SYMPOSIA PAPER Published: 01 January 1981
STP28322S

Impermeabilization of a 300-Hectare Cooling Pond

Source

The project of the 1200 MW Rio Escondido Thermoelectric Plant, now under construction in northern Mexico, includes a 300-hectare (750-acre) cooling pond. The entire reservoir will be created by building a circumferential embankment and developing the total storage requirement above the natural ground level. The makeup water will be obtained at a high cost from the Rio Grande by means of a 30-km-long aqueduct with a maximum capacity of 2.5 m3/s. Severe restrictions were put on the allowable seepage.

This paper describes the geotechnical investigations performed for evaluation of the subsoil permeability and the final solution adopted: a clay liner compacted according to a nonstandard procedure. The results obtained in the laboratory and in a full-scale test pond (50 by 50 m) are also presented. During this study the limitations of some accepted tests were put in evidence, and some new techniques were developed.

Author Information

Auvinet, G
Comisión Federal de Electricidad, Mexico
Espinosa, J
Soil Mechanics Laboratory, P. T. Rio Escondido, Comisión Federal de Electricidad, Mexico
Price: $25.00
Contact Sales
Related
Reprints and Permissions
Reprints and copyright permissions can be requested through the
Copyright Clearance Center
Details
Developed by Committee: D18
Pages: 151–167
DOI: 10.1520/STP28322S
ISBN-EB: 978-0-8031-4812-3
ISBN-13: 978-0-8031-0797-7