Even Pelton turbine wheels have to go to the workshop from time to time. This one here has a diameter of 2,762 mm and weighs 7,554 kg. As part of a hydroelectric turbine at our customer Kraftwerke Oberhasli (KWO), it drives a generator to produce electricity. Due to wear, the “Pelton buckets” had to be repaired after 21,000 operating hours. This means shutting down the turbine, dismantling the wheel and rewelding pockets wherever there is heavy abrasion or holes. At KWO, this was done by a welding robot. And now our Floor type milling machine FBF-M 4000 comes into play. It is used to mill each cup back to its original size and shape with high precision.

At speeds of up to 3,500 rpm, the water injected by the nozzle must flow perfectly at a pressure of 81 bar. This is the only way to avoid turbulence and achieve a high level of efficiency in order to guarantee an efficient energy yield.

But there are even greater challenges to overcome. For example, KWO works with a Pelton wheel with an impressive diameter of 3,612 mm and a weight of 17,500 kg. Even this giant wheel could be successfully machined on our FBF-M 4000 Floor type milling machine, which underlines the versatility and performance of this state-of-the-art Floor type milling machine. In the world of hydropower, it is clear that innovation and precision contribute significantly to the efficiency and longevity of the systems.