Dam: (
Satellite)
The powerhouse has two 37.5mw units. [
TVA-wartime]
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TVA
The dam is 150 feet high and stretches 1,308 feet across the Hiwassee River.
This is a run-of-river dam and the water level fluctuates about 8' on a daily basis. |
Note that there is no power house by the dam and that the penstock has a gentle slope downwards. That is because the water flows 8.3 miles to a power house that is 12 miles downstream. [
TennesseeRiverValleyGeoTourism]
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| JanAndPat-dam observed that this pipe is big enough to drive their van through. |
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JanAndPat-power
On a separate trip, they took photos around the power house. |
The edge of the powerhouse is on the right. This is a good view of the pedestrian suspension bridge.
TVA
posted eight photos with the comment: "Are you brave enough to walk an 8-mile-long dark tunnel that is normally filled with rushing water? Our Dam Safety team did just that a few weeks ago to inspect the entire Apalachia Dam penstock, which carries water from the dam to the powerhouse through a blasted tunnel inside a mountain and sections of large steel pipe. The entire inspection process takes about a week to complete, and the only access is through small ports spaced miles apart. Apalachia Dam is on the North Carolina-Tennessee border and was designed and built for power generation during World War II. Still, it continues to provide reliable, low-cost, renewable energy today, thanks to our dedicated employees."
Bill Stranahan: Will TVA ever be reopening the road down to Appalachia dam??
Charles Gene Casteel: Bill Stranahan probably not, to many vandals and they like to shot holes in the penstock.
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[A comment indicates we are looking at a butterfly valve disk. Either that valve leaks or the penstock doesn't continually slope downwards.] |
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Doug Adams: This is where my papaw lost his life. They said took eleven men with bars to pry rock up enough to get him out.
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[A comment describes this as a stilling basin. In the distance we can see where the tunnel forks to feed the two external penstocks above the power house. ] |
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[This is the only photo that I have seen that was spilling water. They would normally try to avoid spilling water because for a hydropower dam that is flushing money down the drain.] |
TVA posted four photos with the comment:
On Wednesday, We shared some amazing pics of our Dam Safety team inspecting the inside of Apalachia Dam's 8-mile-long penstock. [above]
Here is a look at Apalachia's (yes, that is the correct spelling) penstock under construction in the 1940s, which is a blasted tunnel inside a mountain and sections of large steel pipe.
The dam is located on the North Carolina - Tennessee border and was designed for power generation during World War II and continues to provide low-cost, reliable electricity.
: What is the head pressure and what kind of the turbines are they?
Patrick Moore: James Heinske max headwater elevation at the dam is 1282 ft, turbine centerline is 846 feet, so it looks like 436 feet of head max. 436x.433=189 psi max. And almost certainly they are Francis turbines.
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TVA posted five photos with the comment: "A few weeks ago, we highlighted our Dam Safety team inspecting the 8-mile long Apalachia Dam penstock, a tunnel that carries water from the dam to the powerhouse. We tracked down Mr. Painter, who helped build Apalachia in the 1940s. Read about his fascinating story as he recalls the secret in the mountains.
http://tva.me/jgUG50I3E6h"
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