The Chinese have learned to transport giant ships across rivers and dams with an elevator

China once again proved that the country seeks to be in all its first. Recently, the world’s largest hydroelectric power plant, the World’s largest ship lift, has been launched at full capacity. And although this idea is not new at all, but the ship lift really surprised, because at a height of 113 meters dry cargo ships and tourist boats are lifted for half an hour, instead of 3-4 hours of locking. This is also a world record.

The Chinese have learned to ferry giant ships through mountains, rivers and dams with an elevator (Hubey province). | Photo: sudohodnyj-shlyuz.ru.

Forty minutes and vessels can continue to move along the route despite the fact that the dam (Hubay, China) was on the way.

Once again, Chinese engineers and architects proved that China is ahead of the planet. This time they surprised a giant elevator that in a matter of minutes can lift a giant ship to a height of 113 meters, so that it continues its journey. And this event occurred in Hubei province at the largest gravitational dam hydroelectric power plant in the world “Three Gorges”, located on the Yangtze River. The demonstration experiment was conducted in 2016, then it was possible to demonstrate the ultra-fast lifting of the cargo ship. It took only 8 minutes for a multi-ton dry cargo ship to the upper bief (a channel adjacent to the hydraulic structure).

The most powerful hydroelectric power plant in the world is the “Three Gorges” (Hubei, China).

Recall: The power plant “Three Gorges” is not only the largest and most complex hydraulic structure in the world, but also the heaviest man-made object in weight. The concrete dam with a continuous structure weighs approximately 65.5 million tons at a length of 2309 m and a height of 181 meters. Its creation took a record amount of concrete (as for the construction of one object) – 27.2 million cubic meters and 463 thousand tons of steel. During the construction of the dam, 102.6 million cubic meters of soil were moved. At the same time, its productivity also broke the world record. In 2020, during heavy precipitation, electricity production reached 111.8 billion kWh.

The ship lift is designed to accelerate the passage of ships through the dam of the Three Gorges hydroelectric power plant on the Yangtze River (Hubei, China). Photo: evolution.skf.com.

The new ship lift on the Three Gorges dam is the largest and most complex structure in the world (Hubei, China). | Photo: seanews.ru.

If we talk about the innovative ship lift, which was required to be introduced at one of the sections of the dam, so that ships could continue their journey at a more dynamic pace, then it can really be called a miracle of engineering thought. It is difficult even to imagine what the elevator should be to lift / lower the giant size of the ship with a load and together with water, when their total weight reaches 3 thousand tons and even at a height of 113 meters.

It took about 10 years for the world to earn the world’s largest shipyard in normal (Hubei, China).

Cargo ships and tourist boats raise to 113 meters only 30-40 minutes (Hubay, China). Photo by russian.news.cn.