El Cajon dam Analysis of its behavior during construction and first filling

J D Aleman Velsquez, S Villegas Lesso Comisin Federal de Electricidad

Abstract SUMMARY: El Cajon Hydroelectric project is located in the state of Nayarit, at the occident of the country, very near the Pacific Ocean. It is a concrete face rockfill dam (CFRD) with a height of 188 m. At the moment it is in the last stage of its construction. The definitive closing of the river was carried out on July 14 2006 and at November 14th the reservoir has risen to the elev. +378.0 (the maximum water level is +394.0). For these conditions the dam presents filtrations of 60 l/s, approximately, and a maximum settlement of the concrete face of 17 cm. This paper describes the general characteristics of the project and the analysis of its behavior during the construction and first filling. A brief description of the field works, laboratory and analysis works carried out for the geotechnical design of this structure is also made.
Keywords: numerical analysis, FLAC 3D, behavior first filling, concrete face rockfill dams.

1 Introduction The HP (hydroelectric project) El Cajon, at the moment, is in the last stages of their construction, and it is located in the Nayarit state, at a distance of the order of 80 km to the east of the Tepic city, on the Santiago river, 60 km upstream the Aguamilpa project. The project considers a power station equipped with two turbo generators groups (Francis type, vertical, with maximum power of 422, 5 MW), which will allow a total mean annual generation of 1 228,637 GWh. Additionally, the reservoir will contribute to regulate the basin runoff and will benefit to the Aguamilpa central. In this paper, in the first part, a brief description of the geological conditions of the site and of the main structures of the project is presented. In the second part the detailed works carried out for the geotechnical design of the dam, are presented. In the last section it is analyzed the behavior of the dam during the construction and first filling.

Description of the project

2.1 General geology In accordance with the studies carried out, the works will be localized mainly in an Ignimbrite rock of riodacitic composition, which is differentiated in 3 units denominated TicU1, TicU2 and TicU3. The rockfill used in the dam came mainly from the unit TicU1 and it was obtained of the rock banks of the right riverbank (Garrido et al, 1995). The rocky mass of the site where the works are located and especially in the left riverbank, presents a great number of geological faults and superficial thickness of decompressed rock with values RQD from 0 to 50% until 50 m of depth. This situation implied important excavations and treatments to the rock in order to obtain an adequate foundation for the plinth. 2.2 Diversion structures They are formed by two 14 x 14 diversion tunnels (734 and 811 m of length) excavated in rock, located on the left bank, designed to discharge 6481 m3/s, with two main cofferdams. The upstream cofferdam being of 48 m high, while one downstream is 15 m high. Fig. 1 General arrangement of the project: 1, deviation tunnels; 2, cofferdam; 3; dam; 4, powerhouse; 5, spillway
1 2

4 1

2.3 Generation works They are constituted by an open power intake channel, two penstock, underground powerhouse, housing two Francis turbine of 422.5 MW of maximum power, surge chamber, tailrace tunnel and outside switchyard, all located on the right bank. 2.4 Spillway Also located on the right bank, It is an open channel controlled by six gates with a total capacity to discharge 14 864 m3/s when conveying the design flood with a peak flow of 15915 m3/s (Tr = 10 000 years). The detailed description of the dam, as well as of the study and geotechnical design carried out for the project they are presented in the following sections 3 Studies and geotechnical design for the dam 3.1 Zoning of the dam An extensive campaign of field studies and laboratory tests was carried out to determine the geotechnical properties of the rockfill that would be used in the dam. They were also carried out diverse stress-deformation analysis of the dam with the finite element method (FEM). In accordance with these results the zoning of the dam and construction specifications that appears in the fig. 2 were proposed. The seismicity of the region is low for what this aspect was not a main concern of the design of the dam.

Table 1. Placement and Compaction Requirements ________________________________________ Zone Layer Type No. of Passes m of Roller ________________________________________ 1B 2F 2** 3A 3B* T* 3C* 3H NA 4 NA Placed by backhoe NA _________________________________________ *compacted adding them 200 liter of water per m3 of material * * The material 2 was designed according to the Sherard criteria (1985). It was also considered that it would serve like filter of the material 1B and 2F. * * * The specifications also took account the empiric approach of JB Cooke (1984, 1998 and 2002) Fig. 2 Zoning of the dam and used compaction specifications. 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.8 1 1.4 0.4 Compacted by Dozer NA 10.6 Ton VR 10.6 Ton VR 10.6 Ton VR 12.2 Ton VR 12.2 Ton VR 12.2 Ton VR Compacted by 6 8 8 6 6 6 Dozer

3.2

Field and laboratory studies

To study the strength and deformability parameters of the rockfill, an embankment test of 12.5 m height it was built, in which layers of different thickness were placed (40, 60 and 90 cm) and the number of compaction passes and the weight of the vibratory roller (7,5 t and 10t) varied. The dry density reached and the corresponding void ratio of the rockfill were determined. In the embankment test they were also carried out load and permeability tests, while in laboratory triaxials giant tests (in specimens of 30 cm of diameter and 70 cm of height) and giant oedometric test (in specimens of 110 cm of diameter and 100 cm of height) were executed, as well as unconfined compression test on rock cores. Also the index properties where obtained for the rockfill. The results of these tests appear in the following table and in the figures 3 and 4.
Table 2. Summary Results from embankment test and laboratory test ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ No. pass of VR average void ratio Ss PI Absorption Abrasion Rc Rc(sat) _____________________ 10 t weight thickness of layer (cm) Los Angeles 3 40 60 90 kN/m % % % MPa MPa ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4 0.26 0.31 0.40 6 0.24 0.27 0.37 23.3 2,62 <10 5% 27% 113 90 8 0.21 0.26 0.34 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Where: , Average dry volumetric weight of rock Ss, Specific density of rock PI, Plastic index fines materials Rc, average unconfined strength (natural) of rock specimens Rc(sat), average unconfined strength (saturated) of rock specimens

65.00

400.00

60.00

Aguamilpa (gravel)

350.00

El Cajon (rockfill)

Aguamilpa Gravel

300.00

Initial elasticity modulus, MPa

55.00

250.00

El Cajon Rockfill

50.00

200.00

150.00

45.00

Aguamilpa (rockfill)
40.00

100.00

50.00

Aguamilpa Rockfill
10 100 1000 10000

35.00 10 100 1000 10000

0.00

E sfue rzo d e Co nfina mie nto ,Lo g I I I (kP a )

Esfuerzo de Confina mie Confining stress, kPa nto,Log III (kPa)

a) b) Figure 3. Results of giant triaxials tests a) Internal friction angle vs. confining pressure; b) Variation of the initial tangent modulus vs. confining pressure.
0.29
Pba_4_saturada Pba_5_seca

450

pba_4_saturada_odom:med pba_5_seca odom_med Aguamilpa Odom_1_gig_seca Odom_2_gig_sat pba 6 odom_med_seco pba 7 odom_7_saturado

Aguamilpa odometer test

400

0.27
Odometro_1_gig Odometro_2_gig

350

Odoemetric Mdulus, EC (MPa)

0.25

dry test in middle odometer (30 cm di t )

300

Relacin de vacos, e

0.23

250

dry test Giant odometer (110 cm di t )

0.21

200

150

0.19

100

0.17
50

Saturated tests in giant Saturated tests in middle odometer

1.00 10.00

0.15 0.1 1 Presin (MPa), Log P 10

0 0.10

average Pressure (MPa), Log P

a) b) Figure 4. Results of the giant oedometer test) compressibility curve of the rockfill; b) variation of the oedometric modulus

Figure 5. Specified grain size distribution bands.

3C
3A 2 1B 4

3B

3C

4.

Behaviour during construction

The El Cajon dam began to be built in July of 2004. Two years later, July 14 2006 the definitive closing was carried out and the first filling began. In general, the specifications of layer thickness, grain size distribution curves, number of compaction passes, addition of water and rockfill quality were accomplished thanks to the strict supervision that was applied, which didn't allow deviations to these specifications. This produced that the rockfill of the 3B, T and 3C zones reached void ratios of 0.39, approximately (calculated with the classical equation: e = Ss/rockfill -1) and of 0.270 (calculated as: e=rock / rockfill -1, where rock, density of the rock, in t/m3; and, rockfill, density of the rockfill, in t/m3). It was not possible to appreciate an important difference in the values of the void ratio among the three main materials of the dam. An extensive instrumentation was installed for monitoring the displacements of the dam. Hydraulic levels were installed in three sections of the dam (including the maximum section) and at three different elevations. Three-dimensional extensometers were also placed in the perimeter joint plinthconcrete face, as well as unidirectional extensometers were installed in some tension and compression joints of the concrete slab. In the figure 6 the settlements measured at the end of construction can be observed in the maximum section of the dam. The maximum settlement occurs in the material T, with a value of 80 cm.
Figure 6. Contours

of settlements measured at the end of construction, in

cm
80

70 60 50 40 30 20 10

The deformability modulus (E) obtained with the measurements of settlements, provided values between 90 and 100 MPa for the material 3B; between 120 and 160 MPa for the T and 70 MPa for the material 3C. These modules are relatively high for a rockfill coming from a rock with a density of 2.37 t/m3 (23.3 kn/m3 of volumetric weight). This good behavior is attributed to the following aspects: a well graduate grain size distribution curve and a good quality rockfill; abundant addition of water during the construction; utilization of a vibratory roller of 12 t of mass in the drum. On the other hand, the difference among module it was from 1.2 to 1,6 times between the materials 3B and T, and almost 2 to 1 between the material T and 3C. This relative small difference it was looked for during the design by means of the similarity among the grain size distribution curves of the different materials and, the utilization of thickness layers not too different among the diverse zones (80, 100 and 140 cm for the zones 3B, T and 3C). The less deformability in the material T is attributed to its biggest confining stresses. Indeed, the transition zone is the more loaded during construction, but it is also the one that has bigger lateral confining, this explains that its deformability module is between 30 and 60 bigger% that the material 3B. With the previous information, back analyses were carried out with the finite element method (FEM) using diverse soils models (lineal, hyperbolic, elastic-plastic to simulate the stress-strain behavior of the rockfill). In the figure 7 the obtained contours of same settlements of Back analysis are presented using a lineal elastic model. It can be appreciated that this model reproduces with enough accuracy the measured settlements.

Figure 7.

Contours of settlements obtained in the backanalysis, in cm.

78 60 70 40 50 30 20

With regard to the behavior during the first filling, with the reservoir to the elevation +380.0 that represents 90% of the total filling, a maximum settlement of 23 cm has been measured in the concrete face. The maximum movements measured in the perimeter joint are: 8 mm of opening; 23 mm of joint offset, and 3.3 mm of tangential movement. In the figure 8 the contours of measured settlements due to the filling are shown.

Figure 8. Contours

of the measured settlements in maximum section, cm, due to the filling

22 18 14 10 2 6

Again, FEM analyses were carried out to try to reproduce the measured settlements and to investigate the maximum compression stresses in the concrete face. The stress-strain behavior of the dam was again well simulated with a lineal elastic model, considering Ef = 2Ec,[3] where, Ec, Elasticity modulus obtained in the Back analysis of the construction; Ef, elasticity modulus during filling, [3]. The contours of settlements and the compression stresses calculated in the concrete slab appear in the following figures. In these models it was considered that relative displacement didn't exist among the face of concrete and the rockfill that supports it.

Figure 9. Contours of calculated settlements due to the initial filling in the maximum section, in cm.

22

18

15

10

Compression zone

0 2.5 5 5 2.5

Tension zone
6.6

Tension zone

Figure 10. Contours of horizontal compression stresses in the middle concrete slab plane, due to the initial filling in the maximum section, in MPa.

It is observed that the calculated maximum compression stresses are presented to the middle of the concrete slab and they have a magnitude of the order of 7 MPa, that doesn't represent a risk of rupture of the concrete slab. The problem of horizontal tension stress was eliminated with the perimeter joint plinth-concrete slab and vertical joints in the slab panels at each 15 m. It is necessary to comment that during the design, in left and right banks, in the upper part of the concrete slab the separation of the joints decreased to 7,5 m, in order to absorb the high tension stress that there they would be presented. Finally, the summary of the measurements and of the made analyses appears in the following table.
Table 3. Summary of Results from measurement and FEM analysis ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Material Elasticity modulus Poisson maximum settlement, Concrete face maximum E, ratio end of construction settlement due filling stress compression, MPa cm cm MPa _____________________ _______________________ _______________________ ___________________ Measured Back Analisys Measured Back Analisys Measured Back Analisys* Back Analisys ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3B 80-100 120 0.21 T 122-160 150 0.22 80 78 23 22 6.6 3C 67-72 90 0.23 * During first filling back analysis, Ef = 2Ec. Where Ec, construction elasticity modulus, Ef, Filling elasticity modulus

5. Conclusions Considering the results of the accomplished previous studies, the direct measurements of the dam behavior during construction and first filling and the executed analyses, we can conclude the following. 1. The detailed study of the index properties and the geotechnical parameters of the rockfill, allow to carry out a more rational design of the dam, however, the analyses and mathematical simulations that are performed should be pondered with the knowledge of the behavior of the existent dams. 2. It is possible to model the stress-strain behavior of these dams with a simple lineal elastic model, whenever the representative elastic modulus of elasticity each one of the materials be selected appropriately. 3. The above mentioned is valid despite one knows that the elasticity modules increases with the confining stress, just as was measured in the material T of the El Cajon dam. 4. The use of well graded and good quality rockfill (sound rock), with high percentages of particles minus than 75 mm (higher than 30%), maximum fragment size of 80 cm or smaller, the generous addition of water, and the use of heavy roller compactor (withs a drums mass of 12 t o hgher) allows to obtain materials with relatively low deformability, still with rocks with low densities. 6. The good behavior of the HP El Cajon confirm that it is possible to build this kind of dams even higher, as long as they take before into account the aspects indicated above. Finally, in figures 11 and 12 photos of de dam in different stages of construction are shown.

Figure 11. aerial Photo of El Cajon dam, January 2006

Figure 12. Aerial Photo of El Cajon dam, September 2006

REFERENCES 1. Sanchez A V. (1995), El Cajon HP, geological report for preconstruction stage, Internal Report, CFE/GEIC, july 1995. 2. Aleman J D et al, Studies and geotechnical design of the El Cajon Dam, proceedings of the International symposium on dams in the society of 21st. Century, ICOLD-SPANCOLD, June 18th 2006 3. Hacelas J E, (1998), Evolution in design and construction of the concrete face rockfill dam, Conferencia internacional sobre presas de almacenamiento, Mxico, julio de 1998, SMMS 4, Cooke J B. (1984), Progress in RockFill Dams, Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, ASCE, October 1984. 5. Cooke, J B. (1998), Empirical Design of CFRD, Hydropower & Dam, Issue six, 1998