Submission details

Submitted by: Anshul Lingwal

Branch: Mechanical Engineering

University/College: University of Petroleum and Energy Studies

Date of joining internship: 1/7/2021

Last Date of Internship: 30/7/2021

Place of Internship: Tehri

Mode of Internship: Online Mode

Submitted to Manager (HRD)

THDC India Ltd. Rishikesh

Introduction

The Tehri Dam is the tallest dam in India. It is a multi-purpose rock and earth-

fill embankment dam on the Bhagirathi River near Tehri in Uttarakhand, India. It is the

primary dam of the THDC India Ltd. and the Tehri hydroelectric complex. Phase 1 was

completed in 2006. The Tehri Dam withholds a reservoir for irrigation, municipal water

supply and the generation of 1,000 megawatts (1,300,000 hp) of hydroelectricity. The dam's

1,000 MW variable-speed pumped-storage scheme is currently under construction with

expected commissioning in 2022. The Tehri Dam provides a reservoir for agriculture,

municipal water supply, and hydroelectric power generating of 1,000 megawatts (1,300,000

hp). The dam's 1,000 MW variable-speed pumped-storage scheme is now being built, with

commissioning planned in 2022.

Problems Faced by THDCIL

In 1947, Bhakra Dam construction was already underway while Tehri was locked in logjam.

Timely completion of Bhakra transformed the face of Punjab bringing prosperity to it and its

adjoining areas but Tehri could taste this prosperity late. When Bhakra finally saw the light of

the day in 1962, only a preliminary survey was completed for Tehri Dam.

Preliminary investigation for Tehri Dam Project got completed in 1961 and it took 11 long

years for the design to get completed. After the design of the dam was completed in 1972

came the feasibility studies which took another six years (completed in 1978). Though the

construction of the dam began soon after there were massive delays caused by various

reasons including environmental and social concerns raised by scores of "activists".

The newly-formed Tehri Bandh Virodhi Sangarsh Samiti (Anti-Tehri Dam Struggle

Committee) started holding protest dharnas. Many non-violent demonstrations were staged

during which a number of people were arrested and jailed. Opposing Tehri Dam had became

the most fashionable statement, paving numerous hurdles on its way.

If the locals were resisting acquisition of their land environmentalists were raising heckles

over environmental issues. Politicians went about haggling over their petty interests and gains

while a vast segment of people did not want their sacred Bhagirathi River to be tamed at any

cost. Add to this, a villager, dispatching a letter every day in protest against the construction

of dam at Tehri All this happened despite the fact that the construction of the would mean 24-

hour electricity supply in Tehri and its surrounding areas. It also meant better civic

infrastructure and an improved lifestyle. However, project abandoned in mid-80s after it was

sharply environmental grounds by a government-appointed review committee. In 1985, Tehri

Bandh Virodhi Sangara sh Samiti (TBVSS) challenged the project in the Supreme Court.
Financial crunch, technical glitches and protests.

he Indian Government which was already facing funds crunch regarding the dam construction

looked for outside support. In 1986, the erstwhile USSR started providing financial

assistance.

During Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev's visit to India in November 1986, a Soviet

economic aid package for India's nuclear programme suddenly fell through due to Indian

opposition. In an attempt to salvage the prestige of the visit, a project was promptly sought

that would win both Soviet and Indian approvals. As a result, the then Indian Prime Minister

Rajiv Gandhi and Gorbachev signed an agreement on the Tehri Dam project.

But the happiness was short-lived as political instability in erstwhile USSR spelt doom for the

project here. Additionally, the valley was still smouldering in protests. There were misgivings

not just in the mind of those at the helm of affairs but also among general public. The mere

mention of building a dam on a holy river saw a number of people and organisations along

with environmentalists proclaiming that the dam would spell doom for ecology and natural

habitat of the area. There were human right concerns too. A large dam in a fragile ecosystem

of the Himalayan foothills can never be a good idea, argued environmentalists Concerns were

raised on the dam's geological stability as the dam is located in the Central Himalayan

Seismic Gap, a major geologic fault zone.

In October 1991, the region faced an earthquake of magnitude 6.8 on Richter scale with its

epicentre being 53 km from the dam's location. Some seismologists feared that earthquakes

with a magnitude of 8.5 or more could occur in this region which would not only cause dam-

break but submerge numerous towns downstream whose population totalled half-a-million.

Sunder Lal Bahuguna was quite vocal in his protest against the dam. Common slogans doing

rounds those days included "We don't want the dam" or "The dam is the mountain's
destruction." Locals claimed the sanctity of River Ganges was being compromised upon for

the generation of electricity. As a result, for years after the Government had approved

implementation of the first stage of the mega Tehri Power Complex in 1994, the project

seemed to be in a limbo. The main task before THDCIL was countering questions relating to

the dam’s safety, environmental concerns and Resettlement Rehabilitation (R&R0 exercise.

Work also centred on fighting various cases before courts.

Technical Description:

Tehri Dam is a rock and earth-fill embankment dam with a height of 260.5 metres (855 feet).

It has a length of 575 metres (1,886 feet), a crest width of 20 metres (66 feet), and a base

width of 1,128 metres (3,701 ft). The dam creates a 4.0 cubic kilometre (3,200,000 acreft)

reservoir with a 52 km2 surface area (20 sq mi). The installed hydroelectric capacity is 1,000

MW, plus further 1,000 MW of pumped storage hydropower. The Koteshwar Dam

downstream creates the lower reservoir for the pumped-storage plant.

The Tehri Hydropower Complex, which also contains the 400 MW Koteshwar Dam, includes

the Tehri Dam and the Tehri Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Power Plant. The variable speed

features of the Tehri pumped storage facility (4 x 250 MW) can enhance round trip efficiency

under varied water levels in its reservoirs. Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Delhi,

Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Chandigarh, Rajasthan, and Himachal Pradesh receive

electricity.

Hydro turbine: - Four numbers of vertical Francis Turbine supplied by Power Machine

installed at Tehri HEP. Each machine has a rated capacity of 255MW and can be operated in

the head range of 122.6-230.0 m. The unique features of the design of francis turbine is single

runner which is capable of operation under large head variation of over 100.0m The direction

of rotation is anti-clockwise when viewed from the top. The rated speed of Machine is 214.28

rpm and maximum runway speed is 410rpm. The maximum efficiency of turbine is 95.5%.
Hydro Generator: - Tehri Hydro generator ( CB 870/300-28) is a vertical shaft, alternating

current, 3 phase synchronous machine of semi umbrella type with combined Thrust and Lower

Guide Bearing located below the Rotor and Upper Guide Bearing above the Rotor. It can

generate 275 MW maximm output power continuously. The rated Voltage and Current are

15.75KV and 10190.7Amp respectively with Power Factor 0.9. The hydro Generator is directly

coupled with Hydraulic Turbine. The total weight of generator comprising of rotor and Stator

is approximately 1300T.

Turbine Governing System: - Governor employed in Tehri machine senses change in speed

and then controls wicket gate opening automatically through servomotors so as to oppose

changes in turbine speed due to change in system demand and ensure the generation of power

at fixed frequency. The Tehri governor is EHT based consists of a digital programmable

electronic part for control and regulating function and a hydraulic part for power amplifying to

servo unit.

Auxiliary Equipment: - The auxiliary equipment like compressed Air System , MIV and BFV

along with Oil Pressure systems , Cooling Water System , Oil Handling and Generator Fire

Fighting System etc also formed the part of supply of main equipment.
Spillways: - According to the initial design elaborated by the Indian engineers, the flood in the

construction period was proposed to be handled through four diversion tunnels, 11 m in

diameter: two on the right bank of the Bhagirathi river and two on the left bank of the

Bhilangana river. Discharge capacity of each tunnel is 1840 m3/s. The chute spillway which

requires deep incision into the slope over the height more than 200 m was proposed as the

service spillway structure. HPI proposed to use the diversion tunnels after refitting them into

the shaft spillways and conjugation with the vertical shafts. Discharge capacity of the shaft

spillway is 1800 m3/s. At each section of vertical shaft conjugation with the horizontal section

of the tunnel, provision shall be made for arrangement of a spiral case for creation of "vortexed

flow" to avoid the cavitation due to water flow impact on the tunnel concrete lining.

Department in Roorkee, UP (India). From the result of studies, the vortexed flow persists at the

usable sections of the diversion tunnels for about 1000 m in length. At that, due to the

centripetal forces, the air, entrained into the flow, is shaped in the form of "vortex core" in the

centre of tunnel cross-section, and the positive water pressure is developed around the

periphery of the tunnel lining which precludes cavitation impact on the tunnel lining. Such

design solution made it possible to eliminate four bays of the chute spillway and leave only

three bays. The total discharge capacity of the chute spillway at MWL is 5485 m3/s. At that, it

became possible to reduce, significantly, the volume of the right bank undercutting. In order to

meet CWC requirement of a possibility of quick emergency drawdown of the reservoir to

MDDL=740.0 m, the water intake at the intermediate level is provided on one of the shaft

spillways on the right bank. Each out of the two shaft spillways on the right bank has the

overflow funnel for automatic operation of the spillways at flood flow handling on rising the

reservoir water level above FRL-830.0m.

Design solutions for protection of slope above HPP and PSP intake structures.

In the course of construction of the intake structures and maintenance gates shafts (MGS), a

series of cross tectonic discontinuities with a thick zone of de-stressing was discovered.

When clearing the slope and excavation of pits for the intake structures a large sliding-prone

mass was formed which could loss its stability on flooding the slope by reservoir. In order to

ensure the slope stability, HPI has elaborated the engineering measures for the slope

protection. Those were four rows of piles, Diameter=3 m, resting on the bedrock. The piles

were of up to 48 m in depth. The pile heads exposed on the berms surface were combined by

cast-in-situ reinforced concrete pilework. A part of the slope above the water intakes

(between the pileworks) was covered by the cast-in-situ anchored reinforced concrete stepped

slabs.
Underground Machine and Transformer Halls

For elaboration of design solutions for the machine and transformer halls, based on the data

obtained from geomechanical studies in exploratory drifts. HP proposed to abandon

construction of massive reinforced concrete vaults and replace thems by the s called

"adjustable vaults in the form of multi hor shotcrete with anchoring the vault and walls. On

the basis of developed geological model of the rock mass enclosing the machine hall and

transformer hall the design of anchorage of the excavations was worked out providing for use

of pre-stressed multi-legged wire ropes with a design force of up to 140 t. Four measuring

sections equipped with multi-point extensometers were established in the machine and

transformer halls for monitoring the walls convergence. The obtained results of convergence

measurements inconsiderably differed from the design values

Design solutions for protection of slope above TRT outlet portals, portals of left-bank shaft

spillways and access tunnels to machine and transformer halls and administrative-and-

service building

In the course of construction of the HPP tailrace tunnels, the lengthwise slope of the

Bhagirathi River channel was undercut by blasting which resulted in formation of the large

landslide up to 80 m in height. In order to ensure the slope stability, a system of cellular type

reinforced concrete structures with rock filling was developed. The structure is three-tier

retaining walls over the slope height: the first tier is a flood-protection wall and two tiers of

walls made of reinforced concrete cellular structures 10x10x10m in size length wise the

entire slide prone slope. The undertaken engineering measures made it possible to suspend

the slide- prone mass displacement. However, the slope stability should be continuously

monitored.
 Successful Journey of a Green Power Plant

Power builds a nation's economy, and clean and green power is indispensable for sustainable

development of any country more so a developing nation like ours contributing towards

country's economy is in no way marginal The started with the taking over of Tehri Dam from

the Uttar Pradesh Government as an infant, struggling with ups and downs, facing various

challenges (both external and internal) and discharging efficiently in a professional and

optimal manner has resulted in the present adolescent stage of the company.

Significantly, the Corporation started making profit right from very first year of its

commercial operation (2006-07) Continuous profit earning and consistent increase in its net

worth over the years has given it a firm financial health. It evidently reflects effective

management of all key personnel.

As a socially responsible corporate, the THDCIL has been discharging its Corporate Social

Responsibilities (CSR) in a committed manner, giving priority to the areas of health,

education and self-employment.

Power Complex (2,400MW) Leading the way to Empower India Tehri Hydro

Tehri Hydro Complex (2400 MW) comprises of the following components:

a) Tehri Dam & Hydro Power Plant -1,000 MW

b) Koteshwar Hydro Electric Project-400 MW

c) Tehri Pumped Storage Plant-1,000 MW

Benefits from Tehri Hydro Power Complex

• Addition to installed generation capacity in Northern Region : 2,400 MW (1,400 MW

already installed)

• Annual Energy availability (Peaking): 5,219.82 MU

• Irrigation in Command Area: 8.74 lakh ha.

• Additional annual generation in Downstream Projects of State Government: 200MU

• 300 cusecs (162MGD) of Drinking Water for Delhi, to meet the requirement of about

40 lakh Population. 200 cusecs (108 MGD) of Drinking Water for towns and villages

of Uttar Pradesh to meet the requirement of 30 lakh population

• Flood Moderation

• Integrated development of Garhwal Region, including construction of New Tehri

Town with provision of all civic facilities, improved communication, education, ealth,

tourism, development of horticulture, fisheries and afforestation of the Region

• The additional agricultural output in U.P. & Uttarakhand due to irrigation water is

estimated as 1,600 crore annually

Adventure Sports at Tehri Reservoir

Being the largest water body in Uttarakhand, Tehri Dam Reservoir has a vast potential to be

developed as a tourist destination and a venue for water sports. Recently, the state

government has taken initiative by developing water sports complex at Koti, about 5 km

downstream of the dam. Water sports are organised by the state government during winters.

THDCIL also have plans for the landscape designing of the entire project area to attract

national and international tourists to Tehri Dam which could be started once ongoing work of

1,000 MW Pump Storage Plant is completed. With the influx of tourists, it can be a boost to

hotel/ hospitality industry. It can be helpful in providing livelihood to many unemployed

people.

References: -

• Wikipedia. (2021). Tehri Dam. [online] Available at:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tehri_Dam.
• Naithani, A.K., Nawani, P.C., Singh, L.G. and Singh, D., 2013. Engineering
geological evaluation of the spillway of dam (II-B) of Bunakha Hydroelectric Project,
Chukha Dzong, Bhutan. Journal of the Geological Society of India, 81(6), pp.835-
843.
• Sai, R.S.T., 2010. THDC INDIA LTD.: Profile. Water and Energy
International, 67(3).