Wushe Dam Explained

Wushe Dam
霧社壩
Location Map:Nantou County
Location Map Size:220px
Country:Taiwan
Status:In use
Owner:Taiwan Power Company
Dam Type:arch-gravity dam
Dam Height:114.6m (376feet)
Dam Length:205m (673feet)
Dam Crosses:Wushe Creek
Res Name:Wushe Reservoir
Res Capacity Total:146000000m2 (nominal)
54390000m2 (2011 survey)
Res Catchment:219km2
Res Surface:2.84km2
Plant Turbines:2x 20.7 MW Francis-type
1x 19.7 MW Francis-type
Plant Capacity:61.1 MW
Plant Annual Gen:182,000,000 KWh
Coordinates:23.9808°N 121.1392°W

Wushe Dam (Chinese: c=霧社壩|p=Wùshè Bà) is a gravity dam forming Wushe Reservoir (Chinese: c=霧社水庫|p=Wùshè Shuǐkù|labels=no), also called Wanda Reservoir (Chinese: c=萬大水庫|p=Wàndà Shuǐkù|labels=no) and Bihu (Chinese: c=碧湖|p=Bìhú|labels=no), on the Wushe Creek (Chinese: c=霧社溪|p=Wùshè Xī|labels=no), a tributary of the Zhuoshui River, located in Ren-ai Township, Nantou County, Taiwan. The dam was completed in 1960 after seven years of construction, and serves mainly to generate hydroelectric power.

Background

When Taiwan was under Japanese rule in 1934, hydroelectric plants were constructed at Sun Moon Lake to generate power from the fall of the Zhuoshui River. The Japanese also sought to build power stations upstream on Wushe Creek and Wanda Creek (Chinese: c=萬大溪|p=Wàndà Xī|labels=no), the two main tributaries that combine to form the Zhuoshui. A reservoir would be required to control the flow of water to the power stations and serve the dual purposes of flood control and trapping sediment. In 1939, construction began on a 97m (318feet) high concrete gravity dam on the Wushe Creek.[1]

When World War II broke out in 1941, industrial resources were increasingly diverted to the war effort and construction was halted in 1944 with only the power plants and 6 percent of the dam complete.[1] [2] After the war, Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) took over the project with aid from the United States Agency for International Development. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation consulted on a re-design which increased the dam height to 114.6m (376feet).[3] Construction resumed in May 1953. The reservoir first filled in 1957, and the project was officially completed in August 1960, at a cost of NT$376,077,000.[4]

Specifications

Construction details

The dam is a curved concrete gravity structure with a height of 114.6m (376feet) and length of 205m (673feet). The crest elevation is 1005.84m (3,300feet), and supports a 7m (23feet) roadway. Altogether, the dam contains 349000m2 of concrete. The spillway consists of two radial gates with a capacity of 5670m3/s. The dam controls runoff from an area of 219km2, and is operated to reduce flood peaks on the Zhuoshui River by up to 2520m3/s.[5]

The Wushe Reservoir's normal water level is 1004.6m (3,295.9feet), with a flood level of 1005m (3,297feet), and covers an area of 2.84km2. Nominal capacity in 1957 was 146000000m2, with a useful capacity of 91000000m2. However, like many reservoirs of Taiwan, it has suffered heavily from siltation, especially after Typhoon Morakot in 2009.[6] The current useful capacity is estimated at no more than 54390000m2.

Power station

The Wanda Power Station (Chinese: c=萬大發電廠|p=Wàndà Fādiànchǎng|labels=no) is located about 2km (01miles) downstream and was the only part of the project to be completed before the construction halted due to World War II. In 1943, it began generating power using water from Wanda Creek, which joins with the Wushe Creek here to form the Zhuoshui River. The three Pelton turbines installed at the time are known as unit G3 and have a capacity of 15,000 kilowatts (KW).[7]

In 1957 generating units G1 and G2 were put into service, using water from the Wushe reservoir at a gross head of 109.7m (359.9feet). G1 and G2 have a capacity of 20,700 KW each. In 2012 unit G4 was installed, providing an additional capacity of 19,700 KW. All three units are powered by vertical-axis Francis turbines, and generate about 182 million kilowatt hours (KWh) per year.[8] [9]

The Songlin Power Station (Chinese: c=松林分廠|p=Sōnglín Fēnchǎng|labels=no) is located downstream and generates power from the combined outflow of G1 through G4. It consists of two Francis turbines powering two 20,900 KW generators.[8]

In 2012 Taipower began an overhaul of the power station, installing three new generators and upgrading a fourth.[4] On September 13, 2013 the installation was completed, replacing aged equipment that had been in use since the late 1950s.[10]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: 趙既昌 . zh:美援的運用 . 1985 . Linking Publishing (聯經出版) . Taipei . 160 . zh.
  2. Book: 林炳炎 . zh:台灣經驗的開端:台灣電力株式會社發展史 . 1997 . self-published . Taipei . 160 . 957-97197-7-2. zh .
  3. Web site: 巫術或技術:霧社大壩戰後復工之技術轉變. 林炳炎. 2008-12-18. 2014-01-07. zh-tw.
  4. Web site: 萬大發電廠簡介. 台灣電力公司. 2013-06-26. zh-tw.
  5. Book: Reservoirs and Weirs in Taiwan. Taiwan Water Resources Agency, Ministry of Public Affairs. zh. 328.
  6. Tsai. Wen Po. Liao. Hui Wen. Chen. Ho Ji. Jane. Kuo Chang . 2012 . A research of reservoir sediment solidification using biotechnology . Advanced Materials Research . 610-613 . 2761–2765 . 10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.610-613.2761. 137342413.
  7. Web site: zh-tw. 認識日月潭 > 歷史軌跡 > 水庫興建. 交通部觀光局 日月潭國家風景區管理處. 2013-12-25. https://web.archive.org/web/20151218235713/http://www.sunmoonlake.gov.tw/AboutSunmoonLake/History01/History0103.htm. 2015-12-18.
  8. Web site: 萬大發電廠簡介. Taiwan Power Company. zh. 2013-06-25. https://web.archive.org/web/20160319005733/http://www.taipower.com.tw/UpFile/PowerDevFile/d203.pdf. 2016-03-19.
  9. Web site: zh-tw. 中區水庫簡介. 經濟部水利署中區水資源局. 2014-01-23. 2014-01-24. 2013-12-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20131226155119/http://www.wracb.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=4150&ctNode=899&mp=6. dead.
  10. Web site: zh-tw. 濁水發光 萬松水力小尖兵出列. 台灣電力公司. 經濟部. 2013-09-13. 2013-12-25. 2013-12-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20131226223140/http://www.moea.gov.tw/Mns/populace/news/News.aspx?kind=1&menu_id=40&news_id=33229. dead.