The newly constructed Zhijin power plant in China’s Guizhou province sources its water from the Hongjiadu reservoir and transports it 8.1 kilometers across mountainous terrain with an approximate elevation of 1,150 meters.
The water first travels up to a water treatment plant and then into a water tank where supply can be controlled before it is gravity fed to the plant. The high lift and long distance of this water distribution system makes it vulnerable to surges and pipe breaks.
To address this vulnerability, a valve company was consulted to determine what technologies to implement to safely transport the water.
The first stage involves pumping water from a floating dock and transporting it by two DN600 pipelines to the water treatment plant. To regulate surging during pump startup or shutdown, two surge-anticipating relief valves were installed.
After the water is treated, it is pumped to a water tank for storage. With a 340-meter pump head, a surge calculation determined the need for a control valve. A surge-anticipating relief valve with flow limiting on the solenoid valve opening was selected for the job.
