December 3, 2015
CVEN 1317/AREN 1316 Homework 5: Architectural & Civil
Engineering Term Project
CONTROVERSIAL PROJECTS:
Three Gorges Dam, China
By Amir Fikri Abdull Khalil
Introduction
Biggest hydropower project in the world
Installed capacity of 18,200 MW
Location: Yangtze River, China
Dam height: 199m (652ft)
Dam: length: 2.24km (1.4 miles)
Construction period: 1994- 2009
Cost: USD 24.6 billion
People Displaced: 1.3 to 1.9 million
Reservoir size : 632 square kilometers in area, length
of 662 kilometers and water level of 175 meters
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GOALS
CONTORVERSIES
- To improve the flood control system in Yangtze River
> Upgrade the flood control standard from the
level of preventing under-10-year floods to that of
preventing 100-year floods
> Protect 1.5 million hectare of farmland and 15
million of people from flood damage
- To improve ship navigation and water transportation
system across the river
> Treacherous twists and turns of navigating the
river will be moderated
> Increase the cargo capacity of the river
- To provide clean hydroelectricity
> China currently produces 75 80 % of its
electricity using coal burning
> Project is estimated to save 50 million tons of coal
yearly
> Decreasing the emission of 100 million tons of
CO2 and 2 million tons of SO2
- Increase in landslide occurrence
> Raising and lowering the water level in the
reservoir for flood control caused the soil to
become unstable
- Massive relocation of people
> Many social rights were violated in the process
- Destruction of surrounding flora and fauna
> Caused huge change in the ecological system
which affected a lot of animals.
> A huge area of forest was lost due to filling of
the reservoir
- Lost of archeological site
> 1,300 excavated sites and 8,000 unexcavated
archeological sites were lost lost
- Increase in seismic activity and earthquake
> Massive size and weight of the reservoir
affected the underlying geological plates
TECHINCAL PROBLEMS
1) Where and how to build the dam
- Location needs to be geographically strategic
- Construction cannot block the flow of the river
2) Structural design of the dam
- Needs to be really strong due to the size
- Needs to withstand natural disasters
3) Water level conflictions
- Flood control requires low water level
- Electricity production requires high water level
4) Ships need to pass through the dam
- River is used for transportation
5) Slopes and riverbank stabilization
- Ground becomes unstable due to drastic
change of water level
Source: http://probeinternational.org/library/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Ship-lift-at-ThreeGorges-Dam-China-design-of-steel-structures.pdf
ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS
- Lower reaches of the Yangtze River was
chosen as the river here is much wider.
(Geotechnical Engineering)
- The project was also built in phases and diversion
channels were built. (Construction Engineering)
- Concrete gravity dam design was selected in
which the force that supports the dam is the
Earth's gravity pulling down on the mass of the
dam. (Structural Engineering)
- The reservoirs water level is specified differently
at different times of the year. (Water Resources
Engineering)
- Ship lock and ship lift were installed to allow ship
to pass through the dam. (Structural &
Mechanical Engineering)
- Steep slopes and riverbanks were strengthen and
reinforced with concrete. (Structural &
Geotechnical Engineering)
