the Russian Federation so that they compete with each other. And you shouldn’t develop a high-power machine right away - it’s better to first bring to mind a small turbine, say, with a capacity of 65 megawatts, work out the technology, as they say, fill your hand and then move on to a more serious model. Otherwise, the money will be thrown to the wind: "it's like instructing an unknown firm to develop a spaceship, because a gas turbine is by no means a simple thing," the expert states.

As for the production of other types of turbines in Russia, not everything is going smoothly here either. At first glance, the capacities are quite large: today only UTZ, as RG was told at the enterprise, is capable of producing power equipment with a total capacity of up to 2.5 gigawatts per year. However, it is very conditional to call the machines produced by Russian factories new: for example, the T-295 turbine, designed to replace the T-250 designed in 1967, does not differ radically from its predecessor, although a number of innovations have been introduced into it.

Today, turbine developers are mainly engaged in "buttons for a suit," Valery Neuimin believes. - In fact, now there are people left at the factories who are still able to reproduce previously developed products, but there is no question of creating a fundamentally new technique. This is a natural result of perestroika and the dashing 90s, when industrialists had to think about simply surviving. In fairness, we note: Soviet steam turbines were exceptionally reliable, a multiple margin of safety allowed power plants to operate for several decades without replacing equipment and without serious accidents. According to Valery Neuimin, modern steam turbines for thermal power plants have reached the limit of their efficiency, and the introduction of any innovations in existing designs will not radically improve this indicator. And for the time being, Russia cannot count on a quick breakthrough in gas turbine construction.

M. Vasilevsky

Today, leading foreign power engineering companies, primarily such giants as Siemens and General Electric, are actively working on the Russian market of gas turbine equipment. Offering high-quality and durable equipment, they are a serious competitor to domestic enterprises. Nevertheless, traditional Russian producers try to keep up with world standards.

At the end of August this year, our country became a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO). This circumstance will inevitably lead to increased competition in the domestic market of power engineering. Here, as elsewhere, the law applies: "change or die." Without revising the technology and without carrying out a deep modernization, it will be almost impossible to fight the sharks of Western engineering. In this regard, issues related to the development of modern equipment operating as part of combined cycle plants (CCGTs) are becoming more and more urgent.

Over the past two decades, combined cycle technology has become the most popular in the world energy industry - it accounts for up to two thirds of all generating capacities commissioned today on the planet. This is due to the fact that in combined-cycle plants, the energy of the burned fuel is used in a binary cycle - first in a gas turbine, and then in a steam one, and therefore CCGT is more efficient than any thermal power plant (TPP) operating only in a steam cycle.

Currently, the only area in the thermal power industry in which Russia critically lags behind the world's leading manufacturers is high-capacity gas turbines - 200 MW and more. Moreover, foreign leaders have not only mastered the production of gas turbines with a unit capacity of 340 MW, but also successfully tested and use a single-shaft CCGT layout, when a gas turbine with a capacity of 340 MW and a steam turbine with a capacity of 160 MW have a common shaft. This arrangement allows to significantly reduce the construction time and the cost of the power unit.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia in March 2011 adopted the "Strategy for the development of power engineering in the Russian Federation for 2010-2020 and for the future until 2030", according to which this direction in domestic power engineering receives solid support from the state. As a result, by 2016, the Russian power engineering industry should carry out industrial development, including full-scale tests and refinement on its own test benches, of improved gas turbine units (GTP) with a capacity of 65-110 and 270-350 MW and combined-cycle plants (CCP) running on natural gas with an increase in their coefficient of performance (COP) up to 60%.

Moreover, Russia is able to produce all the main components of the CCGT - steam turbines, boilers, turbogenerators, but a modern gas turbine is not yet available. Although back in the 70s, our country was a leader in this direction, when for the first time in the world supercritical steam parameters were mastered.

In general, as a result of the implementation of the Strategy, it is assumed that the share of power unit projects using foreign main power equipment should be no more than 40% by 2015, no more than 30% by 2020, and no more than 10% by 2025 . It is believed that otherwise there may be a dangerous dependence of the stability of the unified energy system of Russia on the supply of foreign components. During the operation of power equipment, it is regularly necessary to replace a number of components and parts operating at high temperatures and pressures. At the same time, some of these components are not produced in Russia. For example, even for the domestic gas turbine GTE-110 and licensed GTE-160, some of the most important components and parts (for example, disks for rotors) are purchased only abroad.

In our market, such large and advanced concerns as Siemens and General Electric are actively and very successfully operating, which often win tenders for the supply of power equipment. There are already several generating facilities in the Russian energy system, to some extent equipped with the main energy equipment manufactured by Siemens, General Electric, etc. True, their total capacity does not yet exceed 5% of the total capacity of the Russian energy system.

However, many generating companies that use domestic equipment when replacing it still prefer to turn to firms with which they have been accustomed to work for decades. This is not just a tribute to tradition, but a justified calculation - many Russian companies have carried out a technological upgrade of production and are fighting on an equal footing with the world's power engineering giants. Today we will tell in more detail about the prospects of such large enterprises as OJSC Kaluga Turbine Plant (Kaluga), CJSC Ural Turbine Plant (Yekaterinburg), NPO Saturn (Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Region), Leningrad Metal Works (St. Petersburg), Perm Engine Building Complex (Perm Territory).

OJSC "Kaluga Turbine Plant"

OJSC Kaluga Turbine Works produces steam turbines of small and medium power (up to 80 MW) for driving electric generators, drive steam turbines, block turbine generators, steam geothermal turbines, etc. (Fig. 1).

Fig.1

The plant was founded in 1946, and four years later the first 10 turbines of our own design (OP300) were produced. To date, the plant has produced more than 2,640 power plants with a total capacity of 17,091 MW for energy facilities in Russia, the CIS countries and far abroad.

Today, the enterprise is part of the power machine building concern Power Machines. One of the practical results of the affiliation was the implementation since January 2012 of the SAP ERP information solution based on the current prototype, successfully used at Power Machines OJSC, instead of the Baan system previously used at KTZ. The information system being created will allow the enterprise to reach a new level of production automation, modernize its business processes based on the best practices of world leaders in the engineering industry, and improve the accuracy and efficiency of management decisions.

The plant's products are in stable demand in Russia and abroad. The company has a large portfolio of orders for gas turbine and steam turbine equipment. In 2011, two T-60/73 steam turbines were manufactured and presented to the Customer for the Ufimskaya CHPP No. 5 - the most powerful units manufactured by KTZ OJSC today. One of the latest projects is the contract with Soyuz Energy Construction Corporation OJSC, under which KTZ manufactured two steam turbines for the branch of Ilim Group OJSC in Bratsk (Irkutsk Region), intended for the reconstruction of the turbine department of TPP-3 . Under the terms of the contract, two back-pressure turbines - R-27-8.8/1.35 with a capacity of 27 MW and R-32-8.8/0.65 with a capacity of 32 MW - were delivered this summer.

In recent years, non-traditional energy sources, including geothermal steam, have been increasingly used in the world. Geothermal power plants (GeoPS) can be called one of the cheapest and most reliable sources of electricity, since they do not depend on delivery conditions and fuel prices. The initiator of the development of geothermal energy in Russia in recent years was the firm "Geotherm". OJSC "Kaluga Turbine Plant" acted as the base enterprise for the supply of power plants for the orders of this company. The appeal to KTP was not accidental, since one of the main problems of geothermal turbines - operation on wet steam - was practically solved at the enterprise. This problem boils down to the need to protect the blades of the last stages from erosion. A common method of protection is the installation of special overlays made of erosion-resistant materials. To protect against erosion, KTZ applies a method based on combating not the consequence, but the very cause of erosion - with coarse moisture.

In 1999, the Verkhne-Mutnovskaya GeoPP in Kamchatka with a capacity of 12 MW was put into operation - all the equipment of power units for the station was supplied from Kaluga under a contract with Geoterm. Almost all turbine units supplied for geothermal power plants in Russia (Pauzhetskaya, Yuzhno-Kurilskaya on Kushashir Island, Verkhne-Mutnovskaya, Mutnovskaya GeoPP) were manufactured by the Kaluga Turbine Plant. To date, the enterprise has accumulated extensive experience in creating geothermal turbine plants of any size from 0.5 to 50 MW. Today OJSC "Kaluga Turbine Plant" is the most qualified turbine plant in Russia in terms of geothermal issues.

CJSC "UTZ" (Ural Turbine Works)

The enterprise is historically located in Yekaterinburg and is part of the Renova group of companies. The first steam turbine AT-12 with a capacity of 12 thousand kW was assembled and tested by the Ural turbine builders in May 1941. Despite the fact that it was the first UTZ turbine, it worked reliably for 48 years.

Now the Ural Turbine Works is one of the leading machine-building enterprises in Russia for the design and production of medium and large power steam cogeneration turbines, condensing turbines, backpressure steam turbines, crumpled steam turbines, gas compressor units, gas turbine power plants, etc. Turbines manufactured by UTZ, make up about 50% of all cogeneration turbines operating in Russia and the CIS. For more than 70 years of operation, the plant has delivered 861 steam turbines with a total capacity of 60,000 MW to power plants in various countries.

The company has developed a whole family of steam turbines for steam power plants of various types. In addition, UTW specialists are developing and preparing the production of turbines for combined-cycle plants - options for combined-cycle plants with a capacity of 95-450 MW have been worked out. For installations with a capacity of 90-100 MW, a single-cylinder steam cogeneration turbine T-35 / 47-7.4 is offered. For a double-circuit steam-and-gas plant with a capacity of 170-230 MW, it is proposed to use a T-53 / 67-8.0 cogeneration steam turbine, which, while maintaining the design and depending on the steam parameters, can be marked from T-45 / 60-7.2 to T- 55/70-8.2. On the basis of this turbine, the plant can produce condensing steam turbines with a capacity of 60-70 MW.

According to Denis Chichagin, First Deputy General Director of UTZ CJSC, domestic machine tool and mechanical engineering currently does not reach the world level. For the modernization of enterprises, it is necessary to give a green light to high-tech equipment, so the company is currently changing its technology policy. In close cooperation with specialists from CJSC ROTEK and Sulzer (Switzerland), the plant is modernizing management and technological schemes for the successful development and adaptation of foreign advanced technologies, which will significantly strengthen the company's position in the market. The enterprise continues to develop optimal design solutions for the main turbine equipment, while offering the customer modern service solutions, including those based on long-term post-warranty maintenance of steam and gas turbines. In 2009-2011 the plant invested more than 500 million rubles in technical re-equipment programs. to ensure the existing portfolio of orders and reach the design capacity of 1.8 GW of turbine equipment per year. In February 2012, within the framework of this program, UTZ purchased high-performance metalworking equipment for the production of turbine blades - two 5-axis CNC machining centers MILL-800 SK with a rotary spindle (Fig. 2) from Chiron-Werke GmbH & Co KG (Germany) )

Fig.2

Specialized software supplied with the equipment can reduce machine time by up to 20-30% compared to universal CAM systems. Installation and commissioning of new machines was carried out by Chiron specialists. As part of the agreement, teleservice was tested - remote diagnostics of machine tools, prevention or correction of errors and accidents. Through a secure dedicated channel, Chiron service engineers record the operation of the equipment online and issue recommendations for the production of UTZ.

Turbine equipment manufactured by UTZ consistently finds customers even in the face of fierce competition from foreign manufacturers. At the end of February 2012, the Ural Turbine Works manufactured a new steam turbine with a capacity of 65 MW for the Barnaul CHPP-2 of OAO Kuzbassenergo. The new T-60/65-130-2M turbine, st. no. 8, was successfully tested on a barring device at the UTZ assembly stand. The test report was signed by the customer's representatives without comment. The new equipment is being installed to replace the exhausted and decommissioned T-55-130 turbine, also manufactured at the Ural Turbine Plant. It should be noted that the T-60/65-130-2M two-cylinder turbine is a serial model produced by CJSC UTZ - a continuation of the serial line of steam turbines T-55 and T-50, which have proven themselves over many years of operation at thermal power plants in Russia and the CIS. The new turbines use modern components and modified elements that improve the technical and economic performance of the turbine plant (Fig. 3).

Fig.3

UTZ supplied a similar turbine for the Abakan CHPP (Khakassia). The turbine will be the basis of the new power unit of the Abakan CHPP: with its launch, the total capacity of the station should increase to 390 MW. The commissioning of the new power unit will increase electricity generation by 700-900 million kWh per year and significantly improve the reliability of the region's energy supply. Commissioning of the plant is planned for the end of next year. The turbine is equipped with two PSG-2300 network water heaters and a KG-6200 condenser group, as well as a TVF-125-2U3 hydrogen-cooled turbogenerator manufactured by NPO ElSib.

Recently, a new T-50/60-8.8 single-cylinder steam turbine manufactured for the Petropavlovsk CHPP-2 (SevKazEnergo JSC) was successfully tested at the UTZ assembly stand. The new Ural-made turbine should replace the previously operating two-cylinder Czech turbine P-33-90/1.3 from Skoda, and will be mounted on the same foundation. The project for the replacement of the turbine was prepared by the Institute of KazNIPIEnergoprom JSC, with which UTZ CJSC has been fruitfully cooperating for a long time. Long-standing ties with the former Soviet republics are not weakening either: for example, at the moment the issue of the supply of several Ural turbines for the thermal power station of Kazakhstan is at the stage of negotiations.

NPO Saturn

NPO Saturn is a developer and manufacturer of industrial gas turbine equipment of small, medium and high power for use at thermal power plants, industrial enterprises and oil and gas fields. This is one of the oldest industrial enterprises in Russia: in 1916, it was decided to create five automobile plants on the basis of a state loan, including in the city of Rybinsk (JSC Russian Renault). In the post-revolutionary years, the plant worked on the development and production of aircraft engines. In the early 90s. The Rybinsk Motor-Building Plant was transformed into Rybinsk Motors OJSC. In 2001, after its merger with the Rybinsk Engine Design Bureau (JSC A. Lyulka-Saturn), the company received its current name and began to produce gas turbines for the energy and gas industries. In the line of manufactured products, first of all, it is necessary to name industrial gas twin-shaft turbines GTD-6RM and GTD-8RM, used to drive electric generators as part of gas turbine units GTA-6 / 8RM, which are used in gas turbine thermal power plants of medium power (from 6 to 64 MW and above) . The company also produces a family of unified gas turbines GTD-4 / 6.3 / 10RM for use as part of gas compressor units and thermal power plants (from 4 MW and above). For low power plants (from 2.5 MW and above), the DO49R unit is produced - a single-shaft gas turbine with an integrated coaxial gearbox. In addition to "ground" units, the company manufactures marine gas turbines M75RU, M70FRU, E70 / 8RD, used to drive electric generators and gas compressors as part of offshore and coastal industrial facilities of low and medium power (from 4 MW and above).

In 2003, interdepartmental testing of the GTD-110 unit, the first Russian gas turbine with a capacity of more than 100 MW, was carried out (Fig. 4).

Fig.4

GTD-110 is a single-shaft gas turbine for use as part of power and steam-gas plants of high power (from 110 to 495 MW and more), created within the framework of the Federal Target Program "Fuel and Energy" for the needs of the domestic energy system and is so far the only Russian development in in the field of high power gas turbine engineering. Currently, five GTD-110s are operated by Gazpromenergoholding (GEH) and Inter RAO. However, according to Inter RAO specialists, only the newest unit, launched in early March, is operating normally. The rest are currently unstable and serviced under the manufacturer's warranty.

According to Alexander Ivanov, Director for Gas Turbine and Power Plants of NPO Saturn, as in the case of any new high-tech product, this is a completely natural process when defects are detected and the company is actively working to eliminate them. During maintenance, the most critical components are checked and, if necessary, the manufacturer replaces parts at its own expense without stopping the operation of the turbine.

Recently JSC Engineering Center Gas Turbine Technologies (JSC NPO Saturn together with JSC INTER RAO UES) won the competition of JSC RUSNANO to create an engineering center that will deal with innovative products, in particular, the creation of GTD-110M (Fig. . 5), a modernized gas turbine engine GTD-110 with a capacity of 110 MW.

Fig.5

In fact, the new engineering center will bring the technical and economic characteristics of the GTD-110 to the best world standards in this power class; the engine will be improved and finalized, it is planned to create a combustion chamber that provides an acceptable level of harmful emissions of NOx 50 mg/m3. In addition, it is planned to use nanostructured coating technologies in engine production, which will increase the reliability of the hot part of the turbine, increase the resource of the most worn parts and the entire engine as a whole. GTD-110M will become the basis for the creation of Russian high-capacity CCGTs. All complex work on the GTD-110M project is designed for 2-3 years.

OJSC "Leningrad Metal Works"

The Leningrad Metal Works is a unique enterprise. The history of the plant dates back to 1857, when the personal Decree of Emperor Alexander II "On the establishment of the Joint Stock Company" St. Petersburg Metal Plant "on the basis of the Charter" was issued. The production of steam turbines here began in 1907, hydraulic - in 1924, gas - in 1956. To date, more than 2,700 steam and over 780 hydraulic turbines have been manufactured at LMZ. Today it is one of the largest power engineering enterprises in Russia, which is part of OJSC Power Machines, which designs, manufactures and services a wide range of steam and hydraulic turbines of various capacities. Among the recent developments of the plant is the GTE-65 gas turbine unit with a capacity of 65 MW. It is a single-shaft unit designed to drive a turbogenerator and capable of carrying base, semi-peak and peak loads both independently and as part of a combined cycle unit. The GTE-65 gas turbine plant can be used in various types of steam-gas units for the modernization of existing and construction of new power plants of condensing and cogeneration type. In terms of price and technical characteristics, the GTE-65, as a medium-power machine, meets the capabilities and needs of domestic power plants and power systems.

In the early 2000s OJSC LMZ signed an agreement with Siemens for the right to manufacture and sell in the Russian Federation and Belarus a gas turbine plant GTE-160 with a capacity of 160 MW (Fig. 6).

Fig.6

The prototype of the unit is the gas turbine V94.2 from Siemens, the documentation of which has been changed taking into account the capabilities of OAO LMZ and its partners. Just such a turbine, produced at JSC "Leningrad Metal Works", within the framework of the contract between CJSC "IES" and JSC "Power Machines" was delivered last summer to Perm CHPP-9.

Cooperation with German turbine builders continues. In December 2011, OJSC Power Machines and Siemens signed an agreement to establish a joint venture in Russia for the production and maintenance of gas turbines, Siemens Gas Turbine Technologies. This project was implemented on the basis of Interturbo LLC, which has been a joint venture of partners since 1991. The new company is engaged in the research and development of new gas turbines, localization of production in Russia, assembly, sale, project management and service maintenance of class E high-power gas turbines and F with a capacity of 168 to 292 MW. This area of ​​activity of Siemens Gas Turbine Technologies is linked to the requirement of the Power Engineering Development Strategy of the Russian Federation for 2010-2020 and for the period up to 2030. organize in the near future at the Leningrad Metal Plant a large-scale production of licensed high-capacity gas turbines (about 300 MW) with the transition from the GTE-160 (V94.2) developed by Siemens in the 80s. to more modern gas turbines.

In Russia, on behalf of the president, the government is preparing a large-scale program for the modernization of thermal power plants (TPPs), which is estimated at 1.5 trillion rubles and can start in 2019. One of its main conditions will be the use of Russian equipment. Is it possible to upgrade the electric power industry at the expense of domestic developments, Timur Lipatov, General Director of Power Machines, who headed the company three months ago, spoke about the development of new turbines, export potential and the necessary support from the state in an interview with the Prime agency.

- What is Power Machines focusing on now? Will you work mainly for the thermal power industry due to the upcoming modernization program?

For anyone. We cannot neglect any niche, the situation in the industry is not the best: markets are shrinking, competition is growing. Therefore, we make almost the entire range of equipment for nuclear, thermal and hydropower.

- What demand from Russian electric power companies are Power Machines ready for within the framework of the modernization program for thermal power plants?

In the first competitive selection for modernization, projects with a total capacity of 11 GW will be selected, first of all, this will be the reconstruction of our traditional steam power equipment. Our production capacities allow us to produce up to 8.5 GW of turbine equipment per year, the same volume of generators, about 50 thousand tons of boiler equipment.

We have well-developed projects for the modernization of K-200 and K-300 turbines, and there is a project for the modernization of K-800. These projects allow you to increase power, efficiency, extend the resource, respond flexibly to what the client needs. But the program is not limited to 200 and 300 MW condensing units (i.e. generating electricity - ed.), so we are concentrating on the PT-60 and PT-80 cogeneration turbines. Their design has been revised, including improving the design of the hull and steam distribution. In parallel, solutions have been developed for the replacement and modernization of third-party turbines. First of all, we are talking about the machines of the Kharkov Turbine Plant.

- It is planned to include in the TPP modernization program a norm on 100% localization in Russia of the production of the necessary equipment. Apart from gas turbines, what equipment is still to be localized?

In my opinion, the only problem in the production of generating equipment in Russia is large-sized castings and the production of large forgings (metal blanks obtained as a result of forging or hot stamping - ed.).

Historically, there were three manufacturers of cast billets in the USSR, two of which - in the Urals and in St. Petersburg - closed the foundry. As a result, Russia has the only supplier left that does not always provide the required quality, and we are forced to purchase large-sized cast billets abroad, where their quality is more stable. We believe in the potential of Russian metallurgical enterprises, we believe that with appropriate state support and the appearance of guaranteed demand they will be able to restore competencies and provide power engineering with high-quality cast billets and forgings. This is a parallel process, it is part of the TPP modernization program, although it may not be on the surface right now.

- Power Machines announced plans to develop a high-capacity domestic gas turbine. Are you discussing partnerships with Russian or foreign companies?

The basic option is the independent development of gas turbines, since the localization that any foreign company talks about is, as a rule, localization "by hardware". We see our task not in repeating in Russia the production of an obsolete foreign model of a gas turbine, but in restoring the domestic school of gas turbine construction.

Our ultimate goal is to restart the production cycle of gas turbines by organizing a design bureau, creating calculation methods, a bench base, and thereby protecting the Russian energy industry from various negative external manifestations.

- What is the share of gas turbines of foreign manufacturers in Russia?

According to our estimates, if we take the existing combined cycle (CCGT) and gas turbine units (GTU), more than 70% are supplies from foreign manufacturers, about 24% more are gas turbines manufactured by Interturbo (a joint venture of the Leningrad Metal Plant created in the 90s and Siemens).

At the same time, despite the presence of joint ventures, the manufacture of the most significant elements of gas turbines - components of the hot path (fuel combustion chamber, turbine blades - ed.) and control systems is not localized in Russia. Production is limited only to the assembly and manufacture of individual components that are not critical for the performance of gas turbines and the energy security of Russia as a whole.

- What line of gas turbines would Power Machines want to produce?

We start with 65 MW F-class and 170 MW E-class machines. In the future, it is planned to create a high-speed turbine for 100 MW with a free power turbine. Subsequently, it is possible to develop a 300-400 MW F or H-class 3000 rpm gas turbine using scaling principles for a part of the components.

- If Power Machines will independently develop the turbine, then at what production site?

Here, at our production facilities in St. Petersburg.

- How much do you estimate the cost of R&D in general? What can be the cost of starting industrial production? And how long can it take?

We estimate the entire project for 65 and 170 MW machines at 15 billion rubles. This amount includes the costs of R&D and development of technologies, the development and technical re-equipment of design and technological services, the modernization of the experimental research and production base. The production will be ready for the production of prototype turbines in two years.

- Why do you think that you will be able to develop a turbine? In Russia, other companies have many years of failed attempts.

At one time, we were in the trend for gas turbines. The first such machine with a capacity of 100 MW was made at LMZ (Leningrad Metal Works, part of Power Machines - ed.) in the 60s. And it fully corresponded to the technologies of that time. This backlog, unfortunately, was lost during the perestroika period. This area of ​​power engineering in the world has become so technologically advanced, has gone so far that in the 90s, an easier way to restore it was to acquire the right to use intellectual property and localize production in Russia. As a result, in the 1990s, in partnership with Siemens, LMZ created the Interturbo joint venture, from which the modern STGT grew (a joint venture between Siemens and Power Machines - ed.). The production of equipment was located at the facilities of the LMZ and reached an honest 50% localization. As part of Interturbo, we have gained experience in the production of gas turbine components, which is very correlated with our current work.

In the recent past, Power Machines independently, no longer within the framework of a joint venture, implemented a project for the development and production of a gas turbine GTE-65 with a capacity of 65 MW. The machine went through a full cycle of cold tests, reached the so-called “full speed, no load” tests, but due to the lack of an experimental thermal power plant for testing and testing the technology, it was not put into commercial operation.

- What, in your opinion, will contribute to the rapid development of gas turbine production technology in Russia?

I will name three fundamental factors. The first is preferences for mastering the production of Russian gas turbines as part of the TPP modernization program. This goal, thanks to a reasonable dialogue between the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Energy, we believe, has been achieved. We hope that as part of the subsequent selection of projects for participation in the modernization program, restrictions on the marginal capital costs for projects using domestic gas turbines will be lifted. This will make facilities with domestic gas turbines more investment-attractive.

The second factor is the possibility of construction by Power Machines on its own or with a partner of experimental TPPs with a total capacity of 1.4 GW within the framework of the KOM NGO mechanism (it guarantees investors the payback of projects for the construction of new power plants due to increased consumer payments for capacity - ed.). This is necessary to bring prototype gas turbines to readiness for commercial operation and to gain the necessary experience and competencies for all possible implementations - single-shaft, two-shaft and three-shaft CCGT for gas turbines of all types.
And thirdly, the speedy release of government decree No. 719 (amendments to the decree regulating the issues of localization of production in the Russian Federation - ed.), which will put all manufacturers, both domestic and foreign, on an equal footing.

- As part of the TPP modernization program, do you expect to conclude contracts not only for specific power plants, but also for companies, perhaps for the entire duration of the program?

Of course, we are interested in long-term cooperation, but as part of the modernization program, the generating companies themselves will only have to participate in competitive selections.

At the same time, from my point of view, the conclusion of such long-term contracts is a normal practice that will allow us to plan the production program and avoid delaying counterparties if their projects are selected.
Now the main discussions concern framework contracts for repair and maintenance and supply of spare parts. When evaluating annual and three-year plans for repair campaigns, we usually see the potential to reduce the cost of spare parts and services by up to 15% due to the alignment of production schedules.

- What kind of discussions are being held, are there any obstacles to the development of the service sector?

The main obstacle to development is "garage production". In the Soviet Union, drawings were often in free circulation; in the 1990s, little attention was paid to the protection of intellectual property. It is not surprising that as a result, a huge number of one-day firms have arisen, where people in artisanal conditions, literally in the garage, produce obsolete spare parts, with deviations from the formulary sizes, inconsistencies in materials in terms of physical and mechanical characteristics.

We receive a large number of requests from consumers with a request to agree on certain deviations in the working documentation from the original design during repairs. I see serious risks in this, since the reason for the failure of our equipment may be the use of non-original spare parts made with deviations. There are few serious players who can ensure the proper timing and quality of work.

- How big is the problem of counterfeit products?

The market is filled with non-original spare parts, including counterfeit ones. We are working to protect our technologies, return intellectual property and prohibit its use by other players using the opportunities that the civil and criminal codes give us. They did not bear the cost of R & D (research and development work - ed.), do not guarantee quality, damage our reputation. We count on support in this matter from Rostekhnadzor, as well as other manufacturers.

- In the medium term, will the company focus on the domestic market or foreign projects? What countries are you primarily considering for work? What technologies are in demand abroad?

- Power Machines has a great export and technological potential. The main share of our projects abroad now is either nuclear and hydraulic topics, where we compete on equal terms with world manufacturers, or steam power units (reconstruction of previously delivered machines, production of equipment for burning fuels such as fuel oil and crude oil). The share of exports varies, but averages around 50%.

In order to increase exports, we must master two fundamentally important technologies that are not currently available in Russia. First, to restore the production of domestic gas turbines of medium and large capacity. Secondly, to make a pulverized coal boiler and a steam turbine for super-supercritical steam parameters (SSCP). Existing technologies make it possible to achieve sufficiently high efficiency of 45-47% on steam turbines operating on the SSKP. This is a reasonable alternative to the combined cycle cycle, given the relatively low cost of coal, and often due to the lack of gas in the region. We have already developed the design documentation for the 660 MW SSKP turbine and are ready to put it into production as soon as an order appears.

In order for new products to be in demand abroad, they must first be manufactured and introduced in the home market, in Russia. The presence of references will allow us to enter our traditional markets - in Asia and Latin America, in the Middle East. One of the ways to obtain the necessary competencies is the construction of experimental stations within the framework of the KOM NGO mechanism. In addition, state support is needed - through the channels of intergovernmental agreements, with the involvement of export financing, concessional lending. This is how it was done in the Soviet Union, this is how our competitors abroad are doing now.

- What other directions of the company's development do you see?

One of the directions will be to support small technology companies. There are a huge number of startups on the market that are complementary to our technological chain and sales channels. We intend to actively support the development of such companies by entering into their equity capital, financing R&D and technology, and guarantees. The transfer of control will allow shareholders to earn significantly more income by increasing sales volumes and expanding their channels. I ask everyone to consider this an official invitation, we will gladly consider proposals. There are already examples of such successful interaction.

Such an industry, as for various purposes, refers to the type of engineering that produces goods with high added value. Therefore, the development of this area is consistent with the priorities of the leadership of our country, which tirelessly declares that we need to “jump off the oil needle” and more actively enter the market with high-tech products. In this sense, the production of turbines in Russia may well become one of the drivers of the domestic economy, along with the oil industry and other types of extractive industries.

Production of turbines of all types

Russian manufacturers produce both types of turbine units - for energy and transport. The former are used to generate electricity at thermal power plants. The latter are supplied to enterprises of the aviation industry and shipbuilding. A feature of the production of turbines is the lack of specialization of factories. That is, the same enterprise produces, as a rule, equipment of both types.

For example, the St. Petersburg production association Saturn, which began in the 1950s with the production of only power machines, later added gas turbine plants for marine vessels to its range. And the Perm Motors plant, which at first specialized in the manufacture of aircraft engines, switched to the additional production of steam turbines for the electric power industry. Among other things, the lack of specialization speaks of the wide technical capabilities of our manufacturers - they can produce any equipment with quality assurance guarantees.

Dynamics of turbine production in the Russian Federation

According to the publication BusinesStat, the production of turbines in Russia in the period from 2012 to 2016 increased by about 5 times. If in 2012 the enterprises of the industry produced a total of about 120 units, then in 2016 this figure exceeded 600 units. The increase was mainly due to the growth of power engineering. The dynamics were not affected by the crisis and, in particular, the increase in the exchange rate.

The fact is that turbine plants practically do not use foreign technologies and do not need import substitution. In the manufacture of turbine equipment, only our own materials and equipment are used. By the way, this is an additional point that makes this area of ​​engineering a competitor to the oil industry.

If the oil industry needs foreign technologies to develop new oil fields and, especially, the Arctic shelf, then the manufacturers of gas turbine plants make do with their own developments. This reduces the cost of producing turbines and therefore reduces the cost, which in turn improves the competitiveness of our products.

Cooperation with foreign manufacturers

The foregoing does not mean at all that our manufacturers are pursuing a policy of secrecy. On the contrary, the trend of recent years is the strengthening of cooperation with foreign vendors. The need for this is dictated by the fact that our manufacturers are not able to organize the production of gas turbines with increased power. But such flagships, like some European companies, have the necessary resources. The pilot project was the opening of a joint venture between the St. Petersburg Saturn plant and the German company Siemens.

Yes, cooperation with distant partners in the field of turbine production is intensifying, which cannot be said about cooperation with close subcontractors. For example, due to the events in Ukraine, our manufacturers have practically lost ties with the Kiev, Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkov production associations, which have been supplying components since Soviet times.

However, even here our manufacturers manage to positively solve problems. So, at the Rybinsk Turbine Plant in the Yaroslavl Region, which produces power plants for ships of the Russian Navy, they switched to the production of their own components instead of those that previously came from Ukraine.

Changing market conditions

Recently, the structure of demand has changed towards the consumption of low power devices. That is, the production of turbines in the country has intensified, but more low-power units have been produced. At the same time, an increase in demand for small-capacity products is observed both in the energy sector and in transport. Small power plants and small vehicles are popular today.

Another trend in 2017 is to increase the production of steam turbines. This equipment, of course, loses in functionality to gas turbine units, but it is preferable in terms of cost. For the construction of diesel and coal-fired power plants, these devices are purchased. These products are in demand in the Far North.

In conclusion, a few words about the prospects of the industry. According to experts, the production of turbines in Russia will grow to 1,000 units per year by 2021. All the necessary prerequisites are considered for this.