THE DAM, SPILLWAYS, POWERHOUSE, TURBINES & GENERATORS. The Three Gorges Dam is a hydroelectric gravity dam that spans the Yangtze River by the town of Sandouping, in Yiling District, Yichang, Hubei province, China. The Three Gorges Dam has been the world’s largest power station in terms of installed capacity (22,500 MW) since 2012
Length : The Three Gorges Dam is 2,335 m (7,661 ft) long
- Height (Top of the Dam) : 185 m above MSL
- Maximum water level : 175m above MSL (110m above Downstream river level)
- Composition : made of Concrete & Steel
- In 2014, the dam generated 98.8 terawatt-hours (TWh) and had the world record, but was surpassed by the Itaipú Dam, which set the new world record in 2016, producing 103.1 TWh
- DIMENSIONS
- Length : The Three Gorges Dam is 2,335 m (7,661 ft) long
- Height (Top of the Dam) : 185 m above MSL
- Maximum water level : 175m above MSL (110m above Downstream river level)
- Composition : made of Concrete & Steel
- KEY PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT
- Power generation : 22500 MW (TURBINES : 700 MW X 32 + 50 MW X 2)
- Flood Control
- Navigation : Ship Lift for big ships & Ship Lock for small ships
- KEY MILESTONES
- The construction began on December 14, 1994
- The dam body was completed in 2006
- The ship lift was complete in December 2015
- The massive THREE GORGES DAM – AERIAL VIEW
The DAM & SPILLWAYS
- Type of dam : Gravity dam
- Height : 181 m (594 ft)
- Length : 2335 m (7,661 ft)
- Width (crest) : 40 m (131 ft)
- Width (base) : 115 m (377 ft)
SPILLWAY CAPACITY : 116,000 m3/s (4,100,000 cu ft/s)
POWER STATION (commissioned in phases between 2003 – 2012)
The picture shows the turbine before commissioning
The Three Gorges Dam is the world’s largest capacity hydroelectric power station with 34 generators :
Installed capacity : 22,500 MW with a total of 34 Turbines
Turbines : 34 total (32 × 700 MW + 2 × 50 MW Francis-type) making a total capacity of 22,500 MW
- 32 main generators – each with a capacity of 700 MW (32 X 700 MW)
- 2 Plant power generators – each with capacity of 50 MW (2 X 50 MW)
Among those 32 main generators :
- 14 are installed in the north side of the dam
- 12 in the south side, and
- 6 in the underground power plant in the mountain south of the dam
Hydraulic head : Rated : 80.6 m (264 ft)
Maximum: 113 m (371 ft)
Capacity factor : 45%
Annual generation : 87 TWh (310 PJ) (2015)
