Large impulse runner starts running in SW China

BEIJING, June 8 (Xinhua) -- China's first large impulse runner with a maximum single-unit capacity of 150 megawatts (MW) has been put into operation at a hydropower station along the Tianwan River basin of southwestern Sichuan Province, according to Thursday's Science and Technology Daily.

The runner is a core component of the hydropower unit. The impulse turbine drives the runner to generate electricity when the high-speed jet of the turbine hits the water bucket, according to the report.

The flow rate of water from the nozzle can reach 360 kilometers per hour, about the same speed as a high-speed train.

The large impulse runner, independently designed and developed by Dongfang Electric, completed its assembly last month.

It weighs about 20 tonnes, with a maximum diameter of about four meters.