Kariba Power Station

This presentation was created on the 4th of April 1998

and does not contain detail on later Kariba Power
Station developments.
 ZIMBABWE
ELECTRICITY
SUPPLY
AUTHORITY

KARIBA POWER STATION

empowering people through training

 1: Geographical

 Annual Rainfall and Catchment area

– From the annual rainfall and surface area, the volume of
water draining into a particular river through it’s tributaries
can be calculated.
 Relief
– The gradient of the river at proposed site determines the drop
in altitude and thus the water pressure at machine level.
 2: Technical

 Controlled Flow
– With the site located and dam wall built, the capacity of the
reservoir should be big enough to allow an annual steady flow
through the machines and maintain a constant pressure at
machine level.
 Type of Turbine
– From the calculated drop in altitude the appropriate type of
turbine is determined.
KAPLAN - Low Head Turbine (0 to ~50m)
FRANCIS -Medium Head Turbine (~ 50m to ~500m)
PELTON -High Head Turbine (above 500m)
 3: Power Output

 The Power Output can be determined by the Pressure at machine

level and the Flow through the turbines.
 By using the general equation P = Q . r . g . h , where :-
Q = Flow in m3/s.
r = Density of water in kg/ m3.
g = Gravitational acceleration in m/s2.
h = Height difference (Effective Head) in m.
The machine output can be calculated.
 Power Output Calculation

 Given :
Q (Flow) = 100 m3/s.
r (Density of water) = 1000 kg/ m3.
g (Gravitational acceleration) = 10 m/s2.
h (Effective Head) = 100 m.
 Calculate For The Machine Power Output
– (a) With 100% Efficiency
– (b) With 80% Efficiency

(a) 100MW (b) 80MW

 Kariba South Power Station
 Brief
History 1956 to 1960
 Functioning Principles
 Technical Data
 Brief History 1956 to 1960

 1956 August - First cable laid across the Zambezi

River marking the begining of construction work.
 1956 September - Excavation work for Power
Station construction begins.
 1958 February to July - Work suspended due to
abnormal floods (The Nyaminyami myth).
 1959 June - Dam Wall reaches full height.
 1959 December - First Generator Commissioned.
 1960 May the 17th - Kariba Power Station Officially
Opened.
KARIBA POWER STATION LAYOUT
 Functioning Principles
 The water from the reservoir enters through six
Intakes and Headrace tunnels into vertical Penstocks
and drops 111meters to the turbines.
 As the water passes through the turbines it’s energy,
in the form of pressure and flow is converted to
Kinetic Energy which rotates the six turbines.
 The Turbine shafts are coupled to the Generator
rotors and as the sets rotate the Kinetic Energy is
converted to Electrical Energy.
 From the turbines the water discharges through the
Draft Tubes, Surge Chambers and Tailraces to the
river downstream of the dam.
LAYOUT - DAM WALL CROSS -SECTION
WATER
WATER FLOW
FLOW THROUGH
THROUGH POWER
POWER STATIONS
STATIONS

TAIL RACES

SURGE VESSELS

DRAFT TUBES

DAM WALL
INTAKES

HEADRACES
 Technical Data
 Item
 Location
 Dimensions
 Purposes
 INTAKE FLOOR:

 Level: 1606 ft. Above Sea Level (481.8 m alt)

 Purpose: Access to Penstock top, Radial Gate Houses
 WATER INTAKES:

 Six Intakes: Intakes 1, 2, 5 and 6 at 96 ft. (39m) below intake

floor. Intakes 3 and 4 146 ft. (43.8m) below intake floor.
 Dimensions: 15 ft. (4.5m) Width, 20 ft. (6m) Height.
 Purpose: Water inlet from lake into Headrace Tunnel.
 HEAD RACE TUNNEL:

 Six tunnels: Each for individual lntake.

 Dimensions: 15 ft. (4.5m) Width, 20 ft. (6m) Height
 120 ft. (36m) length - Head races 1, 2, 5 and 6 at 1510 ft. alt.
(floor)
 170 ft. (51m) length - Head races 3 and 4 at 1460 ft. alt.
(floor)
 Temporary Head races 1 and 2 Length 260 ft. (78m)
Alt.1370 ft. (Sealed Off)
 Purpose: Water channel from Intake to Penstock.
 PENSTOCK:

 Six Penstocks: Each for the six individual machines.

 Open to surface at Intake Floor.
 Steel lined from level 1354 ft. to level 1235 ft.
 Dimensions: Concrete lined to level 1354 ft. (406.2m alt).
 Depth 242 ft. (72.6m) Diameter 20 ft. (6m).Concrete lined.
 Depth 119 ft. (35m) Diameter 17 ft. (5.1m) Steel lined.
 Purpose: Water tube to spiral casing and machine.Height
pressurises water for machine rotation.
 SPIRAL CASING:

 Six Spiral Casings: Each for individual machine.

 Located at level 1235 ft. Machine runner level.
 Dimensions: 13 ft. ( 3.9m) dia. Inner circle / Turbine dia.
 Taper circular casing 17 ft. (5.1m) to 9 ft. (2.7m) dia. open
ended.
 Purpose: Even distribution of water from Penstock into
machine.
 TURBINE RUNNER:

 Six Turbines located at level 1235 ft (370.5m alt).

 Maximum output 111MW each at 5 500 ft.3/sec
(148.5 m3/sec) flow.
 Dimensions: 13 ft. (3.9m) dia. by 7 ft. (2.1m) height.
 Purpose: Converts the potential energy due to the water
head into mechanical rotary energy as the water from the
spiral casing flows through it to the draft tube.
 DRAFT TUBE:

 Six draft tubes, each for a single machine.

 Dimensions: Conical and smaller at machine exit.17 ft.
(5.1m) dia. average.
 Purpose: Leads water at machine exit to the surge vessels.
 SURGE VESSELS:

 Three surge vessels at level 1200 ft. (360m alt.),

 Each receiving water from two draft tubes.
 Machines 1 and 2 discharge through vessel 1
 3 and 4 through 2 and 5 and 6 through vessel 3.
 Dimensions: 63 ft. (18.9m) dia. by 169 ft. (50.7m) high.
 Level 1200 (360m alt) to 1369 ft. (410.7m alt).
 Purpose: Accommodates for water surges within the
system.
 TAIL RACES:

 Three tail races leading from the surge vessels,

discharging into the river at level 1200 ft. (360m alt).
 Dimensions: 34 ft. (10.2m) dia. by 950 ft. (285m) length.
 Purpose: Water discharge channel from surge vessels to
river.
 DAM WALL:

 The wall spans across two mountains holding back

45 778.1 Million m3 of water that make Lake Kariba.
 Dimensions:2 110 ft (633m) wall span at top.
 40 ft (12m) cross-section crest.80 ft (24m) cross-section
base.
 445 ft (133.5m) total height.
 420 ft (126m) height above foundation.
 25 ft (7.5m) depth of foundation.
 Purpose:Blocks off river from the normal flow which was
diverted to flow through machines.
 FLOOD GATES

 Four water spillage gates within the wall.

 Dimensions:31 ft (9.3m) width, 30 ft (9m) height each.
 336 000 ft3/sec. (9 072 m3/sec.) combined water discharge.
 84 000. ft3/sec (2 268 m3/sec.) each.
 Purpose:Water spillage to avoid dam overflow, as the wall
is not designed to spill from above.
 Compiled by C. T. Chiswo
Technical Training Officer
(Generation - Power Plants)

For more information on :

Training Programmes, Enrolment, Tuition etc.
Contact : The Training Coordinator or
The Training and Development Manager,
Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority,
National Training Centre,
P.O. Box 3330,
Harare.
Telephone : 741525 to 9