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At Hoover Dam, 100% of the river flows through the turbines with no bypass. The dam was originally built for flood control. Power generation is driven by downst
by ridgeguy 8y ago
At Hoover Dam, 100% of the river flows through the turbines with no bypass. The dam was originally built for flood control. Power generation is driven by downstream water demands. [1]
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoover_Dam#Operation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoover_Dam#Operation
"The entire flow of the Colorado River passes through the turbines."
- Someone 8y agoBut it isn’t 100% efficient in converting potential energy into electricity. Even if the generators were 100% efficient, resistance in the pipes leading to the turbines slow down the water, not all the water hits the turbine blades, the water that does doesn’t transfer all its energy (the water would have to have zero speed after the turbine to do that, and the turbines would have to be at the bottom water level)
- ridgeguy 8y agoUnderstood. I took the OP's "how much water flows past generators" to address whether all the dam's outflow goes through the turbines or whether some is diverted around them. The former is the case. The latter only happens when spillways are in use, which is rare.