Three Gorges Dam, China: Engineering, Environmental and Social Demands on Pumping Solutions
The Three Gorges Dam is built on the Yangtze River, China and it is the world’s largest electric generation facility of any kind. It is a key infrastructure project for the Chinese government which has created huge controversial debate both within China and internationally. China is developing at a very fast rate as it moves to a fully-industrialized economy after years of being largely an agricultural society.
There are huge demands being placed upon the Chinese government for energy, especially electricity from industry and residential demand created by the surge in growth of the major urban areas. At the same time, China is being urged to reduce its carbon footprint and emission of greenhouse gases which is driving the development of hydroelectric projects such as the Three Gorges Dam. While seeking to satisfy these two demands, the Three Gorges Dam has resulted in a huge controversy over the localized environmental damage and change created by the construction and establishment of the dam.
The dam construction was completed in 2006, and the bulk of the generation infrastructure has also been completed by 2008, however issues have arisen with the pumping packages. Pumping solutions for a project of this scale are breaking the boundaries of technology and understanding of performance criteria. Recently, a set of pumping packages failed to meet expectations and in some instances, the housings were damaged causing a rethink of the pump solutions involved. The industrial pumps are required to be in continuous operation and must be capable of operating under extreme stress levels. Unique challenges also include the variations in outlet pressure as the dam level rises and falls and identifying and designing for this fluctuation has been extremely difficult – there is after all, no comparative project to rely upon elsewhere in the world.
Once completed, the Three Gorges Dam will produce over 100 TWh per annum, and it is thought that the electricity generated since commencement of operations through to September 2009, has already covered one-third of the cost of the project.
Tags: carbon footprint, china, electrical generation facility, greenhouse gases, three gorges dam, yangtze river