About company. steam turbine manufacturing

Company "Turbomotors" in the formation of the assortment gives preference to products of well-known brands. This, among other things, a wide range of turbines, MHI, , Schwitzer, , IHI and other brands with a reputation for reliable, high performance injection systems. We suggest that you familiarize yourself with the information about these manufacturers.

It is one of the largest players in the modern automotive technology market. It is engaged in the production of turbocharging systems for auto giants such as General Motors, Volkswagen, Hyundai and Peugeot. The company's annual output is approximately 9 million Garrett turbines. 1955 was a significant year for the enterprise. It was then that the very first, legendary Garrett T15 turbine was released. It was installed on a Caterpillar D9 tractor. The efficiency of the new device was at a very high level, so in 1961 the company entered the passenger car market, for which a special Garrett T05 turbine was designed.

It was first installed on an Oldsmobile Jetfire. The novelty was to the taste of many owners of various types of vehicles, so success was assured to her. In the 21st century, for more and more vehicles, the Garrett turbocharger is becoming the norm. Currently, in Europe, the number of cars with diesel or gasoline engines equipped with a turbocharger is about half of the total. Garrett also does not stand still. More and more perfect systems are being designed, and good innovative ideas are being put into practice.

A flexible management policy allowed the company to be one of the first to enter the market with a fundamentally new turbocharger Garrett - VNT, (variable geometry turbine). The essence of this invention is that it allows the device to operate efficiently at all speeds - from low to very high. Recently, the company's specialists have developed a two-stage turbocharging, as well as fundamentally new Garrett electric turbochargers. She received the name "e-turbo".

If you are the owner of an engine with an installed turbine, our company is ready to provide you with all the necessary services for the repair and maintenance of the engine. Turning to us, you get a competent, qualified repair of your equipment. We repair all types of turbochargers, including repairing the latest generations of Garrett turbines. In order to learn more about the types of repair services provided by our company, visit the appropriate section of the site.

Company MHI(or Mitsubishi Heavy Industries) is known to almost all motorists. Many are familiar with her thanks to her excellent products, traditionally distinguished by a high level of quality. The history of the MHI company began in 1884, when the Japanese Yataro Iwasaki acquired the Nagasaki shipyard on credit. From here he began to develop his shipbuilding business. In subsequent years, the range of products manufactured by the company expanded significantly, as a result of which, on the eve of World War II, MHI was able to become the largest private company in Japan, which was engaged in the production of not only ships, but also rail vehicles, machinery, and aircraft.

After World War II ended, Japan passed a law that was intended to prevent an excessive concentration of economic power. As a result of this, MHI was divided into parts in 1950. The most significant were Central Japan Heavy-Industries, West Japan Heavy-Industries and East Japan Heavy-Industries. In addition to these fairly large industrial associations, many small companies have formed. In 1964, the largest enterprises were able to unite again, as a result of which Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was revived. However, at present, not all the "fragments" of the pre-war Mitsubishi holding were able to reunite.

However, many small companies and industries were able to form a kind of economic union called the Mitsubishi Group. The symbol of the MHI company is three rhombuses in the shape of a shamrock. This emblem was invented by its founder Yataro Iwasaki, taking his family crest as a basis. Three rhombuses symbolize the three main principles of the company: honesty, loyalty to international cooperation, and responsibility to society. Mitsubishi literally translates as "three diamonds".

If you have paid attention to the MHI company and want to choose a turbocharger of this brand, you have come to the right site. In our catalog you can find almost all models of this brand, produced today. If you need MHI turbine repair, we are also ready to help you. Our masters will be able to quickly and efficiently fix any problems associated with the car engine. In addition, we are engaged in the installation of new turbines for engines. Contact us and you will be convinced that the repair of turbines performed by our specialists is not only guaranteed quality and efficient work, but also significant money savings.

The plant's products are turbines, which are enviably popular all over the world. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of turbochargers for diesel engines. The history of the company began in the post-war period. In 1948, the British Louis Croset and W.C. Holmes decided to start their own company. Production was opened in the city of Huddersfield. In 1952 Holmes founded the Holset company, whose name was obtained by merging two surnames - Holmes and Croset. The new company successfully occupied its niche in the automotive turbocharger market and successfully engaged in their production and sale, until a fire broke out at the factory in 1967.

Due to the fire, all production and administrative premises were badly damaged. However, the owners of the company had enough funds to survive the crisis - the factories were restored as soon as possible, and work was continued. Production developed successfully, so in 1973 Holset drew the attention of investors such as Cummins Engine Company Inc and Hanson Trust. The influx of investments gave new strength to the company, which paid close attention to the introduction of new design systems. As a result, Holset began using CAD in 1973. The result of this was that in 1998 the company was the first in the world to start production of VGT (or Variable Geometry Turbine), that is, Holset turbines with variable geometry.

Thanks to the variable geometry of the turbine, its speed also varies, which makes it possible to avoid the so-called "turbo lag" - a phenomenon in which the turbine begins to work efficiently only at high speeds. Subsequently, this innovation was actively used in the products of other companies producing turbochargers. However, variable geometry turbines have a significant drawback - they are difficult to manufacture and repair. Currently, not every workshop will undertake the repair of turbochargers of this type. However, our company will be happy to take care of your engine repair. We repair turbines of any design, as we have a whole staff of professional craftsmen. Turbine repair in our company will not take much time, and a competent pricing policy will not allow you to spend too much money!

Part of a German company BorgWarner Turbo Systems includes well-known brands KKK(3K) and Schwitzer, which are world leaders in the production of turbochargers from 20 to 1200 kW. BorgWarner Turbo Systems turbochargers are widely used on diesel and gasoline engines of cars and trucks, stationary engines, road, ship and other special engines. technology.

Companies Schwitzer and KKK produce turbines for cars of such brands as Mercedes-Benz, Audi, BMW, Volvo, Scania, Volkswagen, Man, Deutz, Ford and many others. Today, a lot of experience, and the most advanced design centers allow companies to Schwitzer and KKK maintain the high level of quality trusted by all the world's leading car manufacturers.

Japanese company that manufactures ships, aircraft engines, turbochargers for automobiles, industrial machines, boilers for power plants and other equipment. It was founded in 1853, but only in 1945 it received the name Ishikawajima Heavy Industries Co., Ltd., uniting many companies under itself.

The company's most famous turbine IHI- turbocharging on the RA166E engine, created by Honda in 1986. It was the most powerful power unit in the history of Formula 1.

Company now IHI Corporation known to motorists as a manufacturer of reliable Japanese turbochargers.

Kremensky Sergey © IA Krasnaya Vesna

According to Russian and foreign media reports, in December 2017, a 110 MW gas turbine failed to pass life tests at the Saturn plant in Rybinsk.

Foreign media, in particular Reuters, citing their sources, stated that the turbine had collapsed and could not be restored.

The head of Gazprom Energoholding, Denis Fedorov, at the Russian International Energy Forum, which took place at the end of April 2018, stated even more radically that the development of a domestic high-capacity gas turbine should be abandoned: "It's pointless to practice with this further". At the same time, he proposes to completely localize foreign turbine production, that is, to buy a plant and licenses from Siemens.

I remember the cartoon "Flying Ship". The tsar asks the boyar Polkan if he can build a flying ship, in response he hears: "I will buy!".

But who will sell? In the current political environment of the “war of sanctions”, not a single Western company will dare to sell a plant and technology to Russia. Yes, even though it will sell, it is high time to learn how to make gas turbines at domestic enterprises. At the same time, the media publish a completely adequate position of an unnamed representative of the United Engine Corporation (UEC), which includes the Saturn Rybinsk plant. He thinks that "difficulties during the tests were expected, this will affect the completion time, but is not fatal for the project".

For the reader, we will explain the advantages of modern combined-cycle plants (CCGT), which are replacing traditional large thermal power plants. In Russia, about 75% of electricity is generated by thermal power plants (TPPs). To date, more than half of thermal power plants use natural gas as fuel. Natural gas can be burned directly in steam boilers and, using traditional steam turbines, generate electricity, while the fuel energy utilization rate for electricity generation does not exceed 40%. If the same gas is burned in a gas turbine, then the hot exhaust gas is sent to the same steam boiler, then steam to the steam turbine, then the fuel energy utilization factor for electricity generation reaches 60%. Typically, one combined cycle plant (CCGT) uses two gas turbines with generators, one steam boiler and one steam turbine with a generator. In the combined production of electricity and heat at the same power plant, both CCGT and traditional CHP, the fuel energy utilization factor can reach 90%.

In the 1990s and early 2000s, work on the serial production of large-capacity gas turbines was terminated in Russia due to fierce competition from Western companies and the lack of state support for promising developments.

A situation similar to the civil aviation industry and other branches of engineering has arisen.

However, not everything is so bad, in 2004-2006 a single order of two gas turbines GTD-110 for Ivanovskie CCGTs was completed, but this order turned out to be unprofitable for the Rybinsk plant, it was not profitable. The fact is that during the manufacture of the first GTD-110 turbines according to the project of the Mashproekt Institute (Nikolaev, Ukraine), it was not possible to place an order in Russia for forging the central part of the turbine, since special melting metal was required, and this grade was steel for several years no one ordered, and Russian metallurgists broke the price many times higher than in Germany or Austria. No one promised the plant orders for a series of turbines. The production planning horizon for 2-3 years did not allow the Rybinsk plant to master the technology of serial production of GTD-110 back in 2004-2006.

Since 1991, Russia has adopted a strategy of entering the common European home, the market, and in the logic of this market there was no point in developing its technologies from a lower position. And the mechanism of competitive bidding, applied by the directive of the main customer - RAO UES of Russia, led to the victory of Western competitors. The essence of the mechanism is a formal one-stage open auction without any preferences for Russian manufacturers. No self-respecting country in the world allows itself such a trading option.

A similar situation has developed at the plants in St. Petersburg, which are part of the Power Machines association, where, back in Soviet times, it was planned to manufacture gas turbines with a capacity of over 160 MW.

The position of the representative of the United Engine Corporation (UEC) is absolutely correct: it is necessary to continue fine-tuning the manufacturing technology in Rybinsk and St. Petersburg. The involvement of Inter RAO is necessary, since its branch Ivanovskie CCGT has a test bench and operates the first Russian-made gas turbines.

Thus, we see that Reuters is wishful thinking, reporting the failure of import substitution and modernization. Apparently they are afraid that the Russian machine builders will succeed. Reuters insinuations are a feed for our domestic liberals in the economic bloc. In a conventional war, this is identical to the scatter of leaflets "Give up. Moscow has already fallen.

When creating new types of technical equipment, the so-called "childhood diseases" usually appear in the design, which are successfully eliminated by engineers.

Life testing is a necessary stage in the creation of new equipment, which is carried out to determine the operating time of the structure before the appearance of defects that prevent further operation. Identification of problematic moments during life tests is a normal working situation when mastering new technology.

The Rybinsk Motors plant in Soviet times specialized in the production of aircraft engines and gas turbines for compressor units with a capacity of up to 25 MW.

Currently, the plant is part of the NPO Saturn association, which has successfully mastered the production of powerful marine gas turbines and is working on the creation and serial production of high-power power turbines.

Prior to the introduction of sanctions against Russia, the production of its own gas turbines for power plants was hampered by the fact that the Russian economy was integrated into the global market, in which Western engineering companies occupied a monopoly position.

The current situation in the world requires perseverance in continuing work on the project. Creating a line of powerful power gas turbines will require 2-3 years of hard work, but it is justified in any case, regardless of whether Russia is under sanctions or not, this is real import substitution. The gigantic energy market of Russia will provide loading for the machine-building industry, metallurgy of special steels and will give a multiplier effect in related industries.

The huge volume of the energy market is due to the fact that in the next twenty years the country's thermal power plants will have to be modernized. Hundreds, thousands of gas turbines will be required. It is necessary to stop burning such a valuable fuel as natural gas with an energy utilization rate of 35-40%.

There are no more than ten enterprises producing gas turbines in our country. There are even fewer manufacturers of ground equipment based on gas turbines. Among them are ZAO Nevsky Zavod, OAO Saturn - Gas Turbines and OAO Perm Motor Plant (part of the UEC of Rostec Corporation).

In Russia, all the conditions have been formed for the rapid development of the gas turbine market for land-based applications, analysts at EnergyLand.info believe. The need for distributed generation, based not on diesel fuel, but on cleaner sources, is becoming more and more urgent. There are almost no doubts about the effectiveness of combined-cycle plants.

However, there are no more than ten enterprises producing gas turbines in our country. There are even fewer manufacturers of ground equipment based on gas turbines.

In the Soviet Union, stakes were placed on coal, oil and other calorific sources. Therefore, the first gas turbines were produced only in the 1950s. And first of all in relation to aviation construction.

In the 1990s, the development of power gas turbines based on engines created by NPO Saturn for aircraft began.

Today, the production of ground power equipment based on NPO Saturn engines is carried out by Saturn - Gas Turbines OJSC. Perm Motor Plant has mastered the production of gas turbine power plants based on the developments of Aviadvigatel JSC.

At the same time, the nominal capacity of the serial production of these enterprises does not exceed 25 MW on average. There are several machines with a unit capacity of 110 MW based on the developments of NPO Saturn, but today they continue to be refined.

Turbines of high power are supplied mainly by foreign companies. Russian enterprises seek to enter into cooperation with world leaders.

However, not all world leaders are interested in organizing the production of gas turbines in Russia. One of the reasons is unstable demand for products. And it, in turn, largely depends on the level of energy consumption. Since 2010, energy consumption in Russia has grown steadily. But soon, according to experts, stagnation may occur. And the increase in demand in 2013-2014 will be only about 1% per year or even less.

According to Dmitry Solovyov, Deputy Chief Designer of JSC Saturn - Gas Turbines, similar reasons prevent Russian companies from mastering the production of high-capacity gas turbines. “The production of powerful gas turbine units (GTP) requires special equipment, large-diameter machines, vacuum welding units with chambers of the order of 5 by 5 m,” he says. - To create such a production, you need to be confident in the sales market. And for this, the country should have a long-term program for the development of the energy sector, perhaps then enterprises will begin to invest in the modernization of the base.”

However, the absence of predictable prospects does not mean that there is no demand at all. Demand is definitely there. Both for turbines with a capacity of more than 150 MW, and for small gas turbines that require less capital costs, but are quite capable of increasing energy efficiency and payback.

The growth of the sales market may be due to the development of the regional energy sector and the commissioning of medium-capacity generating facilities. And gas turbines with a capacity of 4, 8, 16, 25 MW are the segment in which Russian manufacturers, who have already felt the market trend, mainly operate.

In developed countries, low-capacity cogeneration plants are commonplace. In Russia, their number is still significantly lower. The main difficulty for companies supplying small-capacity turbines is the insufficient solvency of potential customers.

Another traditional segment of the gas turbine market is generation facilities at oil and gas fields and main gas pipelines. Gas turbine power plants make it possible to effectively utilize associated petroleum gas, solving not only the problem of energy supply, but also the rational use of hydrocarbon resources.

According to the observations of the specialists of JSC "Saturn - Gas Turbines", in the pre-crisis years of 2006-2008 there was a surge of interest of oilmen in domestic gas turbines. Today this demand is at a stable level.

Modern trends in the improvement of gas turbines are largely associated with innovations for the oil industry. But not only. Challenges facing manufacturers:
- increase in efficiency,
- reducing the number of nodes in the turbine,
- increase in reliability,
- reduction of maintenance volumes,
- reduction of downtime during diagnostics of the technical condition.

The above can solve the problem of the high cost of service maintenance.

In addition, the creators of turbines strive to make them unpretentious to the gas used and the ability to work on liquid fuel.

And in the West, they are also worried that, regardless of the composition of the gas, the turbine would have good environmental performance.

A very important - promising - direction for improving gas turbines is associated with renewable energy sources (RES) and the prospects for the introduction of "smart grids". Initially, gas turbines were created as equipment that provides constant power output. However, the introduction of RES into the energy system automatically requires flexibility from other generation facilities. This flexibility makes it possible to ensure a stable power level in the network when there is insufficient renewable energy generation, for example, on calm or cloudy days.

Accordingly, a smart grid turbine should easily adapt to changes in the network and be designed for regular starts and stops without loss of resource. This is not possible with conventional gas turbines.

Abroad, certain successes in this direction have already been achieved. For example, the new FlexEfficiency gas turbine is capable of reducing power from 750 MW to 100 MW and then gaining initial performance in 13 minutes, and when used with solar power plants will have an efficiency of up to 71%.

However, for the foreseeable future, the most common way to use gas turbines will still be their usual combination with steam turbines in combined cycle plants. In our country, the market for such cogeneration facilities is by no means complete and is waiting for saturation.

United Engine Corporation (UEC)- a company that includes more than 85% of the assets of Russian gas turbine equipment. An integrated structure that produces engines for military and civil aviation, space programs, installations of various capacities for the production of electrical and thermal energy, gas compressors and ship gas turbine units. In total, more than 70 thousand people work in the UEC. The company is headed by Vladislav Evgenyevich Masalov.

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 guarantees of quality assurance.

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, by 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 above 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, here, too, our manufacturers manage to solve problems positively. 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.

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 (established in the 90s by a joint venture of the Leningrad Metal Plant and Siemens).

At the same time, despite the presence of joint ventures, the manufacture of the most significant elements of gas turbines - hot path components (fuel combustion chambers, 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 obtain 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.