| Aguacapa Dam | |
|---|---|
Aguacapa Hydroelectric Power Plant | |
  Location of Aguacapa Dam in Guatemala | |
| Official name | Planta Hidroeléctrica Aguacapa |
| Location | Guanazapa (Escuintla) |
| Coordinates | 14°17′29″N90°30′18″W / 14.29139°N 90.50500°W Coordinates: 14°17′29″N90°30′18″W / 14.29139°N 90.50500°W |
| Opening date | 1981 |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Impounds | Aguacapa River |
| Reservoir | |
| Total capacity | 300,000 m3 |
The Aguacapa Dam (Spanish: Planta Hidroeléctrica Aguacapa ) is a reinforced concrete gravity dam and power plant spanning the Aguacapa River in Escuintla, Guatemala. [1]
Reinforced concrete (RC) (also called reinforced cement concrete or RCC) is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are counteracted by the inclusion of reinforcement having higher tensile strength or ductility. The reinforcement is usually, though not necessarily, steel reinforcing bars (rebar) and is usually embedded passively in the concrete before the concrete sets. Reinforcing schemes are generally designed to resist tensile stresses in particular regions of the concrete that might cause unacceptable cracking and/or structural failure. Modern reinforced concrete can contain varied reinforcing materials made of steel, polymers or alternate composite material in conjunction with rebar or not. Reinforced concrete may also be permanently stressed, so as to improve the behaviour of the final structure under working loads. In the United States, the most common methods of doing this are known as pre-tensioning and post-tensioning.
A gravity dam is a dam constructed from concrete or stone masonry and designed to hold back water by primarily using the weight of the material alone to resist the horizontal pressure of water pushing against it. Gravity dams are designed so that each section of the dam is stable, independent of any other dam section.
The Aguacapa River is a river in Guatemala. Its sources are located in the hills south-east of Guatemala City, at an altitude of 1,850 metres (6,070 ft). From there it flows in a southerly direction through the departments of Guatemala and Santa Rosa and joins the Maria Linda River at 14.2797°N 90.5266°W, which flows into the Pacific Ocean.
Contents
The dam's reservoir has a total capacity of 300,000 m3. [1] The water is transported to the powerhouse through a 12.04 km long tunnel and a 3.65 km long pressure tube. [1] The plant has 3 × 30 MW Pelton turbines, with a total installed capacity of 90 MW. The plant has a net level declination of 490.6 m, and a designed flow of 7.33 m3/s per unit. [1]
The plant's total output between 1981 and 2006 was 6600.96 GWh, [1] which amounts to an average annual electricity generation of 264 GWh.
