Anyone know about the big dams?

[Rob Allen]

I need to know some things. I am thinking about Bonneville most specifically.

I'd like to know what would happen ( if anything) to the dam in the complete absence of humans . No one to maintain it no one to adjust it seasonally for flows.

I'd love to hear theoretical chain of events of what might occur over the course of say 15-20 years.

How long would the system continue to create electricity?

If a conscientious employee knew the end was coming how might he set up the dam to mitigate damage for anyone who survived?

Open to engineers theorizing.. or wild speculations from ignorant people like me.

 

[SculpinSwinger]

I think eventually it fills with silt. It’s abrasive nature, and lack of maintenance (grease) will kill turbines and power generation.

A lot depends on the flow through the turbines. I think strong flow stays clear longer. Once the dam is topped it’s not too much time before it fails.

All based on the WAG theorem

 

[O' Clarkii Lewisi]

I need to know some things. I am thinking about Bonneville most specifically.

I'd like to know what would happen ( if anything) to the dam in the complete absence of humans . No one to maintain it no one to adjust it seasonally for flows.

I'd love to hear theoretical chain of events of what might occur over the course of say 15-20 years.

How long would the system continue to create electricity?

If a conscientious employee knew the end was coming how might he set up the dam to mitigate damage for anyone who survived?

Open to engineers theorizing.. or wild speculations from ignorant people like me.

Hayduke Lives!

 

[Rob Allen]

Hayduke Lives!

No.. if I write about it I don't want to sound like a complete idiot.

 

[Yard Sale]

You mean before or after the big one?

"The Cascadia Subduction Zone has not produced an earthquake since 1700 and is building up pressure where the Juan de Fuca Plate is subsiding underneath the North American plate. Currently, scientists are predicting that there is about a 37 percent chance that a megathrust earthquake of 7.1+ magnitude in this fault zone will occur in the next 50 years. This event will be felt throughout the Pacific Northwest."

Oregon Department of Emergency Management : Cascadia Subduction Zone : Hazards and Preparedness : State of Oregon

Cascadia Subduction Zone

www.oregon.gov

 

[PhilR]

Bonneville probably isn’t going to silt up anytime soon, not with all of the other dams above it. I think what would happen is that the bearings on a turbine would give out, either seizing it or knocking it out of alignment. Water would get into the works, rusting things enough that water flows freely through the powerhouse, which causes erosion in structural parts of the dam. Rebar in the concrete would start to rust, causing the concrete to start spalling.

Scratch that. I’d bet that the locks would fail first, and I’d put the over/under at 20 years

 

[Anonymous member 148]

Seems there was a whole series of shows on this on the history channel maybe? I cant remember the name, gorgle time... 'Life After People' History Channel, 2 seasons 20 episodes. I remember watching it and it was pretty good, I bet money they had a segment on dams.

 

[Zak]

No.. if I write about it I don't want to sound like a complete idiot.

Are you saying Ed Abbey was an idiot?

 

[sal_the_salmon]

I could see an eruption of Mt Adams or Mt Hood could do them in via mud and debris flows from the hood and white salmon rivers.

 

[Anonymous member 148]

Hopefully that link works

 

[Tom Butler]

That life after people show was interesting. I think the dams will be gone before people. If a natural disaster doesn't do them in I feel they would be a target in a war we can't even fathom yet. Hope I'm wrong.

 

[Rob Allen]

Are you saying Ed Abbey was an idiot?

I wouldn't know. I am saying that if I am going to write about it I want whatvI write to be plausible.

 

[Crazywednesday]

A lot of what happens initially depends on the position of the wicket gates. Prior to complete failure I believe erosion around the ends would start to destabilize the damn itself. Eventually it would end up as a huge rock in the middle or side of the river.

 

[Rob Allen]

A lot of what happens initially depends on the position of the wicket gates. Prior to complete failure I believe erosion around the ends would start to destabilize the damn itself. Eventually it would end up as a huge rock in the middle or side of the river.

That's what happened after the bridge of the gods land slide. It blocked the whole river for 6 months until the edges eroded.

 

[Robert Engleheart]

Gotta ask, Rob; are you prepping?

 

[Rob Allen]

Gotta ask, Rob; are you prepping?

Prepping to write a story.

 

[Robert Engleheart]

My grandfather built a dam and powerhouse in Mexico, came online about 1920. One of the two turbine generators he installed is still online.

 

[Buzzy]

Many dams are automated and operated remotely. Computer control systems work well this way - but human interface with the computer controls are needed. No maintenance? No one to fuel an emergency generator? No routine inspections? No crews to troubleshoot issues? I think your question is too vague for any scientific response, there are simply far too many variables.

 

[John Svahn]

I’d worry about the fish ladder too- what happens if it is not opened when the humans leave? Or is that one always open?

 

[Buzzy]

I’d worry about the fish ladder too- what happens if it is not opened when the humans leave? Or is that one always open?

I'd worry about the fish ladders too. I suppose dam operators could open their spillways fully and let the river run as if the dam was just a bump, their last operational function. Just walking away from a powerplant, and think it's going to run itself, is too preposterous for me to imagine.