Analysis of unlined pressure shafts and tunnels of selected Norwegian hydropower projects

Norwegian hydropower industry has more than 100 years of experiences in constructing more than4000 km-long unlined pressure shafts and tunnels with maximum static head of 1047 m（equivalent to almost 10.5 MPa） reached at unlined pressure tunnel of Nye Tyin project. Experiences gained from construction and operation of these unlined pressure shafts and tunnels were the foundation to develop design criteria and principles applied in Norway and some other countries. In addition to the confinement criteria, Norwegian state-of-the-art design principle for unlined pressure shaft and tunnel is that the minor principal stress at the location of unlined pressure shaft or tunnel should be more than the water pressure in the shaft or tunnel. This condition of the minor principal stress is prerequisite for the hydraulic jacking/splitting not to occur through joints and fractures in rock mass. Another common problem in unlined pressure shafts and tunnels is water leakage through hydraulically splitted joints or pre-existing open joints. This article reviews some of the first attempts of the use of unlined pressure shaft and tunnel concepts in Norway, highlights major failure cases and two successful cases of significance, applies Norwegian criteria to the cases and reviews and evaluates triggering factors for failure.This article further evaluates detailed engineering geology of failure cases and also assesses common geological features that could have aggravated the failure. The minor principal stress is investigated and quantified along unlined shaft and tunnel alignment of six selected project cases by using threedimensional numerical model. Furthermore, conditions of failure through pre-existing open joints by hydraulic jacking and leakage are assessed by using two-dimensional fluid flow analysis. Finally, both favorable and unfavorable ground conditions required for the applicability of Norwegian confinement criteria in locating the unlined pressure shafts and tunnels for geotectonic environment different from that of Norway are highlighted.

Risk and Response of China Overseas Hydropower Projects--A Vision of Corporate Social Responsibility

Recent years, with the quickening of global economic integration and the rapid development of our country, more and more Chinese enterprises begin to implement internationalization strategy and actively develop overseas business. However, the internationalized process of Chinese enterprises is not progressing smoothly. The paper systematically analyzes the risks of China overseas hydropower projects from two aspects： international environment risks and internal risks of hydropower enterprises and points out that effectively fulfilling corporate social responsibility by using Guidance on Social Responsibility （ISO26000） could help Chinese hydropower enterprises to deal with overseas risks. In order to help Chinese hydropower enterprises to improve the CSR （Corporate Social Responsibility） implementation level, the paper integrates the characteristics of hydropower enterprises with the core subjects of ISO26000, examines the key problems on the CSR work of Chinese hydropower enterprises according to requirements of ISO26000 and puts forward effective advices.

Assessment of Man-made and Natural Hazards in the Surroundings of Hydropower Projects under Construction in the Beas Valley of Northwestern Himalaya

Mountain ecosystem, on the earth, has plenty of natural resources. In Himachal Pradesh all the rivers are snowfed and therefore rich in water resources. These resources have been supporting enough for the generation of electricity through introducing hydropower projects since the last decade However, every developmental activity has its own negative impacts on the surrounding environment. Due to the fragile nature of topography and delicacy of ecology of the Himalaya, it results in lot of disturbances because of high degree of human interferences like construction of major hydropower projects. The increased extent of geological hazards, such as landslides, rock fall and soil erosion, have mainly due to alike developmental interventions in the natural ecosystem. So understanding and analysing such impacts of the hydropower projects have mainly been on the environment in various forms but natural hazards have been frequent ones. The present study, therefore, focuses mainly on the Parbati Stage II （800 MW） and the Parbati Stage III （520 MW） hydropower projects; both of which fall within the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh. Based on the perception survey of the local communities, the existing land use pattern, status of total acquired land of the residents by hydropower projects, frequent natural hazards and resultant loss to the local communities due to upcoming construction of hydropower projects surrounding to the Parbati Stage II and III have been analysed in the paper. Also, the preventive measures to mitigate these adverse impacts have been suggested to strengthen these projects in eco-friendly manner in the mountain context.

Sustainability Assessment and Ranking of Run of the River(RoR) Hydropower Projects Using Analytical Hierarchy Process(AHP):A Study from Western Himalayan Region of India

In the present scenario,tapping the unutilised hydropower potential is one of the highest priorities in developing countries of the world.Special emphasis is being imparted to run of the river(RoR)mode of power generation.However,the governments are now facing the dilemma whether to promote small hydropower projects(SHPs) or encourage large hydropower projects(LHPs).RoR large hydropower projects result into large scale cutting of mountains for constructing tunnels and access roads,generation of huge quantity of muck and large scale impact on flora and fauna due to diversion of rivers/streams.On the other hand,though SHPs are claimed to be greener and more sustainable by a section of researchers and energy planners but,they will be required to be set up in large number to generate equivalent amount of electricity.The aim of this study is to rank the most sustainable installed capacity range of RoR hydropower projects.To achieve this aim,the study proposes the use of quite popular multi-criteria decision making(MCDM)method of Operation Research named Analytical Hierarchy Process.A case study has been presented from Himachal Pradesh,a hydro rich state located in the western Himalayan region.As per sustainability assessment carried out in this study,hydropower projects in the capacity range 1 to 5 MW have been ranked to be the most sustainable.

Emergy footprint evaluation of hydropower projects

In the past thirty years, various hydropower projects, some with a dam height of over 300 m, have been planned and constructed within China. It is inevitable that these will have sizable effects on the environment, and it is crucial therefore to reasonably evaluate and control adverse effects. In this paper, the transformities of various items for hydropower projects were systematically analyzed, and an emergy footprint model for the projects was developed based on ecological footprint analyses and emergy theory, so that it can quantitatively evaluate the effects on the environment, both positive and negative, resulting from the whole process of planning, constructing and operating the projects. As an example, the effects of a large-scale hydropower project, the 'LP project', were investigated. The results showed that the hydropower projects have strong positive effects on the environment and can even in the short term balance the emergy footprint appropriation resulting from the construction and operation of the hydropower projects. Finally, suggestions were presented for the design of hydropower projects.

Research on Delay Risks of EPC Hydropower Construction Projects in Vietnam

In recent years, in Vietnam, economy has been developing rapidly. To ensure rapid and sustainable economic growth, strong support from the energy sector is required. Governments in Vietnam have invested in numerous hydropower projects, many of which employ the EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) contract. However, the EPC general contractors are facing many difficulties, resulting in schedule delays and considerable losses. This research is conducted to highlight the main risk factors in the delays of hydropower construction projects in Vietnam. The research employs the method of statistical calculations and risk analysis to obtain feedback from experts participating in similar projects. The research outcomes are as follows: identifying the risks that can cause delays in EPC hydroelectric construction projects in Vietnam;calculating and classifying the degree of impact of each risk to the progress of the construction. The practical significance of this study is to ensure the timely completion of projects, benefits for the investors, and the EPC general contractors.

Influences of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Projects on Runoff in Qingjiang River Upstream Basin

Hydrological data on the Upper Qingjiang River from 1960 to 2012 document trends of runoff caused by hydropower engineering projects and long-term changes in rainfall. Annual runoff correlates strongly with annual precipitation, but is significantly reduced after reservoir construction compared to earlier values. Comparisons of intense, pre- and post-construction rainfall events suggest that the Chebahe and Dalongtan reservoir projects respectively clips the magnitude of the flood peaks and delays runoff delivery.

Experimental investigation of creep behavior of clastic rock in Xiangjiaba Hydropower Project

There are many fracture zones crossing the dam foundation of the Xiangjiaba Hydropower Project in southwestern China. Clastic rock is the main media of the fracture zone and has poor physical and mechanical properties. In order to investigate the creep behavior of clastic rock, triaxial creep tests were conducted using a rock servo-controlling rheological testing machine. The results show that the creep behavior of clastic rock is significant at a high level of deviatoric stress, and less time-dependent deformation occurs at high confining pressure. Based on the creep test results, the relationship between axial strain and time under different confining pressures was investigated, and the relationship between axial strain rate and deviatoric stress was also discussed. The strain rate increases rapidly, and the rock sample fails eventually under high deviatoric stress. Moreover, the creep failure mechanism under different confining pressures was analyzed. The main failure mechanism of clastic rock is plastic shear, accompanied by a significant compression and ductile dilatancy. On the other band, with the determined parameters, the Burgers creep model was used to fit the creep curves. The results indicate that the Burgers model can exactly describe the creep behavior of clastic rock in the Xiangjiaba Hydropower Project.

Key techniques for evaluation of safety monitoring sensors in water conservancy and hydropower engineering

For the evaluation of construction quality and the verification of the design of water conservancy and hydropower engineering projects, and especially for the control of dam safety operation behavior, safety monitoring sensors are employed in a majority of engineering projects. These sensors are used to monitor the project during the dam construction and operation periods, and play an important role in reservoir safety operation and producing benefits. With the changing of operating environments and run-time of projects, there are some factors affecting the operation and management of projects, such as a certain amount of damaged sensors and instability of the measured data. Therefore, it is urgent to evaluate existing safety monitoring sensors in water conservancy and hydropower engineering projects. However, there are neither standards nor evaluation guidelines at present. Based on engineering practice, this study examined some key techniques for the evaluation of safety monitoring sensors, including the evaluation process of the safety monitoring system, on-site detection methods of two typical pieces of equipment, the differential resistor sensor and vibrating wire sensor, the on-site detection methods of communication cable faults, and a validity test of the sensor measured data. These key techniques were applied in the Xiaolangdi Water Control Project and Xiaoxi Hydropower Project. The results show that the measured data of a majority of sensors are reliable and reasonable, and can reasonably reflect the structural change behavior in the project operating process, indicating that the availabilities of the safety monitoring sensors of the two projects are high

Design of High Precision Horizontal Control Network for Large-Scale Hydropower Project

A new solution of combination network of GPS and high precise distance measurements with EDM is proposed. Meanwhile, it’s inadvisable only using GPS network without distance measurements. Three schemes: terrestrial network, GPS network and combination network are discussed for horizontal control network design of Xiangjiaba Dam in view of precision, reliability, coordinate and outlay in detail.

Operation safety risk analysis method of hydropower project considering time-dependent effect

In order to consider the time-dependent characteristic of risk factors of hydropower project,the method of stochastic process simulating structure resistance and load effect is adopted.On the basis of analyzing the structure characteristics and mode of operation,the operation safety risk rate assessment model of hydropower project is established on the comprehensive application of the improved analytic hierarchy process,the time-dependent reliability theory and the risk rate threshold.A scheme to demonstrate the time-dependent risk rate assessment method for an example of the earth-rock dam is particularly implemented by the proposed approach.The example shows that operation safety risk rate is closely related to both the service period and design standard;considering the effect of time-dependent,the risk rate increases with time and the intersection of them reflects the technical service life of structures.It could provide scientific basis for the operation safety and risk decision of the hydropower project by predicting the trend of risk rate via this model.

Gezhouba Hydropower Project

The Gezhouba water conservancy project includes the first and largest hydropower station on the Yangtze River. The dam is 2606.5 metres long and 70 metres high with a water drop of 27 metres. Like a monster dragon lying at the outlet of the Xilin Gorge of the river, this spectacular dam blockades the east-running torrents and made them a source of money.

Prospect of Jinsha River——A Huge Hydropower Base in China

This paper emphatically introduces the general situation, financial evaluation and competitive edge of both Xiangjiaba and Xiluodu hydropower stations, and briefs the preparatory works of Wudongde and Baihetan hydropower stations.

Stability analysis on Jinjia dam hydropower project in Chongqing City

The stability analysis is one of the chief problems at hydropower stations.The Jinjia Hydropower Station is a significant project in Southwest China.The paper adopts the rigidity limited equilibrium theory and evaluated stability of the slope body,which will provide the evidences for further detail design.

Pre-feasibility Report on Guandi Hydropower Project Passes Examination

The pre-feasibility, report and dam site selection scheme of Guandi Hydropower Project has passed examination on the Examination Meeting held in Chengdu. Sichuan Province from March 16 to March 20. 1996. It indicates a step forward toward feasibility, study and the project be put in the state development program. The programmed Guandi Hydropover