Alternate Vision For Cost Reduction In Implementation Of SHEPs

With Specific Reference To Chembukadavu III

BACK GROUND

Administrative sanction for the scheme was

granted by KSEB and GoK on condition that the weir shall be redesigned in line with that of Chembukadavu - l.

In the meeting convened by the hon'ble Minister for Power on 25.11.2013 it was directed to look into methods that could be adopted for reducing the cost of small/mini/micro hydel schemes.

WEIR

Chembukadavu stage l weir is a kind of rock fill weir. In ancient times dams were constructed using material that is easily and cheaply available at the locality. Considerable quantity of excavated rock would be available at no extra cost and transportation. Hence weir can be of rock fill type for

Chembukadavu lll.
Contd

Mica (242 m) and Chicoasen (240 m) dams, in Canada are the highest rock fill dams. They are functioning satisfactorily for the past 5 to 6

decades

The Ranjith Sagar dam across river Ravi in Punjab is a rock fill dam of height 160 m and length 617 m. Spillway is also located in the main dam body. Chembukkadavu lll weir is about 64 m long with 40 m spillway. Maximum height would be around 17 m. Contd

A rolled rock fill weir with upstream impervious

membrane of 250 mm would be sufficient, with proper thickness at spillway.

A step type spillway can be adopted for energy dissipation. ******

LEADING CHANNEL

Rectangular section proposed below MDDL shall be replaced with trapezoidal section and may be provided a suitable slope protection. Drainage system shall be provided underneath the base slab for relieving uplift pressure so that slab

thickness is reduced to minimum.

Width of channel section (6m now proposed) shall be redesigned. ******

INTAKE

The excavation size shall be reduced to the minimum to accommodate gates. Backfill concrete around the gate slots shall be of lean mix with rock plums. This concrete is

intended only for providing a support to the gate / embedded parts and for transferring the load to abutment.

Here compressive strength shall be the only design consideration. ******

TUNNEL

If the rock quality is good, lining can be avoided

or limited to certain sections alone, if recommended by the geologist.

Usage of Self Compacting Concrete for lining can reduce cost and time. This was adopted in Kuttiyadi Additional Extension scheme (2 x 50 MW)
******

SURGE SHAFT

Portion below overburden shall either be lined

with shotcrete or the lining thickness shall be reduced. ******

MEDIUM PRESSURE PIPE

It is proposed as a tunnel of diameter 2.5 m, lined inside with steel, to form a 1.5 m diameter tunnel. The annular space will be filled with concrete of 500 mm thickness. As per geological report good rock is available. Hence steel lining shall be dispensed with and lined with concrete. The net head at MPP is much less which does not

require steel lining. A reducer steel portion provided at the end can enable joint with butterfly valve. Slope of MPP shall be reduced a bit so that length can be reduced.

PENSTOCK

Readily available spirally welded penstock pipes

could be used to reduce the cost of fabrication and to avoid longitudinal welds

Since penstock anchors are planned to be founded in soil, if pile foundations are used, the size of anchors could be reduced
******

POWER HOUSE

Horizontal shaft type machine could very well be placed on pile foundation. In KDPP the 200 tonne DG set is placed on pile foundation.

This will avoid excavation for founding the machine on rock which in turn will reduce the quantity of concrete filling.

Contd ..

Service bay, generator floor, control room etc shall be at same level as the machine is horizontal shaft type. This will avoid unnecessary retaining structures.

Retaining walls shall be avoided to the maximum possible extent. Slope stability analysis shall be

done and suitable designs made. Retaining walls are meant for retaining loose fillings of granular materials and not for retaining cut faces which are self standing to a great extent (railway and road cuttings).
Contd .

Possibility of deploying truck mounted or other type mobile cranes, for a group of schemes, for erection/maintenance of power house machinery shall be looked into. For low head schemes the machinery would be heavy. So it may not be possible for such an arrangement.
If so EOT crane can be avoided and this would enable constructing light super structure using

steel.
******

CASCADING OF SMALL HEPs

Cascading of modified Stage IV with stage III. Field survey conducted reveals the following: No weir is required for stage IV Only an additional 300 m length of canal is required Additional 1.5 MW with 5.4 Mu is obtainable Additional cost is only Rs.10.4 crore Cost per MW of combined scheme is only about Rs.9.5 crore (2012 PWD SOR) Levellised tariff of combined scheme is just below Rs.5 per unit. Contd..

In the new proposal the power house of stage III is proposed to be shifted back by about 25 m and the same would be lifted by 10 m.
This gives an energy of 13.96 Mu with 6 MW capacity for stage III. At stage IV we will get 5.4 Mu with a capacity of 1.5 MW. Contd

Cost of tail race channel will be reduced considerably, along with, the cost of tail race pool.
If we adopt trapezoidal sections there will be tremendous cost reduction. As per original proposal rectangular sections with thick lining are provided for the tail race channel, tail race pool and at power house and switch yard areas.

Cost of power house could be reduced by way of

reducing the excavation and concrete backfilling. Contd .

Length of penstock will be reduced.

Track excavation for penstock will be reduced. Cost for diverting the small stream passing near the power house could be avoided.

Acquisition of two costly residential houses, one

small house and some extent of land could be avoided.

Service bay shall be made on roller compacted

earth fill, as done in the case of stages I and II.

COST BENEFITS
Weir Rs. 3 crore Leading channel and intake Rs. 60 lakh Surge and MPP Rs. 40 lakh Penstock Rs. 60 lakh Nalla diversion Rs. 75 lakh Houses and land acquisition Rs. 90 lakh Power house and tail race pool Rs. 1.84 crore Retaining walls Rs. 40 lakh ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Total savings Rs. 8.49 crore

In addition usage of high grade concrete could be explored for reducing the sections.