Voith Hydro turbine wheels go on world tour with LogServ

LogServ advises Voith Hydro in the planning of Siberia transports; team of four in St. Pölten handles the heavy cargo along with the commissioned transport partners

Voith Hydro supplies a total of six turbine runners, with a diameter of about six meters, and a weight of 80 tonnes each, for one of the most powerful hydroelectric power plants in Bratsk, eastern Siberia. By request of the end customer, it was planned to deliver the first two wheels via air cargo charter and the remaining four wheels by truck.

The first wheel was transported to the Russian end customer in February 2014 by air freight charter with an Antonov AN-124. Afterwards, Voith convinced the end customer about the cheaper transport by truck. „Two independent route studies confirmed the feasibility of transportation with appropriate special vehicles from St. Petersburg already for the second wheel,“ explains Christoph Sperneder, LogServ staff who supports Voith Hydro St. Pölten in all logistical matters.

The transport of Francis Runner took about two months from the production site in St. Pölten to Bratsk, Russia. The transportation was carried out on the waterway with a transhipment via Linz – Antwerp – St. Petersburg, the remaining 6,000 km were covered over a period of nearly four weeks on the road.

Due to the infrastructure in Russia some expected challenges had to be overcome. „Many bridges were excluded due to their small width or the low strenght, therefore, a special focus was on the route planning. To make matters worse, there were temporary bans during the transport, due to an extraordinary heat in the room of Sankt Petersburg,“ says Christoph Sperneder. In early September the turbine wheel had arrived intact in the Siberian hydropower plant.

„These wheels were the first two of the six that Voith Hydro delivers. Until 2016, every six months, a transport will be starting in the direction of Russia,“ said Herbert Weinberger, project manager of the company. „The challenge remains high, the next transport will be facing Siberian winter,“ adds Christian Bichler, Logistics Manager, Voith Hydro St. Pölten. The next wheel leaves Austria by the end of 2014 and is expected to arrive in Bratsk in February 2015.

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Quelle: LogEastics
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