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 to oppose the horizontal pressure of water pushing against it. ...

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 Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. 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 (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...

Shenzhen Shenzhen (; ; ; ), also historically known as Sham Chun, is a major sub-provincial city and one of the special economic zones of China. The city is located on the east bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern province ...

and

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

. 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. Surface damage Before the instrumental pe ...

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 c ...

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 proces ...

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