The hydraulic dam It is one of the best solutions for the power generation, and it's also a renewable source.
Runoff has long posed a major challenge for humanity; controlling freshwater was something that humanity recognized from the very beginning as essential for development. Today, with much more sophisticated systems, we are able not only to control freshwater flows and volumes, but also, through a hydraulic dam, we may be able to generate different types of energy.
There are dams dating back to approximately 3500 B.C., and in ancient Mesopotamia. Initially, these dams were built to store or divert water for consumption and agriculture; but it is also well known that they were important fronts of maritime defense. It wasn't until the 19th century that hydroelectric dams began to be used for other purposes, such as land reclamation, ship traffic, and electricity generation.
What exactly is a hydraulic dam?
Essentially, a hydraulic dam is a structure built along the perimeter of a river or lake to divert water or, conversely, to dam it. They are mostly built of concrete, taking advantage of a narrow pass or a gorge in a natural watershed, and allow for the use or make the most of the water they manage to retain obtaining electric power, in addition to providing control over it through various drainage mechanisms.
Relevant terms or parts
To understand the structure of a hydroelectric dam, it is important to be familiar with the following terms and components:
- Reservoir: This term refers to the total volume of water stored and retained by the dam.
- Dike: It is the part of the dam that serves to hold back water; it can be formed naturally or artificially.
- Nozzle: It is the area—whether or not it is demarcated—where the dam is built. It is also known as a reservoir.
- Spleen: This is the term used to describe the area of land that functions as a reservoir, on which the entire volume of water is contained.
- Landfill: It is a hydraulic structure located inside the dam; its function is to remove excess water from the reservoir.
- Bottom drain: It is a structure designed to maintain an ecological flow of water downstream of the dam.
El Atazar Reservoir. Madrid Gazette
Classification of Hydroelectric Dams by Operating Principle
We can identify three types of hydraulic dams based on how they operate:
Reservoir Dam
This type of dam works storing water In a reservoir, the water released from the reservoir flows through a rotating turbine, which generates electricity by driving a generator with the flow of water. It is the most common type of dam since it allows for meeting changing electricity needs and easily regulating the reservoir level.
Bypass Dam
It is characterized by being built in the middle of a river's current, as opposed to reservoir dams They are unable to retain a water reservoir, but instead diverts the water into a channel that can serve various purposes, including passing through electric generators to generate energy.
Pumped-storage reservoirs
This type of company operates as a battery, which is capable of storing electricity generated by energy sources outside the dam. It does this by pumping water uphill to a higher reservoir, and when there is a demand for that electricity, water is released from the reservoir to drive the power-generating turbines.
Pumped-storage reservoir. Iberdrola
Classification of Hydroelectric Dams by Size
There is a wide variety of hydraulic dams of different sizes, but this classification, beyond being related to size, is closely linked to the electricity generation capacity. Based on this criterion, we can say that there are three types of hydraulic dams:
Giant hydroelectric dam: are defined as facilities that may have a capacity exceeding 30 MW.
Small hydroelectric dam: These are dams capable of generating approximately 10 MW
Micro-hydraulic dam: These are micro power plants with a capacity of around 100 kW; they are small-scale energy systems capable of generating electricity only to supply private properties.
Today, hydroelectric dams They are a fundamental part of energy production systems around the world. In fact, it is considered a form of renewable energy production most important globally, currently accounts for about 20 % of global electricity demand. We can say that its only disadvantage lies in its dependence on weather conditions.
