2017

Technical assistance for the numerical modelling of Chira and Soria dams

iPresas has participated in 2017 providing technical support for the NUMERICAL MODELLING OF CHIRA AND SORIA DAMS, owned by the Government of Gran Canaria and managed by the Gran Canaria Water Council.

In particular, tasks carried out by iPresas included, among others, the development of numerical models for stress-strain analysis using FLAC3D software, taking into account both hydrostatic and seismic loads, following the recommendations of the Technical Guide on Dam safety Nr. 2 published by the Spanish National Committee on Large Dams (SPANCOLD).

Chira dam is a 32 m high masonry dam, built in 1964. Soria dam is a 132m high arch dam that stands out, not only for its height, but also for its geometric singularity. The construction of the dam began in 1961 as an arch dam; subsequently, the section varied to a double curved arch; and years later, for a better adaptation to the topography, it was ended as an arch of three centers. The works concluded in 1972.

Chira and Soria dams, currently used for regulation, have been included in a project for a reversible hydroelectric plant located in Gran Canaria. The project consists of the interconnection of both reservoirs through a reversible 200 MW power plant.

The results of the numerical modelling have allowed to analyze both dams for different hypotheses and to identify singular points; as well as analyzing the range of variation of the expected displacements, thus this work allowed identifying the locations where it is important to focus future monitoring and surveillance tasks.