RAPACON, JOANNA MAE M.

BSCE 4

11:30-12:30 MWF

February 28, 2014

A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees (also known as dikes) are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are often used in conjunction with dams to generate electricity. A dam can also be used to collect water or for storage of water which can be evenly distributed between locations. SPILLWAYS A spillway is a section of a dam designed to pass water from the upstream side of a dam to the downstream side. Many spillways have floodgates designed to control the flow through the spillway. Types of spillway include: A service spillway or primary spillway passes normal flow. An auxiliary spillway releases flow in excess of the capacity of the service spillway. An emergency spillway is designed for extreme conditions, such as a serious malfunction of the service spillway. A fuse plug spillway is a low embankment designed to be over topped and washed away in the event of a large flood. The elements of a fuse plug are independent free-standing blocks, set side by side which work without any remote control. They allow increasing the normal pool of the dam without compromising the security of the dam because they are designed to be gradually evacuated for exceptional events. They work as fixed weir at times by allowing over-flow for common floods. A spillway is an integral part of a Dam (large wall built to hold back water, usually across rivers). A spillway is usually used to remove water from a reservoir to prevent overflow and to release pressure on a dam from increasing quantities of water. It is normally composed of three major components: The approach facility admits flow to the spillway. The discharging conduit evacuates the flow from the approach facility to an outlet structure. The outlet structure (tail water channel) dissipates the excessive energy of the flow from the discharging conduits and conveys tranquil flow to the downstream.

TWO MAIN TYPES OF SPILLWAYS Controlled spillway A controlled spillway has mechanical structures or gates to regulate the rate of flow of water from the reservoir. This design allows nearly the full height of the dam to be used for water storage year-round, and flood waters can be released as required by opening one or more gates. Uncontrolled spillway An uncontrolled spillway, in contrast, does not have gates; when the water rises above the lip or crest of the spillway it begins to be released from the reservoir. The rate of discharge is controlled only by the depth of water within the reservoir. All of the storage volume in the reservoir above the spillway crest can be used only for the temporary storage of floodwater, and cannot be used as water supply storage because it is normally empty. OTHER TYPES OF SPILLWAYS Chute spillways Chute spillways are common and basic in design as they transfer excess water from behind the dam down a smooth decline into the river below. These are usually designed following an ogee curve. Most often, they are lined on the bottom and sides with concrete to protect the dam and topography. They may have a controlling device and some are thinner and multiply lined if space and funding are tight. In addition, they are not always intended to dissipate energy like stepped spillways. Chute spillways can be ingrained with a baffle of concrete blocks but usually have a 'flip lip' and/or dissipater basin which creates a hydraulic jump, protecting the toe of the dam from erosion. Stepped spillways Stepped channels and spillways have been used for over 3,000 years. Recently, new construction materials (e.g. RCC, gabions) and design techniques (e.g. embankment overtopping protection) have increased the interest in stepped spillways and chutes. The steps produce considerable energy dissipation along the chute and reduce the size of the required downstream energy dissipation basin. Bell-mouth spillways Some spillways are designed like an inverted bell so that water can enter all around the perimeter. These uncontrolled spillway devices are also called morning glory, plughole, glory hole or bell-mouth spillways. In areas where the surface of the reservoir may freeze, bell-mouth spillways are normally fitted with ice-breaking arrangements to prevent the spillway from becoming icebound. Chaffey Dam, located near Tamworth, New South Wales in Australia has a classic example of an inverted-bell spillway. In some cases bell-mouth spillways are gate controlled. The spillway at Hungry Horse Dam (pictured right), the highest morning glory structure in the world, is controlled by a 64-by-12-foot (19.5 by 3.7 m) ring gate. However the largest remains in Lake Berryessa, measuring 72 feet in diameter at the lakes surface. Siphon spillway A siphon makes use of the difference in the height between the intake and the outlet to create a pressure difference needed to remove excess water. Siphons however require priming or the removal of air in the bend in order for them to function and most siphon spillways are designed with a system that makes use of water to remove the air and automatically prime the siphon. One

such design is the volute siphon which makes use of water forced into a spiral vortex by volutes or fins on a funnel that draw air out of the system. The priming happens automatically when the water level rises above the inlets that are used to drive the priming process. Other spillway types include an ogee crest which over-tops a dam, a side channel that wraps around the topography of a dam and a labyrinth which uses a 'zig-zag' design to increase the sill length for a thinner design and increased discharge. There is also a drop inlet which resembles an intake for a hydroelectric power plant but transfers water from behind the dam directly through tunnels to the river downstream. SPILLWAY GATES Spillway gates allow control over the level of fill of the reservoir. It is used for three main reasons: to reduce the cost of the dam to reduce the inundation of land in the reservoir area to reduce the downstream flood damage TYPES OF SPILLWAY GATES sliding gates - shutters running grooves radial gates - form an arc pivoting on a trunion bearing OTHER CLASSIFICATIONS OF SPILLWAY GATES Tainter Gates In 1879 - 1881, Mr. J.B. Tainter and his partners developed improvements to the design of sluiceway gates and arrived at new designs which would later carry his name and be called tainter gates. The major evolution during this period included the following: (a) in material, steel was used instead of timber, (b) in design, trunnion and hoist mechanisms were refined, and (c) rivets and/or welding replaced other mechanical fasteners. Roller Gates Roller gates are usually designed for spillways with large distances between piers. The typical roller gate consists of a long horizontal cylinder with an attached apron. The cylinder is attached to end disks at each end, which bear against inclined racks on the sides of each pier. SPILLWAYS OUTLET An outlet is used to release and regulate water flow from a dam. Such devices usually consist of one or more pipes or tunnels through the embankment of the dam, directing water usually under high pressure to the river downstream. These structures are usually used when river flow exceeds the capacity of the power plant or diversion capacity of the dam, but do not have flows high enough to warrant the use of the dam spillways. They may also be utilized when river flows must be bypassed due to maintenance work in the power station or diversion gates. Although similar in purpose to spillways, outlet works provide a more controlled release to meet downstream flow requirements.