Design and construction of river water intakes

Essential element

The funnel that draws in and channels water to the power plant plays an essential role.

There are two types of water intake :

• Front intakes,
• Streambed intakes.

Water can be taken in different places :

• Upstream of the dam,
• Along the edge of a water course,
• On the bed of the water course, etc.

Everything depends on the nature of the water course or of the body of water, for example :

• In a river : water is rarely taken from the bed of the river due to the amount of debris carried by the current (streambed intake or Tyrolean weir),
• In a lake : water taken through an underground tunnel can be an excellent solution.

Various functions

A water intake has to be protected by a screen to facilitate the removal of waste and stop fish from passing through it.

The spacing of the water intake’s screen bars is therefore an important matter.

Technical decisions made during the design of the water intake structure are based on water quality. The velocity and cleanliness of the water dictate the size of the water intake.

It also has a desilting function and comprises a settling basin and a valve that enable deposits and the bottom of the water intake to be emptied.

Hydrostadium has all of the expertise and know-how necessary to design and build water intakes and thereby improve the performance of power plants.

Thanks to the company's engineers and highly advanced calculation techniques, all resources are used to meet client expectations.