Diversion power plant

A diversion power plant is a type of hydropower plant in which the machine house and the dam are spatially separated. The term is in contrast to the river power plant in the narrower sense, in which the machine house is integrated into the dam.

functionality

Above the power station water from the flowing water through a dam discharged and brought to the machine housing in a position separated from river water flow. Only the unused residual water remains in the original river bed , which must be tailored to the respective requirements with regard to the ecology of the river. After processing in the machine house, the underwater is returned to the flowing water.

The water flow to the machine house and from there back into the flowing water can take place above or below ground in canals or pipes . In addition to the hydraulic requirements, it must also meet landscape design requirements. In particular, it must be ensured that the hydraulic friction losses in the water flow are kept as low as possible.

The great advantage of such a system is the fact that the power plant is built in a dry excavation. The sometimes considerable construction measures for the inlet and outlet channels have a disadvantageous effect.

Types of diversion power plants

Canal power plant

Diversion power plant ( Gösgen power plant )

In canal power plants, the water is led to the machine house in an open channel. The variant is used for strongly meandering rivers with little gradients. A higher gradient can be achieved by shortening the course of the river. The height of fall can be up to 15 m.

Examples:

• Gösgen ^▼ power plant on the Aare
• Dubrava ^▼ power plant on the Drava in Croatia

The following types are special forms of canal power plants:

Loop power plant

Loop power plant ( Weserkraftwerk Bremen )

In a loop power station, the power station channel and the machine house form a small artificially created loop.

Example:

• Weserkraftwerk Bremen

Loop power plant

Loop power station, on the left the canal, on the right the natural river meander. (former Ruppoldingen power plant )

The machine house is arranged in a channel that shortens a turn of the river. Example:

• Kirchbichl power plant ^▼
• Old power station Ruppoldingen ^▼ from 1896

Diversion power plant

Diversion power plant ( Amsteg power plant )

In this type of diversion power station, the water flows in a closed pressure tunnel from the water intake to the machine house. These power plants usually have heads higher than 15 m to a few hundred meters and can therefore also be high-pressure power plants . This type of construction is often found in the foothills of the Alps and the Alps . The storage space is usually created as a small reservoir that serves as a daily or weekly storage facility so that the energy production can be adapted to requirements.

Examples:

• Bristen power station ^▼
• Amsteg ^▼ power plant on the Reuss (river)

Individual evidence

1. ^ Jürgen Giesecke, Emil Mosonyi, Stephan Heimerl: Hydropower plants: planning, construction and operation . Springer Science & Business Media, 2009, ISBN 978-3-540-88988-5 , Ausleitungskraftwerke, p. 109 ( google.ch [accessed June 18, 2020]).
2. ↑ Theodor Strobl, Franz Zunic: hydraulic engineering. Current basics; New developments. Springer-Verlag, Berlin 2006, ISBN 3-540-22300-2 .
3. ↑ Ecological aspects of the use of hydropower in the Alpine region . vdf Hochschulverlag AG, 1997, ISBN 978-3-7281-2468-5 , Das Umleitungskraftwerk, p. 20–21 ( google.ch [accessed June 18, 2020]).
4. ↑ Kraftwerk Bristen AG. Retrieved June 18, 2020 .