The Iran Power Plant Repair Company have manufactured a rotor of steam turbines, the CEO said.
“The rotor that will be installed on 82.5 MW turbines cost $1.5 million and was built in six months,” Abdolrasoul Pishahang was quoted as saying by IRNA.
Importing it costs the Energy Ministry at least $3.5 million, he said, and added that the rotor with 2,539 blades can withstand temperatures as high as 550 degrees centigrade.
“IPPRC, a subsidiary of the Energy Ministry, is working on similar projects to produce key components for turbines,” he said without providing details.
A steam turbine consists of a rotor (a moving component or the rotating assembly in a turbine) resting on bearings and enclosed in a cylindrical casing. The rotor is turned by steam impinging against attached vanes or blades on which it exerts a force in the tangential direction. A steam turbine is viewed as a complex series of windmill-like arrangements, all assembled on the same shaft.
Temperature at a steam unit rises up to 600 degrees centigrade but can get as hot as 1,260 degrees.
“Equipment and parts that can withstand such high temperature obviously are sensitive. We have succeeded in making the parts with help from our universities and the Energy Research Institute,” Pishahang said.
Local companies annually manufacture about 1,000 components used in power plants and their quality is approved by the Institute of Standards and Industrial Research of Iran.
“In addition to upholding national standards, the highly sensitive parts are sent to international institutions for further verification,” Pishahang added.
National power production capacity is over 85,000 MW, a large part of which comes from thermal power plants that were built two decades ago. One main problem with ageing power plants is that their efficiency declines with age and major repairs are needed.
Routine yearly maintenance and service on the 100 thermal power plants nationwide started last September and should end in June and the onset of summer.
“Upgrading, repair and maintenance of thermal power plants adds 650 megawatts to the total output at around 85 GW.”
Iran's power industry is 14th in the world in terms of output. However, a large part (80%) of the plants use fossil fuels. This is causing increasing concern among academia, economic experts, climate activists and environmentalists who have been pleading for effective measures by the government to promote renewables.
