The Karun-3 dam () is a
hydroelectric dam
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...
on the
Karun
The Karun (, ) is the Iranian river with the highest water flow, and the country's only navigable river. It is long. The Karun rises in the Zard Kuh mountains of the Bakhtiari district in the Zagros Range, receiving many tributaries, such as ...
river located in the province of
Khuzestan
Khuzestan province () is one of the 31 Provinces of Iran. Located in the southwest of the country, the province borders Iraq and the Persian Gulf, covering an area of . Its capital is the city of Ahvaz. Since 2014, it has been part of Iran's ...
,
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
. It was built to help meet Iran's energy demands as well as provide seasonal
flood control
Flood management or flood control are methods used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters. Flooding can be caused by a mix of both natural processes, such as extreme weather upstream, and human changes to waterbodies and ru ...
. The Karun river has the highest discharge slits and seasonal flooding in Iran.
The Karun-3
power generators
Electricity generation is the process of generating electric power from sources of primary energy. For utilities in the electric power industry, it is the stage prior to its delivery (transmission, distribution, etc.) to end users or its storag ...
are connected to the national power grid. With peak power generation at , average annual electric power generation is . The dam has one of the largest generator capacities in Iran which help the electric power shortage during peak demand in the summer.
This dam is of concrete double
arch
An arch is a curved vertical structure spanning an open space underneath it. Arches may support the load above them, or they may perform a purely decorative role. As a decorative element, the arch dates back to the 4th millennium BC, but stru ...
type. It is high from the foundation and high from the river bed. The foundation width is .
The
arch dam
An arch dam is a concrete dam that is curved upstream in plan. The arch dam is designed so that the force of the water against it, known as hydrostatic pressure, presses against the arch, causing the arch to straighten slightly and strengtheni ...
design is ideal for this location which has a narrow, rocky gorge behind the water reservoir. Moreover, because of its arch shape, the force of the reservoir water presses downward against the dam which strengthens the dam foundation.
Gallery
File:Karoon3 (2).JPG, The dam's lake
File:Karoon3 (4).JPG,
File:Karoon3 (5).JPG,
File:Karoon3 (6).JPG,
File:Karoon3 (7).JPG,
See also
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Karun
The Karun (, ) is the Iranian river with the highest water flow, and the country's only navigable river. It is long. The Karun rises in the Zard Kuh mountains of the Bakhtiari district in the Zagros Range, receiving many tributaries, such as ...
*
Dez Dam
The Dez Dam (), formerly known as Mohammad-Reza Shah Pahlavi Dam (Persian: ), before the 1979 Revolution, is an arch dam on the Dez River in the southwestern province of Andimeshk, Khuzsetan. It was built between 1959 and 1963 during the rule of ...
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Dams in Iran
Major dam construction started in Iran in the 1950s. Some fourteen large dams were built with the help of foreign engineers and advisors during two decades preceding the Islamic Revolution in 1979.
In the post-revolution era, Iran's dam buildin ...
References
External links
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Hydroelectric power stations in Iran
Reservoirs in Iran
Buildings and structures in Khuzestan province
Dams in Khuzestan Province
Dams completed in 2005
Arch dams
Dams on the Karun River
2005 establishments in Iran
{{Iran-dam-stub