The Rapel Dam is an
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 strengthen ...
on the
Rapel River about north of
La Estrella in the
Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins Region, Chile. The primary purpose of the dam is hydroelectric power generation and it supports a 377 MW power station. The dam was completed in 1968 and is owned by
Endesa. It creates the largest
reservoir
A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation.
Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...
in Chile with a capacity of .
The dam withstood the 7.5
Mw 1985 Rapel Lake earthquake
The 1985 Rapel Lake earthquake occurred on 8 April at with a moment magnitude of 7.5 and a maximum perceived intensity of VI (''Strong''). The shock was centered southwest of Santiago, Chile, with a focal depth of .
Earthquake
The 9 April 19 ...
with only minor damage. It was centered from the dam.
[
]
Design
The Rapel Dam is a tall and long variable-radius arch-type. It is wide at its crest and wide at its base. The dam's spillway is controlled by five tainter gates and has a discharge capacity of . The dam's reservoir, Lake Rapel
Rapel Lake (Spanish: ''Lago Rapel'' or ''Embalse Rapel'') is an artificial lake created by a dam on the Rapel River. It is located in the Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins Region, Central Chile.
The reservoir was created with the aim of feed ...
has a capacity of which is active capacity.
Power station
The power station, located at the dam's base, contains five 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 proces ...
-generators and is afforded of net hydraulic head
Hydraulic head or piezometric head is a specific measurement of liquid pressure above a vertical datum., 410 pages. See pp. 43–44., 650 pages. See p. 22.
It is usually measured as a liquid surface elevation, expressed in units of length, ...
.[
]
References
{{Authority control
Dams completed in 1968
Dams in Chile
Arch dams
Geography of O'Higgins Region