Sichuan's "Most Beautiful Scientific and Technological Worker" | Fang Yu: Rewriter of the History of Steam Turbine Development

Characters and business cards

Fang Yu, deputy general manager and professor-level senior engineer of Oriental Turbine Co., Ltd. of Oriental Electric Group. Experts enjoying special government allowances from the State Council, experts with outstanding contributions from Sichuan Province, "the most beautiful scientific and technological worker" in Sichuan in 2019, and model worker in Deyang City. He has been rooted in the grassroots level for a long time and has been engaged in steam turbine development. He has undertaken many national and provincial high-difficulty major scientific research projects, including the national 973 project. He has presided over the research and development of Oriental's new generation of ultra-supercritical reheating (620℃) thermal power turbines and the first 1000MW grade air-cooled steam turbines. He has won the second prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award, the first prize of the Sichuan Science and Technology Progress Award, the first prize of the China Electric Power Science and Technology Award, and the Deyang City Science and Technology Outstanding Contribution Award and other awards.

At the entrance of Oriental Electric Group Oriental Turbine Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Dongqi"), an old-fashioned steam turbine rotor is placed silently in a conspicuous place. As a modern park, the placement of a mechanical part is special and harmonious.

Steam turbines are the main equipment of modern thermal power plants and are also used in metallurgy industry, chemical industry, and ship power plants. For a long time, my country has been able to rely on imports due to the lack of core technologies of these important equipment, but this change has occurred with Dongqi. In five years, after continuous research and development and testing, Dongqi has achieved the core technology of steam turbines from catching up to running side by side to leading the local market.

Industry to serve the country

“I want to do something”

"Sorry, I just ended a meeting and I have to discuss plans with technicians later. We may have to hurry up." Fang Yu's first impression is a bit different from the stereotyped image of "deputy general manager". In front of him, he was wearing the unified work uniform of the company, spoke softly, and had no "leadership airs".

In 1989, Fang Yu graduated from Xi'an Jiaotong University. Because he is from Sichuan and has a professional and is in line with his professional skills, he only took five minutes to choose to come to Dongqi, and he has worked for thirty years. "I went to Dongqi to do technical work after graduating from college, and I still do technical management work now." Fang Yu fell into memories when talking about his indissoluble bond with Dongqi. That period happened to be when the trend of going abroad and foreign companies was popular, and compared with other students, my treatment was very different. "I remember calling my brother from the upper and lower bunks when I was studying. He asked me how much I earned. I said 800 yuan a month. There was no echo on the phone for a long time, and then I replied in a dull voice, 'I have enough food'. They had already earned 5,000 or 6,000 a month at that time, and the gap was relatively large. It would be unrealistic to say that there was no fluctuation in their hearts."

When asked what was the reason for him to stay, Fang Yu walked to the window and pointed to the rotor placed at the gate of Dongqi: "The story of this rotor is why I stayed."

This is a historical story about the independent innovation of the older generation of Dongqi researchers.

In the early 1980s, with almost no national funding support, Dongqi decided to develop a 300,000-kilowatt steam turbine with independent intellectual property rights.

Since then, Dongqian people have lost money and raised their own R&D funds. With the huge reduction in national planned tasks, as long as you can make money, Dongqi will do all kinds of work, even selling kitchen knives and folding chairs. After accumulating enough funds, the researchers worked day and night with a schematic diagram from abroad. On September 30, 1983, the 300,000 kilowatt steam turbine independently developed by Dongqi was successfully tested, greatly shortening the distance between my country's large domestic steam turbines and the world's advanced level. The People's Daily said that this move "signifies my country's machinery industry to a new level." The "heart" of the first 300,000 kilowatt unit called "Striving Machine" - the rotor, was pulled back to the factory and placed at the gate by the Dongqian people after "retirement", becoming a historical witness to Dongqian people's independent innovation and bravely climbing to the top.

"This is the patriotic sentiment of Dongqi. At that time, as a fresh graduate of the university, I was an unspoken piece of paper. After coming into contact with these older generation of scientific researchers, I was infected by their feelings and voluntarily integrated into this team of industrial service to the country." Fang Yu said that when I was studying in college, I had already deeply felt the current situation of steam turbine-related technologies lagging behind compared with foreign countries. "This industry requires everyone to do something, and I want to do something."

Technical breakthrough

"From chasing to running side by side to leading the field"

If you decide to stay, you have to do it well and make a career.

Because it started early, before 2010, foreign countries were far ahead in steam turbine-related technologies, especially on core issues such as improving economic performance, and my country has always been backward. Therefore, Fang Yu and his team decided to start R&D and catch up.

What impressed Fang Yu the most was the responsibility of designing and developing super-supercritical steam turbines with completely independent intellectual property rights. "This is a reflection of a country's mechanical manufacturing level." Fang Yu introduced that its core technology has been monopolized abroad for a long time, but our technical reserves have reached a stage where we can break foreign monopoly.

However, independent research and development is not as mature as the introduced technology, because efficient ultra-supercritical units have no experience to learn from. Many things are crossing the river by feeling the stones and relying on persistence to find a way out.

"It took our team about five years to develop efficient ultra-supercritical steam turbines. During these five years, the whole factory's attention was focused on us, and the conferences were all about our research and development. However, this work was not achieved overnight, and the pressure could be imagined." Recalling that time, Fang Yu still remembered it fresh: "My daughter happened to be in high school at that time. When she came home every night, we sat face to face at a table, and the two of them "worked overtime" until 11 or 2 o'clock or even one or two in the morning. She learned what she was and I was busy with mine, so she accompanied her for three years in this way."

Continuous learning, continuous experimentation, continuous adjustment, continuous optimization... In five years, the team has either been doing experiments or discussing. Even now, Fang Yu has no idea about working overtime: "I have to work until night every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. This is a habit I have formed in my bones. I don't think it's working overtime. We just spend time catching up with others." For this reason, team members have to face not only the pressure at work, but also the pressure from their families. "When meetings are often held, the colleagues happily go out to answer a call and come back with a dark face. Everyone has a tacit understanding." Even so, no one in the team would choose to go home early.

"Once we worked overtime very late. When we passed by Mr. Fang's office, we saw that he was still learning the original English materials. At that moment, I was really grateful for having such a leader. Mr. Fang has always been like this. How late we work overtime in our technical team, he will accompany us at how late we will even stand up and shoulder it." Team members, Fang Yu, sincerely admired him.

It is in this catch-up that Fang Yu led the team to carry out a large number of core technologies for nuclear power turbines, and presided over the completion of Oriental's new generation of ultra-supercritical primary reheating (620℃) thermal power turbines and the world's highest parameter and the first secondary reheating turbine in China; led the team to pioneer the reactionary and impulse circulation technology with the world's advanced level, and successfully used it in the flow transformation of 300MW and 600MW series of units; presided over the development of the world's first 1000MW grade air-cooled steam turbine; presided over the development of the company's 60Hz full series of thermal power products, filling the gap in domestic core technology and making the overall technology at the international advanced level.

"It can be said that we used to be chasers, but now we are running side by side with foreign countries, and our local R&D is already at the world's most advanced state. We have basically achieved the goal of chasing to running side by side to leading part of the game." Speaking of this, Fang Yu's words were full of pride.

Innovative spirit

"Concentrate our efforts to do a good job in the gas turbine"

Innovation is a string that a company must always be tight. No product can adapt to the market for a long time. Users are changing, demand is changing, and the market is also changing. You must always observe, feel any clues in the market, and make corresponding innovative research and development. Dongqi's success stems from its always committed to independent innovation.

"Before 2006, our market situation was good and the product supply was in short supply. At that time, it seemed that we could not develop new products, but Dongqi's technicians had innovative genes and did not stop. At that time, a user asked whether there was a heating unit used in the northern market by fax. We saw the market development potential and wanted to develop it. Later, we developed two models based on this customer demand and passed the company's review. Finally, practice proved that this heating model has market prospects." Fang Yu said that a small information generated a output value of billions, which was something that impressed him. This is also the innovative spirit of Dongqi, which can be from the bottom up and is the persistence of every technician.

Therefore, to this day, Fang Yu still leads the team to continue to overcome difficulties on the road to innovation and inherit this gene.

As energy is converted from coal to oil and gas, gas turbines that rely on oil and gas for energy are becoming increasingly demanded. Since 2009, amid changes in the energy market, Dongqi has also begun to develop gas turbines. But like the earliest steam turbines, foreign countries are still far ahead in their technical level, and they are very blocked by these technologies. To this end, Fang Yu and his team listed more than a dozen experimental plans, kept trying, and gradually explored the direction... "The current goal is to concentrate on making the gas turbine well, promote the products into series, and open up the market." Fang Yu said.

"Since I came to Dongqi, I never thought about what kind of goals or heights I had to achieve. At that time, I felt satisfied if I could reach their level as old engineers and get the heartfelt respect from the young people like them." As the interview was about to end, Fang Yu recalled his mental journey over the past 30 years. He smiled and said, "I probably did it now. Looking back, it didn't go against my original intention."

After the interview, when leaving Dongqi, the entire park was still as quiet as Tathagata. The developers and producers were busy silently, holding meetings, discussing, experimenting, production... Just like the old rotor shining in the sun at the door, fulfilling the responsibilities and missions of Dongqi people with silent faith. (Source: Sichuan Science and Technology News Luo Xiaoyu)