The Guxian Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Luo River

Luo River (Henan)

The Luo River is a tributary of the Yellow River in China. It rises in the southeast flank of Huashan in Shaanxi province and flows east into Henan province, where it eventually joins the Yellow River at the city of Gongyi...

, a tributary of the Yellow River

Yellow River

The Yellow River or Huang He, formerly known as the Hwang Ho, is the second-longest river in China and the sixth-longest in the world at the estimated length of . Originating in the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai Province in western China, it flows through nine provinces of China and empties into...

, in Luoning County

Luoning County

Luoning County is a county of Henan, China. It is under the administration of the Luoyang city....

, Henan Province, China. The primary purpose of the dam is flood control but it also generates hydroelectricity

Hydroelectricity

Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...

 and provides water for irrigation. The 125 m (410 ft) tall dam withholds a reservoir of 1175000000 cubic metre and provides 848000000 cubic metre in flood storage. The dam's power station contains three 20 MW Francis turbine

Francis turbine

The Francis turbine is a type of water turbine that was developed by James B. Francis in Lowell, Massachusetts. It is an inward-flow reaction turbine that combines radial and axial flow concepts....

-generators for a total installed capacity of 60 MW. Construction on the dam began in 1958 but was suspended several times afterwards. It recommenced in 1978 and the reservoir began to fill in 1991. The dam's generators were commissioned in 1992 and the project complete in 1993. The dam's spillway

Spillway

A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of flows from a dam or levee into a downstream area, typically being the river that was dammed. In the UK they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways release floods so that the water does not overtop and damage or even destroy...

 is controlled by five tainter gate

Tainter gate

The Tainter gate is a type of radial arm floodgate used in dams and canal locks to control water flow. It is named for Wisconsin structural engineer Jeremiah Burnham Tainter....

s and has a maximum discharge capacity of 11436 m3/s. Flip buckets are used at the spillway base to dissipate water. On the right side of the spillway there are two intermediate orifice openings controlled by hydraulic press

Hydraulic press

A hydraulic is a machine using a hydraulic cylinder to generate a compressive force. It uses the hydraulic equivalenta mechanical lever, and was also known as a Bramah press after the inventor, Joseph Bramah, of England. He invented and was issued a patent on this press in 1795...

-operated radial gates. Two bottom outlets are set on the spillway's left side, also controlled by hydraulic press-operated radial gates. To the left of the bottom outlets is the power station.