The Xinfengjiang Dam (, also known as the Xinfeng Dam) is a

gravity dam A gravity dam is a dam constructed from concrete or stone masonry and designed to hold back water by using only the weight of the material and its resistance against the foundation. Gravity dams are designed so that each section of the dam is ...

on the

Xinfeng River The Xinfeng River ( postal: Sunfung River; ) is a river in Guangdong Province, China and a tributary of the Dong River. Its confluence with the Dong is in Heyuan. The river is dammed by the Xinfengjiang Dam, creating the large Xinfengjiang Reserv ...

, upstream of its confluence with the Dong River, and just west of Heyuan City in

Guangdong Province ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. The dam's power station has a 292.5 MW installed capacity and its reservoir supplies water for farming along with drinking water to

Guangzhou Guangzhou, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...

Shenzhen Shenzhen is a prefecture-level city in the province of Guangdong, China. A Special economic zones of China, special economic zone, it is located on the east bank of the Pearl River (China), Pearl River estuary on the central coast of Guangdong ...

and

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

. Construction on the dam began in 1958, the first generator was operational in 1960 and the dam complete in 1962. The dam's reservoir-filling is attributed to several earthquakes within the project area including a 6.1- magnitude (M_w) on March 19, 1962.

Background

Construction on the dam began in 1958, a total of of earth was excavated at the construction site. On October 20, 1959 the reservoir behind the dam began to fill and in November there were several small earthquakes within the reservoir zone. When the water level reached above sea level (ASL) in May 1960, there were three to four earthquakes at a 3.1- and on July 18, when the water level ASL, a 4.3- earthquake occurred. On March 19, 1962 when the reservoir reached ASL there was a 6.1- earthquake with an

epicenter The epicenter (), epicentre, or epicentrum in seismology is the point on the Earth's surface directly above a hypocenter or focus, the point where an earthquake or an underground explosion originates. Determination The primary purpose of a ...

downstream from the dam which destroyed several houses in the area. After the earthquake and as a precaution, cavities within the foundation were reinforced with concrete. This and other upgrades brought the dam to a 9.5--rated resistant design.

Design

The dam is a tall, wide gravity dam. Its crest width is and it has a structural volume of of concrete. Above the dam is a drainage area and it withholds a reservoir of . The dam contains a surface controlled spillway with three

floodgate Floodgates, also called stop gates, are adjustable gates used to control water flow in flood barriers, reservoir, river, stream, or levee systems. They may be designed to set spillway crest heights in dams, to adjust flow rates in sluices and ...

s, each with a maximum discharge capacity for a total of . The discharge tunnel on the dam's left bank has a diameter, is long and has a capacity. The dam's reservoir has a flood storage capacity, rated for a once in a hundred-year flood. The dam's power station is located at its base (toe) and contains four

Francis turbine The Francis turbine is a type of water turbine. It is an inward-flow reaction turbine that combines radial and axial flow concepts. Francis turbines are the most common water turbine in use today, and can achieve over 95% efficiency. The pro ...

generators. Three are rated at 72.5 MW and the fourth at 75 MW for a total design capacity of 292.5 MW but the power plant can operate at a maximum 315 MW after later upgrades.

References

{{Reflist Hydroelectric power stations in Guangdong Dams in China Gravity dams Dams completed in 1962 de:Xinfeng-Stausee no:Xinfengjiang-demningen zh:新丰江水库

Background

Design

See also

References