Hydraulic turbines for the future

ČKD Blansko Holding a.s. is the direct successor of ČKD Blansko, a traditional engineering company with a history going back to the 17th century. Romana Moares spoke to Jiří Benák, Production Director, about the company’s latest development under its recent owner, the Russian JSC TYAZHAMASH Group.

IN the course of the past 100 years, ČKD Blansko has gained a strong position among suppliers of hydraulic power plant technologies throughout the world. The company also gained a worldwide reputation with its traditional second product group – large vertical lathes (up to 16 metres in turning diameter). It has a proven track record of manufacturing high quality products to meet customers’ most demanding requirements, whether it is for machine efficiency or environmental standards.

A turning point in the company’s modern history came about in 2010 when ČKD Blansko was acquired by the Russian company TYAZHMASH, a major engineering group comprising large companies from a number of sectors under one umbrella. “The new owner acquired a strategic change and re-shaped the company: the vertical lathes business was divested and production of hydraulic turbines and associated equipment became the sole business,” explains Mr Benák. He adds that at the beginning, the company struggled somewhat to replace the divested business but now, after several years, capacity has been fully utilised.

Hydro player

In addition to hydraulic turbines, CKD Blansko Holding, a.s. also makes hydro-mechanical equipment, such as butterfly valves, spherical valves, weir gates, radial gates, lock gates, chamber gates, quick closing gates, trash racks, trash rack rakes, sluice gates, emergency stop logs, barriers and lifting devices. Today the company employs some 500 highly skilled people.

It is worthwhile noting that the production programme is related to the activities of Mr Kaplan, who in nearby Brno developed his famous Kaplan turbine. “The Kaplan turbine is a pressurised axial turbine with regulation capabilities. This is used mainly in places where it is not possible to ensure a constant flow of water or head. Its predecessor – the Francis turbine – differs primarily thanks to its smaller number of blades, the shape of the runner and the possibility to control the tilt

of the blades at the runner and the distributor. Kaplan turbines have become the most popular type of turbines used in large hydro power plants all around the world,” explained Mr Benák.

The water turbine range is divided into large and small, the latter being contained in a subsidiary (ČKD Blansko Small Hydro), located within the parent company’s premises, which has also achieved international success. Just recently, for example, it has won a contract for the delivery of turbines for a hydraulic power station in the Philippines worth €4.5 million. ČKD Blansko Small Hydro will supply and install three horizontal Francis turbines with total output of 19.5 MW.

Modern technology

ČKD Blansko Holding has its own testing facility, which is, according to the Production Director, a major competitive advantage. “In large turbines, efficiency is key. Our turbines are tested to ensure they meet this requirement to the maximum level,” he says. ČKD offers new turbine installations, upgrades, refurbishments and overhauls and can also make bespoke turbines according to customers’ designs.

The Russian parent group has invested massively in the modernisation of the company, with the installation of new machines including a machining centre, a horizontal drilling machine, a large double column vertical lathe and many more. At the moment the company is considering building a new welding shop. “With larger machines that we introduce into our product portfolio, the current welding shop is slowly but surely reaching its limits,” says Mr Benák.

Facing the future

Mr Benák confirms that no major changes to the product portfolio are planned for the near future. “The focus will be on further efficiency improvements to maintain our competitive edge. In terms of energy

utilisation, the world is changing slowly towards pumped-storage hydroelectric power stations. I believe these represent the future of hydraulic power stations – unlike power generators using renewable resources, they are capable of balancing the fluctuations well,” he explains.

ČKD Blansko Holding is a true global supplier. Of last year’s CZK 1 billion turnover, over 80 per cent was generated from projects abroad. The latest projects have included those in Scandinavia, Ecuador, India, Albania and – naturally – Russia, where ČKD has recently delivered the third unit from the total of seven machines for a power station in Siberia. “We will strive to maintain our position in all markets and plan to expand into the larger turbine sector. To this purpose we will adjust our production hall as well as machine fleet. The objective is to extend our product portfolio so that we can even better meet customers’ requirements in global markets,” he concludes. n