EXERCISE-2

TEHRI HPP PROJECT

INTAKE STRUCTURES OF TEHRI HPP & PSP
1. General
Tehri HPP comprises of a 260.5 m high earth & rock filled dam at the confluence
of Bhagirathi & Bhilangana rivers in the hill state, Uttrakhand of India. It consists
of a underground Power House with installed capacity of 1000MW( 4 x250MW)
on the left bank of the river Bhagirathi, 4 Nos Intake structures for receiving water
from Tehri reservoir and 4 nos Head Race Tunnel (HRT) (8.5m dia) for
conveying water from 4 nos Intake structures to Power House.

The power intakes have a semicircular configuration and each of them is 38.5m
high and consist of rigidly connected thin wall elements forming an integral
structure(5 radially located piers up to 1.7m thick and 5 horizontal cross bars and
massive elements, Top slab with a minimum thickness of 2m), platform at EL
745M and water intake adjustments adjoining the rock slope.

HPP and PSP Water Intakes are located on the left bank of the Bhagirathi River
to the south of confluence with the Bhilangana River. Due to complex geological
conditions of the rock mass around the intake structure certain movements have
been observed in the top slabs of the intake structure after the first filling of the
reservoir in the year 2006.The movements are being closely monitored and
geodatic measurements are being taken every year.

2. Geology of Intake structures and slopes above them
Geologically ,the area is divided into three large structural sections from the
base of Bhagirathi and Bhilangana rivers, a rock mass formed by non-uniformly
inter bedding phyllites, argillaceous phyllites and quartzitic phyllites with different
degree of alteration with a number of faults and some sections higher are marked
by the same type of rock mass with better geotechnical properties.

The slope within the range of EL 710-840m is recognized to be having rather
complicated engineering-geological condition with faults displaced and in zones
of these faults crossing the rocks are characterized by crushing and fracturing
and by ferruginization and hydrothermal alteration as well. Colluvial-landslide
deposits are confined to the outcrops of such rocks. Besides a considerable
deepening of zones of near-surface distressing and weathering was revealed
along major infirmities.

HPP Intakes:
The slope in the zone of water intakes of HRT-1 and HRT-2 at EL 710-745 is
formed of rather strong phyllites and quartzitic phyllites which are confirmed also
by relatively high steepness of natural slopes. At the construction stage
additional excavations and concreting of excavations at the shortest possible
time before further distressing of the foundation rocks had been carried out.

Lithologically the foundation is composed mainly of plastic rocks where there are
no large shear fractures but intensive corrugation of schistosity, higher jointing
and small blocky structures. All rocks here are assessed to be of high strength
with thin shear zones and construction stage did not pose problems.

PSP Intakes:
The foundation of the HRT-3 water intake and some stripping in front of it,
revealed the presence of potentially unstable blocks formed by intersection of the
fault with longitudinal shear zones which was treated adequately by selective
excavations and concreting.

The foundation of the HRT-4 water intake exposed the occurrence of phyllites
and quartzitic phillites of group 2B broken by longitudinal shear fracture.
Additional geological-geophysical investigations demonstrated that in the
foundation of the water intake and around it, longitudinal shear fracture
accompanied by zones of schistosity and mylonitized zones were recognized and
Water Intake foundation was brought into the zone A of intensive technogenous
distressing and weathering. In HRT-4, to improve the stability conditions design
provides for a pile field around the intake inlet structure and reinforced concrete
slab joins all piles into a cap beam grillage along with grouting. This was followed
by provision of 20 pre-stressed anchors in two rows and anchors located across
the site edge across bedding planes in the rock mass .Construction of intake
area has been done in lifts of 0.75 to 3m and shear keys have been provided in
each block to receive next lift of concrete.

3. Problem
It was reported that vertical and horizontal displacements of the top slab at the
top of intake structures have taken place. The maximum values were in 2008-09
but it is reported to have stabilized in later years. Problem is to arrest any kind of
displacement in intake structure.
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