Study of rehabilitation plan of bottom outlet service and emergency gates of Karun 1 dam

Rehabilitation and renovation of damaged tunnels and hydro-mechanical equipment of dam and power plant projects in Iran is a major challenge and has to be seriously planned for now. Considering that Karun 1 dam has been in service for more than 50 years, the service and emergency gates of this project showed extensive damage and needed to be replaced. In the absence of a maintenance intake gate in front of this tunnel and the impossibility of emptying the upstream reservoir – whose dependent power plants must work non-stop – the redesign and installation of new gates must be made under a water head of 110 m. Primarily, four solutions are investigated to repair or replace the damaged parts of service and emergency gates and casing to seal the tunnel; of which one is selected as the final procedure. Then the recommended method of installation of the gates under the water head of 110 m is examined.