General Electric Hydro Water Wheel for The Three Gorges Dam

>>TS IN THE WORLD, CHINA'S THREE GORGES DAM. MADE IN LACHINE. THE PLANT MAKES EQUIPMENT FOR DAMS AROUND THE WORLD, BUT THIS ONE BREAKS ALL THE RECORDS. IT'S SO BIG THAT GE HIRED A SPECIAL MULTI-WHEELED TRUCK TO MOVE IT. THE TRUCK BELONGS TO MAMOOT, THE DUTCH COMPANY THAT HELPED LIFT THE SUNKEN RUSSIAN SUBMARINE LAST YEAR. THE CONVOY WAS THE CENTRE OF ATTENTION IN LACHINE LAST NIGHT. THE WATERWHEEL IS SO TALL THAT HYDRO LINES HAD TO BE LIFTED OUT OF THE WAY AND TRAFFIC CAME TO A STANDSTILL FOR THE HOUSE-SIZED MACHINE. IT'S THE SECOND OF TWO SUCH WHALES -- WHEELS TO MAKE THE TRIP FROM LACHINE. ANOTHER 12 ARE BEING MADE ARE BEING MADE IN GE PLANTS AROUND THE WORLD. THIS ONE IS POISED TO THE DAM'S SITE. THE GE MANAGER WHO OVERSAW THE MANUFACTURE OF THE GIANT RUNNER AND LAST NIGHT'S BIG MOVE. >> Jay: JOINING US FROM LACHINE IS ERNEST SENOR, MANAGER OF INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS AT GE HYDRO. >> THAT WAS AN AMAZING MOVE. TELL US WHAT IT WAS LIKE. >> THERE WERE QUITE A FEW CHALLENGES TO OVERCOME IN MOVING SUCH A PIECE. IT WAS AT THE LIMITS OF CAPACITY OF MANY DIFFERENT FACTORS, INCLUDING OUR CRANE AND BUILDING SPRUR. WE HAD TO GET A SPECIAL TRUCK WITH 256 WHEELS TO ALLOWED THE LOAD TO BE SPREAD ACROSS THE ROADWAY. >> Jay: SO HAVE YOU EVER -- HAVE YOU EVER BEEN INVOLVED IN A MOVE ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE? >> NO. THAT'S REALLY WHAT DIFFERENTIATES THIS ONE. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME A RUNNER OF THIS SIZE HAS BEEN MANUFACTURED IN A PLANT. NORMALLY THESE -- THESE RUNNERS OF THIS SIZE ARE ASSEMBLED AT SITE TO AVOID THE CONSTRAINTS OF TRANSPORTATION. >> Jay: SO, NOW, TELL ME WHAT THIS RUNNER OR WATERWHEEL, WHATEVER WHATEVER WE WANT TO CALL IT, WHAT ROLE WILL IT PLAY IN CHINA AT THE DAM? >> THIS RUNNER -- AS YOU MENTIONED, IT'S A WATERWHEEL. IT'S THE DISTANT RELATIVE OF THE WATERWHEELS THAT WERE USED FOR THE FLOUR MILLS. IT GOES AT THE HEART OF THE TURBINE. THE ROLE IT PLAYS IS THAT WATER COMING FROM THE -- FROM THE RESERVOIR FLOWS IN THROUGH THIS RUNNER AT THE RATE OF A THOUSAND CUBIC METRES A SECOND, THAT'S ABOUT A THOUSAND TONNES A SECOND. THIS RUNNER TRANSFORMS THE POTENTIAL ENERGY OF THAT WATER INTO MECHANICAL ENERGY. THEN A GENERATOR TRANSFORMS THE MECHANICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY. >> Jay: WHY DOES THE WHEEL OR RUNNER HAVE TO BE SO BIG? >> IT'S THE FUNCTION OF THE PROJECT SITE. THERE'S ALL KINDS OF CALCULATIONS THAT GO INTO DECIDING WHETHER YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE MULLPLE UNIT. IN THIS CASE, THE DAM HAS 26 UNITS. THEY COULD PROBABLY HAVE PUT MORE SMALLER MACHINES, BUT IT'S -- IT'S REALLY A FUNCTION OF THE COST OF THE PROJECT. >> Jay: YOU DON'T THINK THERE WAS ANYBODY SAYING, WELL, IF WE'RE GOING TO BUILD THIS DAM, WELL, LET'S HAVE THE BIGGEST DAMN WHEELS WE'VE EVER HAD? >> THAT COULD BE PARDON OF IT. >> Jay: WHAT KIND OF CHALLENGE WAS THIS? >> THE CHALLENGE GOES ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE FOUNDRYS. WE COULD ONLY FIND TWO OR THREE FOUNDRYS THAT COULD CAST THIS PIECE. THE SAME FOR MACHINING. WE HAD TO HAVE SPECIAL EQUIPMENT DEVISED TO HANDLE THIS EQUIPMENT. UM, IT -- BASICALLY, THIS RUNNER IS MADE OUT OF STAINLESS STEEL CASTING. IT'S ALL STAINLESS STEEL. IT HAS THREE COMPONENTS THE CROWN ON TOP, THE BAND AT THE BOTTOM, AND 13 BLADES WELDED INTO THE ASSEMBLY. THERE'S ABOUT 25 TONNES OF WELD MATERIAL THAT GOES INTO THE ASSEMBLY OF THE BLADES. >> Jay: WELL, YOU KNOW, IT'S SO BIG. WAS IT EVEN POSSIBLE TO MOVE IT AROUND WHILE IT WAS IN THE FACTTORY, YOU KNOW, TO GET UNDER IT OR AROUND IT? >> WHAT WE DO IS WE -- WE HAVE DEVELOPED A PROCESS HERE WHERE THE EQUIPMENT COMES TO THE RUNNER. IT IS STATIONARY FOR MOST OF THE PROCESSES IN THE PLANTS. ONCE IT'S ASSEMBLED IN A COMPLETE ASSEMBLY, HEAT-TREAT FURNACES, MOON NIP LATING DEVICES, ROBOTS FOR WELDING ALL COME TO THE RUNNER. >> Jay: NOW, THE THING THAT AMAZING ME ABOUT THIS IS THAT YOU MADE TWO OF THESE AND THERE'S 12 OTHERS BEING MADE IN DIFFERENT PLACES IN THRLD. HOW CAN THEY BE MADE SO THAT THEY'RE IDENTICAL? >> THE FIRST THING IS THAT FOR THIS PARTICULAR RUNNER THERE'S A HYDRAULIC DESIGN. GE HYDRO HAS DESIGNED THE HIGH DRAWLICS -- THE HYDRAULICS FOR THE FIRST 14 MACHINES. THE FIRST SIX WERE DESIGNED IN LA SEEN AND THE OTHER EIGHT WERE DESIGNED IN OSLO, NORWAY, AND THESE ARE DESIGNED TO VERY TIGHT TOLL RANTSS. YOU CAN MANUFACTURE THEM IDENTICAL RUNNERS ANYWHERE IN WORLD. >> Jay: NOW, YOU SAID THAT IT WAS -- IT WAS A CHALLENGE JUST TO MOVE IT AROUND AND GET IT -- GET IT OUT OF YOUR FACTORY. WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER END WHEN IT ACTUALLY GETS TO THE DAM? WILL IT BE A HUGE CHALLENGE TO PUT IT INTO PLACE. >> IT'S EASIER THERE BECAUSE ONCE WE MOVE TO PORT OF MONTREAL, THIS WEIGHT IS BEYOND THE CAPACITY OF THE PORT OF MONTREAL, SO WE CAN ONLY USE SHIPS THAT HAVE GEAR ON BOARD. UM, YOU KNOW, IN THE CASE OF THIS RUNNER, THERE'S GOING TO BE A SHIP WITH TWO 450-TONNE CRANES THAT WILL LIFT IT ON TO THE SHIP. IT DOES THE SAME THING WHEN IT GETS TO CHINA. IT'S LOADED ON TO A BARGE WHICH SAILS ANOTHER THOUSAND KILOMETRES TO THE PROJECT SITE. ONCE IT GETS TO SITE, IT IS RELATIVELY EASY TO LIFT, BECAUSE WE HAVE VERY HEAVY CRANES THAT HAVE TO LIFT THE ENTIRE ASSEMBLIES. SO THAT'S CRANES ARE IN THE THOUSAND TO 1500 TONNE CAPACITY. >> Jay: SO GIVE ME A LITTLE BIT OF A TRIP ITINERARY. WHERE IS THE RUNNER, THE WHEEL RIGHT NOW? >> THE RUNNER RIGHT NOW IS ON THE SIDE OF THE LACHINE DOCK, WE CALL AT THIS TIME LACHINE BASIN. THE TRUCK WILL BE ROLLED ON TO THE BARGE AND, UM, THE RUNNER POSITIONED ON SUPPORTS AND THE TRUCK WILL BACK OUT. AND, UM, THE RUNNER IS STRAPPED TO THE BADGE TO MAKE SURE THERE'S NO MOVEMENT DURING THE SAILING, AND IT WILL SAIL TO THE PORT OF MONTREAL IN ABOUT -- IT TAKES ABOUT A DAY AND A HALF TO GET THERE. >> Jay: AND THEN FROM MONTREAL, HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GET TO CHINA? >> IT TAKES FIVE OR SIX WEEKS. THAT'S DEPENDING ON THE ROUTING OF THE SHIP. IF THEY HAVE OTHER PORTS OF CALL. >> Jay: NOW, LET ME ASK YOU ONE MORE THING, Mr. SENOR. I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY, YOU'RE TAKING GREAT CARE OF THIS, THIS THING, AS BIG AS IT IS, IS IT FRAGILE? >> NOT REALLY. IT'S DESIGNED TO RUN ON HIGH LOADS AND HIGH STRESSES. THE STRESS IS IMPOSED ON IN OPERATION ARE MUCH MORE SIGNIFICANT THAN DURING TRANSPORTATION. >> Jay: BUT YOU DON'T WANT TO DROP IT? >> NO, WE CERTAINLY DON'T WANT TO DROP IT. THERE'S NOT MUCH RISK OF THAT BECAUSE IT'S MANIPULATED CAREFULLY WITH THE HYDRAULIC JACKS AND SMALL FRACTIONS OF A CENTIMETRE. >> Jay: IF YOU HAD TO LOOK AT ALL THE TECHNOLOGIES THAT HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN BUILDING THIS AND MOVING IT AND PUTTING IT IN PLACE, IS THERE ONE YOU THINK IS PARTICULARLY FANTASTIC? >> WELL, ONE OF THE THINGS WE HAD TO DEVELOP HERE TO TURN THE RUNNER AND REPOSITION IT IN DIFFERENT PROCESSES IS -- YOU CAN EITHER USE A CRANE WITH SLINGS TO ROTATE RUNNER. THIS IS QUITE A TRICKY OPERATION AND POTENTIALLY A RISKY OPERATION. WE DEVELOPED A SPECIAL DEVICE THAT FTS IT. WE CALL IT A FLIPPER. IT LIFTS THE RUNNER AROUND THE CENTRE OF GRAVITY AND THIS ALLOWS ROTATING IT WITH -- WITH, UM, JUST A SMALL CRANE IN ANY POSITION. IT ALSO ALLOWS US TO LIFT IT UAND HAVE A TRUCK BACK UP UNDERNEATH IT. >> Jay: WOW, IT'S QUITE A PROJECT. THANKS A LOT FOR TELLING US