In the magnificent Jinsha River Canyon, the Xiluodu Hydropower Station shines like a brilliant pearl, illuminating the glory of China’s hydropower engineering. As the second largest hydropower station in China and the third largest in the world, it is not only an important milestone in China’s hydropower technology but also a crucial pillar of the national energy security strategy.
In November 2024, the first Xiluodu Hydropower Station cylindrical valve, transformed based on ATEKON Technology PLC, was officially put into operation. In this transformation, ATEKON Technology PLC successfully replaced the original Schneider Premium series and Siemens S7-300 series PLCs used in the Xiluodu Hydropower Station, marking a comprehensive localization of the core control equipment of the cylindrical valve control system. This breakthrough provides autonomous and controllable technical support for the long-term safe and stable operation of this world-class hydropower station.
The Xiluodu Hydropower Station is located in the Jinsha River Canyon section bordering Leibo County in Sichuan Province and Yongshan County in Yunnan Province, and is an important part of the development plan for the lower reaches of the Jinsha River. The total installed capacity of the station reaches 13.86 million kilowatts, with 9 units of 770,000 kilowatts installed on both the left and right banks, making its safe, stable, and efficient operation crucial.
The cylindrical valve, as the “guardian of safety” for hydropower units, can safely, smoothly, and reliably achieve dynamic water closure under any operating conditions (including accidents), ensuring the safe operation of the hydropower station. However, the original control system of the cylindrical valve at the Xiluodu Hydropower Station used foreign technology, which limited the autonomous innovation capability of China’s hydropower equipment to some extent, and safety could not be guaranteed during critical periods.
To break free from dependence on foreign technology, improve the localization level of hydropower equipment, and ensure the information security of hydropower station facilities, the Xiluodu Hydropower Station urgently needed to localize the cylindrical valve control system.
Cylindrical Valve Control System Transformation Challenges
The cylindrical valve control system has extremely high precision requirements for PLC control, with challenges mainly in four aspects.
01 Multi-axis Synchronous Control
Multi-relay synchronization requires precision control at the ±0.5mm level, but hydraulic system response lag and mechanical clearance can easily lead to loss of synchronization;
02 Hydraulic System Stability
Oil contamination and electromagnetic valve jamming directly affect the reliability of PLC control over proportional valves;
03 Extreme Condition Adaptability
The water hammer effect during dynamic water closure and the wide range of water head variations require the PLC to have segmental closure and pressure self-adaptive capabilities;
04 Programming Process
Multi-modal program switching, optimization of the Chinese human-machine interface, and real-time communication delays increase system complexity.
ATEKON Technology PLC has successfully overcome these challenges through years of research and development iterations.
As a leading provider of industrial automation solutions in China, ATEKON Technology provided a complete set of PLC equipment for the Xiluodu Hydropower Station, including CPU main control units, communication modules, and power modules, fully meeting the functional requirements of the cylindrical valve control system.
The ATEKON Technology NJ400 series PLC used in this transformation, known for its high performance, high reliability, and high safety, has successfully won the favor of the Xiluodu Hydropower Station.
The ATEKON Technology NJ400 series PLC features a dual Ethernet CPU and Loongson 2K1000 processor, with a rich set of communication interfaces and program space, enabling the system to operate efficiently and stably. Additionally, the NJ400 series PLC supports multiple communication protocols and customizable functions, flexibly adapting to various complex control scenarios, providing strong support for the stable operation of the Xiluodu Hydropower Station.
To date, the projects involving the localization transformation of hydropower stations such as the Three Gorges, Baihetan, and Xiluodu, in which ATEKON Technology PLC has participated, have achieved significant results, not only improving the efficiency of hydropower unit operations and bringing long-term economic benefits to hydropower stations but also enhancing China’s autonomous control capabilities in hydropower equipment, breaking free from dependence on foreign technology, and promoting the autonomous innovation and development of China’s hydropower technology, providing valuable experience for future hydropower project construction.
With the advancement of the “dual carbon” goals, the localization of hydropower equipment is ushering in a golden period. ATEKON Technology will continue to deepen its efforts in the industrial control field, injecting more “Chinese chips” into major national equipment.
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