Kazunogawa Pumped Storage Plant
Design and operation
The upper reservoir for the power station is created by the Kamihikawa Dam at 35°42′58″N 138°49′57″E / 35.71611°N 138.83250°E which is a 87 metres (285 ft) tall and 494-metre (1,621 ft) long rock-fill embankment type. It has a fill volume of 4,110,000 cubic metres (5,380,000 cu yd). The upper reservoir's capacity is 11,470,000 cubic metres (9,300 acre⋅ft) of which 8,300,000 cubic metres (6,700 acre⋅ft) is active (or "useful) for power generation. The lower reservoir is formed by the Kazunogawa Dam (葛野川ダム), which uses water from the Sagami River system. The Kazunogawa Dam is 105.2 metres (345 ft) tall and 263.5 metres (865 ft) long roller-compacted concrete gravity dam. It has a structural volume of 622,000 cubic metres (814,000 cu yd). The lower reservoir's capacity is 11,500,000 cubic metres (9,300 acre⋅ft) of which 8,300,000 cubic metres (6,700 acre⋅ft) is active (or "useful) for pumping into the upper reservoir.
When energy demand is high, water from the upper reservoir is released down to the underground power station via a single 3.3 kilometres (2.1 mi) long headrace tunnel which splits into two 1.8 kilometres (1.1 mi) tunnels before each separate into two 620 metres (2,030 ft) long penstocks. Each penstock feeds a single reversible 400 MW Francis turbine-generator with water before it is released into a 3.3 kilometres (2.1 mi) long tailrace tunnel which discharges into the lower reservoir. When energy demand is low and therefore inexpensive, the turbines reverse into pumps and send water from the lower reservoir back to the upper reservoir. The process is repeated when necessary to help balance electricity loads. The difference in elevation between the upper and lower reservoirs affords an effective hydraulic head of 714 metres (2,343 ft) and maximum of 779 metres (2,556 ft).
See also
- Fukashiro Dam – located downstream of Kazunogawa Dam
- List of pumped-storage hydroelectric power stations
References
- ^ "Kazunogawa Hydroelectric Power Plant, Japan". Power-Technology. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
- ^ "Kamihikawa" (in Japanese). DamSite. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
- ^ "Kazunogawa" (in Japanese). DamSite. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
- ^ "Outline of Kazunogawa Hydroelectric Power Station" (PDF). TEPCO. 9 June 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
- ^ "Commercial Operation Commencement of Unit 4, Kazunogawa Hydroelectric Power Station". TEPCO. 9 June 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
- ^ Yoshikawa, Hiromichi. "A Huge Pumped-Storage Hydroelectric Power Plant on the Kazuno River -Effective Head of 714 m-". Musashi Institute of Technology. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
- ^ "Kazunogawa Pumped-storage Power Station" (in Japanese). CKJ3D. 23 August 2009. Archived from the original on 7 January 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2011.