Hydraulic System Piping Installation as part of Phase 2 of the Reconstruction and Restoration of the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia
The reconstruction of the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia began in 2001 by decree of the President of the Russian Federation "On the Restoration and Reconstruction of the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia." On October 28, 2011, the theatre reopened its doors to the public, marking the completion of the reconstruction.
OOO "Ural Engineering Center" was appointed as a subcontractor for the installation of the stage mechanization hydraulic system by the general contractor for stage technology, BOSCH REXROTH AG (Germany). The hydraulic system is designed to control the movement of stage and auxiliary equipment based on a set algorithm, including:
- Stage deformation mechanisms (stage platforms) — 7 units
- Soft backdrop drive system
- Freight transport platforms (front and rear)
- Orchestra pit platform
- Portal soffit drive
- Fire curtain drive
- Rear stage gate
- Levelling platform for the front and rear stage
- Smoke hatch drive
Key Technical Parameters:
| Number of hydraulic-driven actuators | 16 |
| Number of hydraulic cylinders | 69 |
| Operating pressure, MPa | 18 |
| Total pump flow rate, l/min | 1900 |
| Hydraulic tank volume, liters | 50000 |
| Total volume of piston accumulators, liters | 13000 |
| Total volume of gas cylinders, liters | 58500 |
| Maximum calculated output flow, l/min | 9000 |
| Installed power of pump units, kW | 702.5 |
| Calculated output power of NAS, MW | 2.7 |
| Working fluid | HLP-46 |
| Gas medium of accumulator chambers | N2 |
Technological Features of Operation:
- Large transmitted powers, resulting in significant pipe sizes (up to 298.5x32)
- Pipe welding with continuous argon purging to prevent scale formation on the inner surface of the weld seam
- Pipe installation up to Ø42 mm using VOSSFormSQR non-welded connection technology
- Additional low-noise requirements due to acoustic demands in the theatre’s stage area
- Extremely limited installation space due to the architectural features of the historical part of Moscow
- High volume and complexity of rigging operations
- Large volume of hidden work
