Dams and reservoirs

Dams
Types
Forces on a dam
Geology and dam sites
Rock types and dams
Dams on soils
Ground improvement
Reservoirs
Site selection
Leakage from
reservoirs
Sedimentation
Stability: effect of
raised WT
Dams and reservoirs - literature
Bell F.G., Engineering geology and
geotechnics
Ch 6 (Reservoirs)
Ch 7 (Dams)
Blyth F.G.H. and de FreitasM.H., A
geology for engineers
Ch 14 (Reservoirs and dams)
Reservoirs: purpose
Water storage
Flood prevention
Power
Reservoirs: site selection
Hydrological considerations
Fundamental controls
topography
climate
geology
Water
added
Net amount of water
available for storage
Water
subtracted
+
Rainfall in river
basin
Infiltration
Evaporation
Transpiration
Runoff
Reservoirs: leakage
- -
Water
added
Water
subtracted
Net amount of water
available for storage
Leakage from
reservoir
Rainfall in
river basin
Infiltration
Evaporation
Transpiration
Runoff
1. Dam bypass
2. Water table effects
Reservoirs: leakage
Leakage via subsurface bypass due to siphon effect
Devonian strata
D
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Devonian strata
Dol-y-gaer dam
Carboniferous strata:
Subsurface water flow
reservoir level
fracture and dissolution
flow routes
Reservoirs: leakage
Leakage buried channels beneath drift
50 km
Modern river/valley
Ancient river/valley
R

D
r
a
c
Sautet
dam and
reservoir
Bypass of reservoir in drift
Reservoirs: water table leakage-1
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w
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b
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river
before
water table divide
Bedrock with a water
table and finite
permeability
reservoir
Leakage to next valley
new
water
table
after
Reservoirs: water table leakage-2
L
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f
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river
High
permeability
layer
Water table in aquifer
before
Bedrock with low
permeability: aquiclude
reservoir
after
High
permeability
layer
Modified water table in aquifer
Leakage to next valley
Reservoirs: sedimentation
Worlds largest dam;
180m tall, 2km wide
84% sediment in rainy
season (june-sept)
drawdown and
sediment sluicing
during this period
Reservoirs: raised water table
Before
Water table
river
After - 1
reservoir
Raised water table
After - 2
reservoir
Failure and
slumping
due to
weakened
rock mass
Viaont dam disaster, Italy
Reservoirs: raised water table

s
= c + . (
n
- p)
p = pore fluid pressure

n
p = effective stress

1,WT

3, WT
Unstable
Stable

3
S
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a
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s
t
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s
s

s
Raising water table
Normal stress
n
Dams: types
Gravity dam: rigid monolithic structure
Trapezoidal cross section
Minimal differential movement tolerated
Dispersed moderate stress on valley floor and
walls
Arch dam: high strength concrete wall
Convex faces upstream
Thin walled structure
Relatively flexible
Huge stresses imposed on valley walls and floor
Earth dams: bank or earth or rock with
impermeable core
Core of clay or concrete, extended below ground
Sand or gravel drains built to cut fluid pressure
Low stress applied to valley floor and walls
Types of dam
Arch
Buttress
Embankment
or Earth
Gravity
EmossonDam, Switzerland
The Vaiont dam today
Dams: forces applied
Vertical static forces
Lateral force applied by water body
Dynamic forces
wave action
overflow of water (controlled by spillway
channels)
earthquakes and tremors
ice/freezing
Dam failure: earthquake
Dam failure: asteroids
Dam failure: bombs
Dam sites: geology
Poor geological characterisation of dam foundation
responsible for 40% of dam failures
Need proper site investigation
Dams: ground improvement
Poor geological conditions can be improved in 2 ways
improving load bearing properties
controlling seepage
gravel sand silt clay
>10 2 0.07 0.002 <0.0001 mm grain size
Rolling, bolting and pre-loading
gravity drainage
well-points with drainage
electro-osmosis
vibro flotation
explosives
grouts
chemical treatments
thermal treatment g
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Dams: ground improvement
Rock bolts
Rolling and preloading
compresses ground in prep for structure
improves post dam compaction
Gravity drainage and well points:
sand and gravel channels and shallow wells (for pumping) Electro-osmosis: insert conduction
rods into fine grained clay-rich bedrock and have an electric field - de-waters ground via the
flow of electric current
Vibroflotation
mechanical vibrating plate with load compresses low density gravels and sands
Explosives
useful in water-saturated gravel and scree increases bulk density
Grouts
material injected into the ground
Chemical treatments
react solutions injected into ground. React with material to alter properties. NaCl solution
injected into smectite-rich mud, shale etc. to alter expansivityof smectite stabilizes ground
pre-construction
Thermal treatment
Freezing with injected liquid N2 to consolidate loose ground during excavation. Heating by
burning petroleum under pressure in subsurface causes thermal metamorphism - hardens
ground and cuts porosity
Injected
grout curtain
Pre-stressed
anchors
Drain
Apron drains (to
individual aquifers)
Excavation
to rock
Regolith
Reservoir
R
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k
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w
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g
y
Hard face to dam
Aquifer layers
Aquiclude layers
Core and rear of dam