Description
The dam is a steel-reinforced concrete gravity structure. It is 40 feet (12 m) high and 490 feet (150 m) long. It contains eight spillway bays. When the spillway gates are open, water is discharged down the normally dry Chelan River channel. Water to power the turbine generators is delivered through an underground penstock connecting the dam and the powerhouse. It delivers water from the dam at the southeasterly end of Lake Chelan to the powerhouse at Chelan Falls, a vertical drop of nearly 400 feet (120 m). This steel and concrete tunnel is approximately 2.2 miles (3.5 km) in length. The only visible portion of the tunnel is a 130 foot (40 m) high surge tank constructed on the hill above the plant to absorb hydraulic momentum of the water in case of load rejection.
The powerhouse is located at Chelan Falls. It is 150 feet (46 m) long, 83 feet (25 m) wide and 130 feet (40 m) high. Besides the two generating units, the powerhouse contains a Control Room, shop facilities, switching equipment, crane, and communications equipment. Water traveling down the power tunnel is directed against two turbines rated at 24 megawatts each. The turbines rotate at 300 revolutions per minute. The original turbines were replaced in 1985 and 1986. The turbines are connected to the generators by steel shafts. They provide a combined peaking capability of 58 megawatts. The original generators were rewound in 1951 and 1952. After passing around and through the turbine blades, water is discharged into the tailrace located on the east side of the powerhouse where it flows into the Columbia River.
Read more about this topic: Lake Chelan Dam
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