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BACKDROP OF THE NEW CONCEPT

Global warming phenomenon has raised the spectre of
disastrously upsetting the hydrometeorological regime
due to climate change phenomenon.
A threat to the safety of numerous existing dams
worldwide, because of inadequate spillway capacity to
handle enhanced flood flows due to changing
hydrometeorological regime.
Such threat to existing dams will potentially imperil
huge population and infrastructure in downstream of
the dams.
The useful life of most of storage dam reservoirs is
rapidly getting reduced due to sedimentation in live

SUMMARY OF ADVANTAGES
Piano Key Weir Increases spillway capacity &
dam safety existing and new dams
Piano Key Weir Increases storage capacity of
dams - more hydropower & irrigation
Piano Key Weir also passes part of incoming
sediment along its ramps.
For a given maximum reservoir level, the live
storage can be made more with Piano Key
Spillway compared to gated spillway.
Piano Key Spillway can be placed on existing
or new gravity dam sections.

GEOMETRIC VIEW

PIANO KEY WEIR USED AT

NATIONAL LEVEL
Sawra Kuddu HEP, with an installed capacity of 111 MW is
located on Pabbar river in Himachal Pradesh.

110.40 m length of Piano Key Weir is recommended.

PKW is designed for 5400 cumecs

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ILLUSTRATION
Discharge = 1000 m3/s
With Conventional
Spillway

With Piano Key

Spillways

For 3 M head,
90 M spillway length

For 3 M head,
20 M spillway length
For 2 M head,
40 M spillway length

ILLUSTRATION
Discharge = 5000 m3/s
With conventional radial
gates

With Piano Key

Spillways

10 M head with 60 M
spillway length (4 no.
gates with 12 M span)

2.0 M head with 60 M

spillway length

With gate jamming will

pass 1000 m3/s from
overflow of gates

For same sill level

will pass 5000 m3/s

Use of New Piano Key Weir Technology in

France during 2006-2007

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Goulours Piano Key Weir Dam in France

Completed in:

1946

Location:

Goulours,Arige(09),MidiPyrnes,France
LauzeRiver

Impounds:
Structural Type:

Curvedgravitydam
Function / usage:
Hydroelectricityplant
Technical information
Description

Value

Construction materials used

dam structure
concrete
Dimensions

height
retainedwatervolume
crestlength
crestthickness

23.00m
0.40hm3
71.00m
2.00m

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Goulours Piano Key Weir Dam

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Goulours Piano Key Weir Dam

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Goulours Piano Key Weir Dam

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Etroit Dam Piano Key Weir

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Saint Marc Dam Piano Key Weir

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New Piano Key Weir Technology

Being Used in India by HPPCL IN
Himachal Pradesh
on Sawra Kuddu Barrage with
Technical Backup of Prof. Nayan
Sharma, IIT_Roorkee

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Piano Key Weir Barrage on Pabbar River in Himachal

Pradesh for Sawara Kuddu HEP

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