Assignment No.

Briefly discuss the salient features and dam type of Tarbela and Mangla Dam
and relate it with the factors governing the selection of dam type.

First of all we will discuss the salient features of tarbela dam. t is built over
the River Indus near the small town of Tarbela in the Haripur District of the country. It is also
the second largest dam in the world in terms of reservoir capacity, which is 11.62 million acre-
feet (14.3 billion cubic metres).

Here are some features of tarbela dam given below:

Tarbela Dam

Installed Capacity (Full Project) 5,400 MW (15 Units @ 360 MW each)

Annual Energy (Full Project) 26,700 GWh            

Installed Capacity (Stage-I) 2,160 MW (06 Units @ 360 MW each)

Annual Energy (Stage-I) 12,222 GWh

Design Discharge 2,670 m3/sec

Dam Type RCC (Gravity)                    

Max. Gross Head 184 m 

Dam Height 242 m

Crest Length 570 m

Spillway Gates 08 Nos

Low Level Outlets (LLOs) 09 Nos

Flushing Tunnels 02 Nos (Circular)

Headrace Tunnel 04 Nos (Circular)

Tailrace Tunnel 04 Nos (D-Shaped)

Powerhouse Underground

Economic & Financial Parameters (Stage-I)

EIRR 24.79 %

FIRR 20.04 %
Where,

EIRR stands for Economical Internal Rate of Return

FIRR stands for Financial Internal Rate of Return

Now we will discuss the salient features of Mangla dam.

The Mangla Dam is a multipurpose dam located on the Jhelum River in the Mirpur District of
Azad Kashmir in Pakistan. It is the seventh largest dam in the world. The dam got its name from
the village of Mangla.

Here are some features of Mangla dam given below:

Installed Capacity (Full Project) 5,400 MW (15 Units @ 360 MW each)

Annual Energy (Full Project) 26,700 GWh            

Installed Capacity (Stage-I) 2,160 MW (06 Units @ 360 MW each)

Annual Energy (Stage-I) 12,222 GWh

Design Discharge 2,670 m3/sec

Dam Type RCC (Gravity)                    

Max. Gross Head 184 m 

Dam Height 242 m

Crest Length 570 m

Spillway Gates 08 Nos

Low Level Outlets (LLOs) 09 Nos

Flushing Tunnels 02 Nos (Circular)

Headrace Tunnel 04 Nos (Circular)

Tailrace Tunnel 04 Nos (D-Shaped)

Powerhouse Underground

Economic & Financial Parameters (Stage-I)

 EIRR 24.79 %

FIRR 20.04 %

Now we will discuss the factors governing the selection of dam type,

Whenever it is decided to construct a dam, the first question that one face is
which type of dam will be most suitable and most economical? Following are
the factors affecting selection of dam site by dam type.

1. Topography
2. Geology and Foundation Conditions
3. Availability of materials
4. Spillway size and location
5. Earthquake zone
6. Height of the Dam
7. Transportation facilities
8. Translate (derivation) conditions
9. Climatic conditions and duration of construction
10.  Landslide
11. Economic situation of the country
12.  Machine park area availability, types and capacities of machines

Topography
Topography dictates the first choice of the type of dam.

1. A narrow U-shaped valley, i.e. a narrow stream flowing between high

rocky walls, would suggest a concrete overflow dam.
2. A low plain country, would suggest an earth fill dam with separate
spillways.
3. A narrow V-shaped valley indicates the choice of an Arch dam

Geological and Foundation Conditions

Geological and Foundation conditions should be thoroughly surveyed
because the foundations have to carry the weight of the dam. Various kind of
foundations generally encountered are
1. Solid rock foundations such as granite have strong bearing power and
almost every kind of dam can be built on such foundations.
2. Gravel foundations are suitable for earthen and rock fill dams.
3. Silt and fine sand foundations suggest construction of earth dams or
very low gravity dams.
4. Clay foundations are likely to cause enormous settlement of the dam.
Constructions of gravity dams or rock fill dams are not suitable on such
foundations. Earthen dams after special treatments can be built.

Availability of Materials
Availability of materials is another important factor in selecting the type of
dam. In order to achieve economy in dam construction, the materials
required must be available locally or at short distances from the construction
site.

Spillway Size and Location

spillway disposes the surplus river discharge. The capacity of the spillway
will depend on the magnitude of the floods to be by-passed. The spillway is
therefore much more important on rivers and streams with large flood
potential.

Earthquake Zone
If dam is situated in an earthquake zone, its design must include earthquake
forces. The type of structure best suited to resist earthquake shocks without
danger are earthen dams and concrete gravity dams.

Height of Dam
Earthen dams are usually not provided for heights more than 30 m or so. For
greater heights, gravity dams are generally preferred.
Transportation facilities :
If the dam site is close to existing roads, which reduces the cost of new road construction.
Access to the material quarries is also important when selecting the dam site.

Translate (derivation) conditions : In order to be able to construct the dam under dry
conditions, the upstream and downstream sides of the construction site should be suitable to be
closed with low dams called altitude.

Landslide:
Large waves can be created from ground slopes of the dam to the landslide and the lake.