Part B1: Basics

B1.2 Reservoirs
B1.2 Reservoirs
Topics

• Why store?
– Raise head, smooth flow, conflicts and trade offs

• Determination of reservoir volume/height

– Mass curve approach, simulation approach

• Dam design
– Forces on a dam, Types of dam, Seepage, Spillways

• Technical problems with dams

– Silting, failure

• Social impact of dams

– Seminars (Monday W6)
B1.2 Reservoirs
Seminars: Monday 17/1, 16:00

• Go to www.dams.org
– World commission on dams report overview (skim this
– it’s pretty long and dull – concentrate on the
findings)
– Responses to the report
• Contrast donors (such as the ADB) with utilities (such as
the Indian Ministry of water resources) and dam-oriented
organisations (such as ICOLD or the ICE)
– Case studies (2)

• On the web (not necessarily on dams.org)

– Find an example of a “bad” dam project
– Find an example of a “good” dam project

• We will be discussing
– Who benefits and who loses when a dam is built?
– Who makes the decisions?
– What makes a dam good or bad?
B1.2 Reservoirs
Seminar groups

Group 1 (16:00) Group 2 (16:30)

Gunjan Dhingra Dafydd Caffery Rob Morford Roger Palmer

Mike Farrow Samuel Carter Chris Swinburn Anthony Pearson
Hannah Jones Nedim Dzananovic Kate Taylor Gareth Pilmoor
Matt Knight Philip Hallgarth Celia Way Ann Ruthven
Paul Knowles Neil Harding Marie Wells Matthew Scott
Peter Adams Martin Hill Matt Whitley Ben Sheterline
Elizabeth Aldridge Karen Hockey Eral Kahveci Melanie Sim
Jonathan Bailey Ching Hong Imra Karimn Nicholas Thompson
Khesraw Bashir Adam Ithier Martin Kendrick Daniel Tkotsch
Christopher Baxter Peter Jordan Shua Lii Christopher Tompkins
Richard Buckland Jan Jozefowski Beth Mcdowall Ian Yeung
Adil Munir
B1.2.1 Reservoirs
Why store

• Raise head
– Hydro power
– Allow greater flow to irrigation

• Smooth flow
– Reliable Hydro power
– Off season irrigation
– Flood control
– Domestic Water supply

• Other reasons
– Fishing
– Leisure
B1.2.1 Reservoirs
Why store: Conflicts

• Maximising head vs. Maximising

storage
– If the storage is used, the head is reduced

• Water use vs. flood control

– Water use prefers a full reservoir (for use
later)
– Flood control the reservoir should be empty
(so floodwater can fill it)
B1.2.1 Reservoirs
Why store: The anatomy of a reservoir
B1.2.2 Reservoirs
How much to store

3 2
h = f (V ) = f ( A )
B1.2.2 Reservoirs
How much to store

Qout = Qused + Qspill + Qevaporation + Qleakage + Qseapage + ......

Qn = Qin - Qout

Qin = Qstream + Q precipitation

Q precipitation �AP
B1.2.2 Reservoirs
How much to store: Mass curve
B1.2.3 Reservoirs
Dam design: Forces on a dam

W
g h2
F=
2

h
F =W +g t
2

g is the specific weight of water

B1.2.3 Reservoirs
Dam design: Types of dam

Type Materials Typical cross Plan view

section
Gravity Concrete, rubble
masonry

Arch Concrete

Buttress Concrete,
ferrocement, timber,
steel

Embankment Earth, rock

B1.2.3 Reservoirs
Dam design: Seepage: Flow nets

• Lines of constant potential, and constant flow

– Perpendicular
– Should form a series of squares

• Note boundary conditions

• ES254 Geotechnics Lectures 8&9
B1.2.3 Reservoirs
Dam design: Seepage: Typical flow nets
B1.2.3 Reservoirs
Dam design: Seepage: Typical flow nets:
Earth dams
B1.2.3 Reservoirs
Dam design: Seepage: Zoned earth
dams: piping
B1.2.3 Reservoirs
Dam design: Seepage: Earth dams

Toe drain

Blanket drain

Chimney and blanket

drain

Impermeable core and

blanket
B1.2.3 Reservoirs
Dam design: Seepage: Earth dams:
Zoned

Filters

Core
B1.2.3 Reservoirs
Dam design: Seepage: Zoned earth dams
B1.2.3 Reservoirs
Dam design: Seepage: Zoned earth dams

Ramganga project
B1.2.3 Reservoirs
Dam design: Seepage: Zoned earth dams

Kishan rockfill dam

B1.2.3 Reservoirs
Dam design: Spillways: Types

Side channel

Chute

Shaft

Syphon

Ogee
B1.2.3 Reservoirs
Dam design: Spillways: Side channel
B1.2.3 Reservoirs
Dam design: Spillways: Chute spillways
B1.2.3 Reservoirs
Dam design: Spillways: Shaft spillways
B1.2.3 Reservoirs
Dam design: Spillways: Ogee spillways
B1.2.3 Reservoirs
Dam design: Spillways: Ogee spillways
B1.2.3 Reservoirs
Dam design: Spillways: Hydraulic jump

hL

v12
Hd
2g v22
2g

h2
h1
B1.2.3 Reservoirs
Dam design: Spillways: Hydraulic jump
B1.2.3 Reservoirs
Dam design: Spillways: Hydraulic jump
Manning's equation

V = Stream velocity (m s-1)

R2 3S1 2 R = Hydraulic
V= radius
n
S = Slope
n = Manning roughness
B1.2.3 Reservoirs
Dam design: Spillways: Hydraulic jump
Bernoulli's equation

p = pressure (Pa)
 = Density (kg m-3)

p v2 g = Gravity (m s-2)
+ + z = constant
 g 2g v = velocity (m s-1)
z = elevation (m)
B1.2.3 Reservoirs
Dam design: Spillways: Hydraulic jump:
Sums: Critical depth

E =

h
Specific
Energy
v2 (m)
E =h+
2g h = head
(m) Tranquil
hcrit
g = Rapid
Gravity
(m s-2) Emin E

v =
velocity
(m s-1)
B1.2.3 Reservoirs
Dam design: Spillways: Hydraulic jump:
Sums: Head loss

hL

v12
Hd
2g v22
2g

h2
h1

� v22 �
hL = ( H d + h ) - �h2 + �
� 2g �
B1.2.3 Reservoirs
Dam design: Spillways: Hydraulic jump:
Sums: Height of the jump

hL

v12
Hd
2g v22
2g

h2
h1

12
h1 �h12 2v12 h1 �
h2 = + � + �
2 �4 g �
B1.2.3 Reservoirs
Dam design: Spillways: Hydraulic jump:
Location of the hydraulic jump
B1.2.3 Reservoirs
Dam design: Spillways: Encouraging a
jump
B1.2.4 Reservoirs
Technical problems with dams: Silting
B1.2.4 Reservoirs
Technical problems with dams: Silting
B1.2.4 Reservoirs
Technical problems with dams: Failure
modes
• Overtopping – inadequate spillways (1/3)
• Foundation failure (1/3)
– Excess seepage through foundation
– Piping – insufficient drainage/grading

• Wave action
• Erosion of downstream face
• Slump
• Bank stability
• Seismic activity
• Degradation – lack of maintenance
• Material supplies sub specification
B1.2.4 Reservoirs
Technical problems with dams: Failure: St
Francis breach
B1.2.4 Reservoirs
Technical problems with dams: Failure: St
Francis breach
B1.2.4 Reservoirs
Technical problems with dams: Failure:
Piping - Hellhole dam

Dec 22 3:00 pm Dec 23 7:00 am

Dec 23 9:30 am Dec 23 3:30 pm

B1.2.4 Reservoirs
Technical problems with dams: Failure:
San Luis Dam Slide
B1.2.4 Reservoirs
Technical problems with dams: Failure:
Fatehgarh dam earthquake damage
B1.2.4 Reservoirs
Technical problems with dams: Failure:
Vaiont dam bank slip
B1.2.5 Reservoirs
Social impact of dams

• Climate change
• Fertility of downstream banks
• Displacement
• Changes in local economy
• Deforestation
• Possibility of financial collapse
• Possibility of failure
• See; World commission on dams
www.dams.org
B1.2 Reservoirs
Summary

• Storage needs may conflict

• Mass balance and the mass curve are useful ways
to size reservoirs
• Seepage is an issue with earth dams but can be
dealt with by zoning
• There are several varieties of spillway, including
side channel, chute, shaft, syphon, and ogee
• Hydraulic jump is a useful technique to reduce
spillwater levels
• Dams can fail by silting, overtopping, foundation
failure wave action, erosion and lack of
maintenance
• Dams can have social and environmental impacts
B1.3 Next…..Water conveyance