Use of CFD analysis for design verification of a submerged roller bucket for Oxec II hydro project

Abstract

The Oxec II hydroelectric project is a greenfield hydroelectric project on the Cahabón River located in the Department of Alta Verapaz in the north central part of Guatemala. It is owned by Energy Resources Capital (ERC) and was construction by the design-build contractor Solel Boneh Guatemala (SBG). Hatch was SBG’s engineer for the project.

The project is a 56 MW hydroelectric complex comprised of a 43 m high, 203 m long concrete gravity dam with a close-coupled power block on the left bank and a gated spillway section on the right bank. The Oxec II spillway comprises an Ogee crest with a free waterway of 48 m wide and consists of four bays equipped with radial gates designed for passing 1:1000 yr design flood of 4,948 m3/s. The spillway was also checked for an extreme flood of 6144 m3/s (1:10000 yr flood). The construction of the Oxec II project began in 2015 and completed in the summer of 2018.