Perseverance under High Temperature - Seeing and Hearing on the Frontline of Shanxi Energy Supply Guarantee Tang Poetry | Driver | High Temperature

Taiyuan, July 5th, Xinhua News Agency (Xinhua) - Perseverance under High Temperature - Frontline Experience of Shanxi Energy Supply Guarantee

Xinhua News Agency reporters Tang Shining and Xu Xiong

In the scorching summer, many parts of the country have entered a high-temperature barbecue mode, and the electricity load continues to rise. In Shanxi, the main coal producing area in China, many workers are fighting on the front line of energy supply, sweating profusely to ensure supply.

"Buzz!" With a sharp whistle, a train loaded with electric coal slowly entered the marshalling yard. Shunter Wang Lei, with scorching sun above his head, dressed in long clothes and pants, tightly tied cuffs, wearing a hat and gloves, was riding on a coal transport vehicle. With one hand gripping the car ladder and the other holding a walkie talkie, he listened to the instructions given by the shunting chief, and beads of sweat as big as beans slid down his face.

At Songjiazhuang Station of Shuozhou Depot of China Railway Taiyuan Group Co., Ltd., there are a total of 9 groups of 27 shunters like Wang Lei, known as the "programmers" of train vehicles. "The shunting operation has a tight schedule and heavy workload, with an average of 40 hook operations per group every day, and about 850 vehicles being mobilized." Zhao Dongliang, the station manager of Songjiazhuang Station, said that the shunters worked outdoors throughout the entire process, sweating on sunny days and getting wet on rainy days, which is a true reflection of their work.

"Under the scorching sun, the surface temperature of the vehicle can reach up to 50-60 degrees Celsius, and direct contact with the skin may cause burns." Wang Lei said that in order to ensure work safety, even in hot weather, it is necessary to be fully armed, carrying around 20 kilograms of work spare parts and tools. A 55 carriage train should be inspected from beginning to end. "Many times, clothes are as wet as freshly washed water, completely wrapped around the body."

"In recent years, station conditions have improved, and during work breaks, one can take a shower at the station to cool down, which can relieve the heat," said Wang Lei.

Zhao Dongliang told reporters that in order to prevent heatstroke among outdoor workers, the station will provide heatstroke relieving foods such as watermelon and mung bean soup for lunch and dinner, as well as medicines such as Huoxiang Zhengqi Water, to provide protection for workers under high temperatures.

At noon, as the sun rises, the connecting wires of power equipment such as converter transformers, reactors, and circuit breakers crisscross the ± 800 kV Yanmenguan converter station of State Grid Shanxi Electric Power. The Yanhuai DC, as the main power artery for transmitting electricity from Shanxi to Jiangsu, is undergoing the dual test of high temperature and heavy load.

On the converter square of the ± 800 kV Yanmenguan converter station of State Grid Shanxi Electric Power, operation and maintenance personnel are inspecting equipment and identifying hidden dangers. Photo by Tang Shining, journalist from Xinhua News Agency

"Not only is it a test of the equipment, but also a test of our operation and inspection personnel." Feng Lijun, Secretary of the Party Branch of Yanmenguan Converter Station, told reporters that there are five to six thousand large equipment and countless small parts in groups inside the station. It usually takes three days to conduct a complete inspection. Since the heavy load operation, in order to timely identify hidden dangers, the inspection cycle has been shortened by more than half. "Welcoming the peak for summer is a long-lasting battle, and the hotter the heat, the more we need to muster up our spirit."

On the converter square in the center of the station area, 24 converter transformer equipment are operating at full speed, buzzing, and heat waves are rolling next to the radiators. The ambient temperature can reach 60 degrees Celsius. The operation and maintenance team leader Wang Zhiwen and another operation and maintenance personnel are using infrared detectors, partial discharge testers, and other equipment to conduct special inspections on the site. "Every detail needs to be carefully checked to ensure the safe and stable operation of the ultra-high voltage power grid without any mistakes," said Wang Zhiwen.

In the East Open pit Mine of middling coal Pingshuo Group, 15 heavy electric excavators and hundreds of 200-300 ton dump trucks and other heavy equipment kept roaring on the working face stacked in the pit. "These devices are all operated by a single person, and workers need to work continuously in hot weather. Everyone is a 'special soldier'," said Yang Wenzhong, the secretary of the Party branch of the Production Second Team. In order to increase production and ensure supply of raw coal, and improve work efficiency, the production rhythm of various links such as perforation, blasting, mining and loading, transportation, and soil disposal has become more compact. Sometimes, workers are so busy that they can't even afford to drink water.

On the main road of the mine, trucks with full loads passed by one after another, lifting up patches of dust. More than ten dust suppression mining sprinklers shuttled back and forth. "The weather is too hot, and the sprinkler truck can't even sprinkle it. It dries while spraying," Yang Wenzhong said, as the sun shines day by day and a summer passes, making it seem like a different person.

Next to a mining face, an electric shovel excavator is picking up crushed stones produced by blasting. The height of the electric shovel is 22.21 meters, equivalent to a 7-story building, and it is the largest equipment in an open-pit mine. Xing Liping, a excavator driver from the second production team, has been in the industry for more than 20 years and has been dealing with these "steel giants".

Xing Liping, the driver of the electric shovel in the east open pit mine of middling coal Pingshuo Group in Shuozhou City, Shanxi Province, had lunch between operations. Photo by Tang Shining, journalist from Xinhua News Agency

Manipulate the joystick handle of the electric shovel, push the shovel forward, and in continuous vibration, about 60 cubic meters of gravel are scooped up and then loaded onto the transport truck... During the 8-hour shift, Xing Liping needs to repeat this action nearly 500 times.

He told reporters that the working conditions are much better now, and there is air conditioning in the driver's cabin. However, after working continuously for a long time, it is still very tiring after a day. "I've gradually gotten used to it, and now life is like a two point, one line relationship between home and equipment. Equipment is like a second home. With a little more coal here, we can use electricity less to worry about, and the hard work is worth it."