Forebay Tank – Design and

Construction

Asanka Kumarasiri
PG Diploma in Structural Engineering 2014
Outline
 What is a forebay tank ?
 Hydraulic design criteria
◦ How size and the shape is determined

 Structural Design
◦ Wall thickness, Reinforcement and arrangement of
Structural members

 Construction methodology and current practice

What is a Forebay Tank ?
 Transition from the Head race channel to Penstock
 Provides a Head with an acceptable range of variation
 A Reservoir providing surge attenuation
 Water storage to provide sudden loads
 Integrated with
◦ Desilting tank
◦ Spillway
◦ Trash rack
Typical Forebay tank
Forebay tank of Hal Oya MHPP
Forebay tank of Lower Kothmale
MHPP
Hydraulic Design Criteria
 Design Flow

 Velocity inside the Forebay tank

◦ Trash rack head loss

◦ Particle settling process in the desalting tank

 Silt storage volume

 Vortex formation

 Sudden load demands

Structural Design
 Designed for a crack width of 0.2mm
 Grade 25 concrete is used
 Base and the two walls is taken as a single unit
◦ The whole tank is a monolithic unit

 Since side walls are long, considered as cantilever walls

generally
◦ A cross section is considered in the analysis

 End wall is supported by a large anchor - a suitable

idealization is made in analysis
Sections of a Typical FBT
Structural Design Contd…..
 Filled with water without any ground resistance
◦ Service condition – water up to FSL
◦ Ultimate condition – water up to the top level

 Earth pressure on the tank during tank empty

condition
 Trash rack load
 Load on the top slab of the Closed area
Forebay tank integrated with
horizontal beams and struts –
Wembiyagoda MHPP
 Since the tank is too deep, normal design results
in huge wall sections
 Walls were supported on intermediate positions
by means of beams running along the horizontal
direction
 Beam is supported on struts which were taken to
the ground in the vicinity, which was sound rock
FBT design – Wembiyagoda MHPP
FBT – Wembiyagoda MHPP
Construction Methodology and
Current Practice
 Normally results in a considerable excavation
◦ Deep part is founded on hard soil at a significant depth

◦ Rock is encountered most of the time

 Rock dowels or anchors are done as per the design

 And infill concrete or a rubble work is done to form

the shape of the base slab

 Base slab is casted first with a kicker for the wall

Construction Methodology and
Current Practice Contd….
 Concrete of Grade 25 is site mixed
 Plywood form work is used
 Walls are completed lift by lift
 End wall anchor is done at the end with
the Penstock installation
Construction of the FBT
Thank you……