History of SDTB “Zaporozhgidrostal”

In 1944 specialists from Moscow and Leningrad came to Zaporozhye to elaborate reconstruction work projects for destroyed Dnepr HPP; together with local engineers they formed Design Technological Bureau of the Dnepr mounting and reconstruction office of nationwide Trust “Hydromontazh”.

Year 1952. Design Technological Bureau separated from the Dnepr mounting and reconstruction office and was named Zaporozhye design and technological office “Hydrosteelproject” of Trust “Hydromontazh”.

Before finishing design works for reconstruction of the Dnepr HPP, DTB elaborated designs of: Hydropower plants of Krasnopolyanka, Dubossary, Tereblya-Riksk and a number of hydropower plants of the Transcaucasus.

Explosive growth of hydro power construction in the Soviet Union has a positive impact on development of our design office. It was planned to build a cascade of six HPP’s on the Dnepr river. Kakhovka HPP was the first of power plant to be built in the cascade, it followed the restored Dnepr HPP.

In 1961 a hydraulic laboratory was founded in our entity. Here they performed hydraulic tests and scientific research referring to mechanical equipment they designed.

In 1968 due to increase of orders they re-organize departments within the SDTB and create sectors:
- sector of hydraulic drives;
- sector of navigation sluices;
- sector of steel penstocks;
- sector of nuclear plants.

Construction of upper stage of cascade of power plants on the Dnepr river: Kiev HPP and Kanev HPP.
Buildings of Kiev HPP and Kanev HPP coincide with the spillway, so it was necessary to construct hermetic covers on the spillway that shut off capsule power generating units. It was for Kiev HPP and Kanev HPP that first integral double-slot embedded parts units were designed and manufactured.

The first meeting with the American continent happened in 1965. Mechanical equipment for El Mate hydraulic works was designed. Then our specialists had been providing consulting services, designer’s supervision during construction of hydro-technical works in irrigation and water management projects in “the island of liberty”.

The first Pump storage plant in Ukraine and in the Soviet Union. Investigation of impact of trash racks of upper pond were performed, during operation of pumps; difficulties connected with operation of upper pond in winter and ice formation on the equipment were settled. Positive results of operation of equipment of Kiev Pump storage plant generated good experience for designing of equipment of other pump storage plants.

Tabqa HPP on the Euphrates river in Syria was the first great project abroad. Specialists of SDTB added a new chapter in usage of high pressure radial gates – they invented an arrangement, where radial gates 5,5×12,0 meters that operate under water head 67,2 m served as emergency guard gates.

In 1969 construction of second stage of Dnepr HPP started – Dnepr-II HPP.
In this construction designers, builders and mounting workers faced difficulties due to the requirement to use to the maximum the existing civil structures and equipment, vicinity of traffic artery and conditions of existing hydro power plant I.

A record. The deepest sluice chamber in the world.
In 1964 next to three-chamber sluice construction of the second stage of Zaporozhye single-chamber sluice started.
Peculiar feature of sluice top head is that plain emergency guard gates are located in an embayment under the sill of navigable opening and are lifted with two hydraulic cylinders.
Peculiar feature of sluice lower head is that it was the first time that navigable opening with dimensions 18,0×27,0 m was shut off with bottom double-leaf gates with water head 39,2 m.

In the period from 1973 to 1989, designs of mechanical and hoisting equipment of water intakes, pressure and on-site piping, rotating conical water cleaning meshes for Kursk NPP, Chernobyl NPP, Smolensk NPP, Rovno NPP, Zaporozhye NPP, of overhead crane l.c. 125 t of reactor compartment of Ignalina NPP were made.

South-Ukrainian power complex serves to supply water to South-Ukrainian NPP, power generation and consumption, water management in the region. Tashlyksk pump storage plant and Alexandrovsk HPP were built.

Good technical water supply for thermal and nuclear power plants to a considerable extent depends on effective operation of water cleaning equipment. In various periods SDTB elaborated designs of mechanical equipment for thermal power plants in Ukraine, Russia, Turkmenistan and other CIS countries: Uglegorsk, Ladyshin, Tripol, Pridneprovska, Zaporozhye, Mironov, Krivirozhska, Chigirin, Kirovograd, Odessa, Yakutsk, Tyumen, Maryisk thermal power plants.

In various periods SDTB elaborated designs of mechanical equipment for irrigation and water management projects in all USSR republics and for many countries abroad. Among them are such large projects as: North-Crimean channel, Irrigation system of Kakhovka, Dnepr-Krivoy Rog channel, Dnepr-Donbass channel, sluice in Nikolaev, Zelechuki-Kuban channel, water reservoir of Agrichaisk, Kara Kum channel; Dzher, Jumin, La Plata channels, etc.

Hoa Binh HPP is one of the largest power plants in Southeast Asia. It is a multi-purpose hydraulic project, extremely complicated, with high water heads acting on equipment and steel structures. There were many issues that SDTB had to solve in the office and at site for the first time in the practice of construction of hydraulic works. In the same period Chian HPP and Thak Mo HPP were designed for Vietnam.

Regardless of political and economic difficulties of the 90’s, SDTB «Zaporozhgidrostal» continued working in various regions. On the basis of intergovernmental agreements Capanda HPP project was fulfilled and implemented in Angola. We participated in construction of Verkhne-Krasnogorsk HPP (1991–96), Ust-Jegutinsk HPP (1993), Baksan-Malka channel in Russia.

In 1992 SDTB “Zaporozhgidrostal” became subordinated to Ministry of Energy of Ukraine.
In 1994 SDTB “Zaporozhgidrostal”, being a part of Ministry of Energy of Ukraine, was appointed a major specialized organization in Ukraine that performs research, elaboration of design and normative documentation, designer’s supervision and on-site surveys of mechanical equipment and steel structures of hydraulic works of HPP’s, pumping storage power plants, TPP’s and NPP’s.

In 1995 SDTB became a privately-held company.
Following the requirements of international market, SDTB implemented Quality management system corresponding to requirements of international standards ISO 9000. SDTB has a certificate in the sphere of “Design of mechanical equipment and special steel structures of hydraulic works, non-standard equipment and structures for power generation plants and industrial facilities», issued by certification entity TÜV NORD CERT.

In 1994 the first contract was signed for design of mechanical equipment in Mexico. It was the first project fulfilled in computer graphics system AutoCad. The drawings were issued in Spanish. After successful cooperation in San Rafael hydraulic works, SDTB showed itself as a reliable partner and this was a good start for many further contracts for projects in Latin America.

Starting from 1996 JSC «SDTB Zaporozhgidrostal» regularly participates in reconstruction of cascade of HPP’s in the Dnepr river.
This work is performed in stages: first, our certified laboratory specialists effect complete surveys of equipment, then on the basis of technical reports they make, reconstruction design is elaborated or a decision is taken to replace equipment completely.

In January 1994 a contract was signed with «Sadid Tadbir» Company for consulting services aimed at designing of mechanical equipment of hydrotechnical structures. Due to cooperation with SDTB, hydraulic works Godar E-Lander, Karkheh and Shahid Abbaspour Dam were built in various years, as well as piping system Masjed-E-Soleiman and one of the highest dams in the world – Karun-3 HPP.

In the beginning of the new millennium SDTB is actively negotiating and extending its designing geography even more. Among the awarded bids there are such projects as: “Nassiriah” pumping plant in Iraq, Kan Don HPP in Vietnam, Baksan HPP, La Yesca HPP in Mexico, Bajo de Mina HPP in Panama, Grodno HPP in Belarus, Dzher hydraulic complex in Algeria.

In 2007, together with leading design entities SDTB participated in design elaboration of a system of flood preventing structures in Saint Petersburg. Specialists of SDTB elaborated unique mounting job performance procedures for erection of ball pivots and supporting frames of floating structure floodgates C-1 that shuts off navigable passage 200 m wide.

State-of-the-art in designing. It is the first time in practice that a hydraulic drive was created for “fast drop” of intake emergency guard gate.
In average, at HPP’s it takes gates 2÷4 minutes to descend.
At El Cajon HPP intake, an opening 8 m high is shut off within 30 seconds.

Son La HPP has power of 3600 MW. It is the largest water power plant in Vietnam and Southeast Asia. SDTB elaborated preliminary design of intake mechanical equipment and power plant suction pipes.

For Boguchansk HPP special cranes have been manufactured according to SDTB’s design for northern climatic version, namely: gantry crane l.c. 500 t and overhead travelling crane l.c. 80 t; design operational temperature of theses cranes is 60°С below zero.

State-of-the-art in load lifting capacity. Design of gantry crane l.c. 2×420 t for turbine building of the largest pump storage power plant in Europe – Dnestr power plant – was elaborated and was commissioned. The crane has frequency regulation of hoisting and travel mechanisms speeds and it has a radio control.

State-of-the-art in lifting range. For erection of steel lining of vertical penstock of Zaramag-1 HPP that is 510 m deep. For this project a special mounting device l.c. 63 tons with lifting range of 518 m was designed. A peculiar feature of this device is its large lifting range and control of positioning of steel lining sections by means of video communication and a sensor system. There is a possibility for personnel to go down into penstock pit shaft to the depth of 518 m with an auxiliary hoist.

State-of-the-art in designing. Unique steel linings were designed for construction of tunnel #3 of Rogun HPP. It’s the first time vortex element with record parameters was designed; steel lining diameter is 16000 mm. A unique high-pressure penstock was designed for derivational Da Nyim HPP in Vietnam. Penstock parameters: Ø3,5..1,7 m, L=2400 m, design head 940 m.

State-of-the-art in designing. The largest high-power water power plant in Africa, its power is 6000 MW, water head is 150 m. design of the entire system of mechanical equipment. Equipment with outstanding parameters was designed for GERDP HPP: overhead travelling crane l.c. 500 t for turbine building, plain wheel bottom gates that operate with pressure 150 m. Weight of equipment for which SDTB “Zaporozhgidrostal” elaborated design is 52000 t.