Três Marias Dam
Encyclopedia
The Três Marias Dam, also known as Bernardo Mascarenhas, is an embankment dam
on the São Francisco River
near Três Marias
in Minas Gerais
, Brazil
. It was constructed for hydroelectric power production and flood control
. The dam was completed in 1961 and its first generator was operational in 1962. The dam's power plant is named after Bernard Mascarenhas who in 1889, built South America's first major hydroelectric power plant in Brazil, the Marmelos Zero Power Plant
.
and effectively halted fish migration in the upper São Francisco River while also splitting it into two zones.
off to its east-side and a power plant at its east toe. The dam's reservoir
has a surface area of 1040 square kilometre and a capacity of 21 km³ (5 cu mi). The dam's power station contains six 64.6 MW generators
powered by Kaplan turbine
s for a total installed capacity of 387.6 MW. There is additional room for two more generators in the power station which would increase the capacity to 516.85 MW if installed. The Kaplan turbines used in the power station were designed by Voith
and first installed in 1958. Each one has eight runner blades and is designed to operate with a hydraulic head
as low as 50 m (164 ft). The dam regulates downstream water flows to other reservoirs and power plants, keeping a normal discharge of 500 m3/s.
Embankment dam
An embankment dam is a massive artificial water barrier. It is typically created by the emplacement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil, sand, clay and/or rock. It has a semi-permanent waterproof natural covering for its surface, and a dense, waterproof...
on the São Francisco River
São Francisco River
The São Francisco is a river in Brazil. With a length of , it is the longest river that runs entirely in Brazilian territory, and the fourth longest in South America and overall in Brazil...
near Três Marias
Três Marias
Três Marias is a small Brazilian city in northwestern Minas Gerais. In 2007 the population was 26,431 in a total area of 2,763 km².-Climate:...
in Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. It was constructed for hydroelectric power production and flood control
Flood control
In communications, flood control is a feature of many communication protocols designed to prevent overwhelming of a destination receiver. Such controls can be implemented either in software or in hardware, and will often request that the message be resent after the receiver has finished...
. The dam was completed in 1961 and its first generator was operational in 1962. The dam's power plant is named after Bernard Mascarenhas who in 1889, built South America's first major hydroelectric power plant in Brazil, the Marmelos Zero Power Plant
Marmelos Zero Power Plant
The Marmelos Zero Power Plant is a decommissioned hydroelectric power plant on the Paraibuna River in Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Inaugurated in 1889, plant was the first major hydroelectric power plant constructed in South America, specifically for public use. It was purchased by CEMIG in...
.
Background
Construction on the dam began in May 1957 with a goal to stabilize the river's flow, improve navigation and to produce hydroelectric power. 10,000 people worked on the project and Brazilian President Juscelino Kubitschek was influential in the dam's construction pace. The majority of the dam works were completed in January 1961 and its first generator was operational in 1962. The other five generators went online by 1969. The dam does not have a fish ladderFish ladder
A fish ladder, also known as a fishway, fish pass or fish steps, is a structure on or around artificial barriers to facilitate diadromous fishes' natural migration. Most fishways enable fish to pass around the barriers by swimming and leaping up a series of relatively low steps into the waters on...
and effectively halted fish migration in the upper São Francisco River while also splitting it into two zones.
Specifications
The dam is a 2700 m (8,858.3 ft) long and 75 m (246.1 ft) high embankment dam with a spillwaySpillway
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...
off to its east-side and a power plant at its east toe. The dam's reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
has a surface area of 1040 square kilometre and a capacity of 21 km³ (5 cu mi). The dam's power station contains six 64.6 MW generators
Electrical generator
In electricity generation, an electric generator is a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy. A generator forces electric charge to flow through an external electrical circuit. It is analogous to a water pump, which causes water to flow...
powered by Kaplan turbine
Kaplan turbine
The Kaplan turbine is a propeller-type water turbine which has adjustable blades. It was developed in 1913 by the Austrian professor Viktor Kaplan, who combined automatically adjusted propeller blades with automatically adjusted wicket gates to achieve efficiency over a wide range of flow and...
s for a total installed capacity of 387.6 MW. There is additional room for two more generators in the power station which would increase the capacity to 516.85 MW if installed. The Kaplan turbines used in the power station were designed by Voith
Voith
The Voith GmbH, which is headquartered in Germany, is a family-run corporation in the mechanical engineering sector with worldwide operations....
and first installed in 1958. Each one has eight runner blades and is designed to operate with a hydraulic head
Hydraulic head
Hydraulic head or piezometric head is a specific measurement of water pressure above a geodetic datum. It is usually measured as a water surface elevation, expressed in units of length, at the entrance of a piezometer...
as low as 50 m (164 ft). The dam regulates downstream water flows to other reservoirs and power plants, keeping a normal discharge of 500 m3/s.
See also
- Paulo Afonso Hydroelectric ComplexPaulo Afonso Hydroelectric ComplexThe Paulo Afonso Hydroelectric Complex , also known as the Paulo Afonso Complex, is a system of three dams and five hydroelectric power plants on the São Francisco River near the city of Paulo Afonso in Bahia, Brazil. The complex exploits an natural gap on the river, known as the Paulo Afonso Falls...
- Xingó DamXingó DamThe Xingó Dam is a concrete face rock-fill dam on the São Francisco River on the border of Alagoas and Sergipe, near Piranhas, Brazil. The dam was built for navigation, water supply and hydroelectric power generation as it supports a 3,162 MW power station...
- Luiz Gonzaga DamLuiz Gonzaga DamThe Luiz Gonzaga Dam, formerly known as the Itaparica Dam, is a rock-fill embankment dam on the São Francisco River 25 km downstream of Petrolândia in Pernambuco, Brazil. The dam was built for navigation, and hydroelectric power generation as it supports a 1,479 MW power station...
- Sobradinho DamSobradinho DamThe Sobradinho Dam is a large hydroelectric dam built on the São Francisco River in Sobradinho, in the state of Bahia of Brazil. Completed in 1982, the dam generates power by utilizing six turbines of each, totalling the installed capacity to .- See also :...
- List of power stations in Brazil