In early October the fixed wheel gates at Crystal Dam were back in operation after the successful replacement of gate stems manufactured in the Grand Coulee Dam machine shop. This collaboration – a first of its kind in Reclamation history – proved to be a cost saving proposition.
After an 1,100-mile trip from Grand Coulee Dam, located on the Columbia River west of Spokane, Washington to Crystal Dam, located approximately 20 miles east of Montrose, Colorado the fixed wheel gate parts were in Colorado by February. They were then coated by a contractor in Grand Junction before installation. Installation was timed to start in the fall when water flows are decreasing.
On September 26, the generator was shut down and placed under safety clearance. After a couple days of prep work,the first thing that need to be removed was the hydraulic cylinder. The cylinder raises the fixed wheel gate which is powered by an electric motor. After the cylinder was removed, the crane was used to pick up the gate and each stem was locked in place one at a time and removed.
After the last stem was removed the fixed wheel gate was exposed and inspected. The new stems, carrier beams and couplings were installed one at a time in reverse order.
When completed, the fixed wheel gate was operated several times, and all looked good. On October 4, the safety clearance was removed and the generator was back in service.
A huge thanks to all involved in the replacement portion for the tremendous efforts put forth in a safe and timely manner of such a large and important job: Jesse McCombs and Allan Phillips (Morrow Point Plant Mechanics), Caleb Brown (Blue Mesa Maintenanceman & Crane Operator), Richard Palaski (Crystal Maintenanceman), Chris Schottel (Morrow Point Maintenanceman), Joshua Sills (Mechanical Engineer-Curecanti).
Original source can be found here.
