Analysis and Summary of Dynamic Gates
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Table of Contents
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
MOSE Project ………………………. 3
Inflatable Rubber Dam………………. 4
Three Gorges Dam…………………… 5
Eastern Sheldt Barrier ………………. 6
Panama Canal ……………………….. 7
Maeslant Barrier …………………….. 8
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Mose Project
Strengths

Defends water level as high as 3 m (9.8 ft); activated at 1.1 m

Stainless steel floodgates

Requires the use of compressed air to activate (Archimedes’ principle of buoyancy)

30 min activation time

Does not modify water exchange between the sea and the lagoon
Weaknesses

Project under way since 1989 with start of REA project
o Construction between 2003 to 2014 (12 years of labor)

Total cost of €4.272 Billion

Used tremendous amount of energy (land, water, manpower) to create prototype of
environment to test the effectiveness of the floodgates

14 years of going through regulations and jurisdictions before given final go-ahead

Structure is underwater, which makes maintenance very difficult
Opportunities

Opening of 1,200 jobs per year for construction, and 150 per year for maintaining

Saving thousands of lives in Venice that could potentially be taken with a disastrous
flood

Can be similarly implemented in other regions of the world if land is surrounded by
canal system and deals with flooding
Threats

The 7 largest high tides of the year (which have caused tremendous floods in Venice)

Tides higher than 3 m (gates’ maximum capability), by means of hurricanes, tsunamis
or climate change
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Inflatable Rubber Dam
Strengths

Flexible fabric that exhibits good wear-resistance characteristics

Diverts water for irrigation

Can be used for flood control, temporarily raising existing dams, flood control, water
retention for aquifer recharge, reducing or preventing salt water intrusion into fresh
water areas, protect low-lying coastal areas from tidal flooding, enabling fish passage
past diversion works (by deflation), and for sewage retention/separation during flood
events

Shorter construction periods (3-6 months)

Lower cost of capital

Long service life (30+ years)

Can be installed in any channel cross-section shape
Weaknesses

Overflow on the air-filled rubber dams is restricted to 20% of its height (compared to
50% with water-filled)

Dam heights are usually restricted to 5 m

Vibrations might result from fluid-structure interactions during overflows greater than
20% over-topping, and the instabilities might damage or destroy the rubber
membrane
Opportunities

Installed in stream and river beds

More than 2000 rubber dams in the world and increasing

Can be filled with air, water or both
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Threats

Overflow characteristics have not been widely researched

Can alter the ecosystem functionality and migration of upstream fish

Can take up to 3 hours to inflate or deflate (depending on flow size )
Three Gorges Dam
Strength

Three gorges dam can protect the local area from flooding. Since the Yangtze River has a
tendency to flood frequently, measures have been taken in the past to lessen the impacts
on the area

Three gorges dam produces rich hydro energy. The development reserves of hydro
energy can reach up to 1021 thousand kilowatts providing enough clean and cheap
energy for the industries in the area.

The dam also creates rich tourism resources. The area has unique geological structure
which attracts thousands of tourists to visit. The area integrates the natural and human
landscape smoothly.
Weakness
 The cost to build the dam is so high. The government estimated that the Three Gorges
Dam project would cost 180 billion yuan (US$22.5 billion).

The dam leads to the inundation of fertile farming land. The 100,000 acres that will
be flooded accounts for 10% of the grain supply, 50% of which is rice.

People living in the area have to be relocated due to the raised water.
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Opportunity Analysis

The creation of the reservoir has a number of economic values. It will aid in boosting
agriculture, since the reservoir will hold more water for irrigation. It also will provide the
surrounding areas with a stable source of drinking water. Trade is estimated to increase
five times in the Central China. Transportation costs are expected to reduce by 35-37%.

The transportation in the area is improved due to the dam. With a final depth of 525 ft,
larger ships can be used to transport products up and down the Yangtze River.

The hydro energy provided by the dam can reduce the release of carbon dioxide. From
2003 to 2007, power production equaled that of 84 million tonnes of standard coal,
reducing carbon dioxide by 190 million tonnes, sulfur dioxide by 2.29 million tonnes, and
nitrogen oxides by 980,000 tonnes.
Threat Analysis

The dam does not have a disaster prevention system. Three gorges dam can be in danger
due to earthquakes in the area.

People in the area lost their jobs due to the relocation caused by the implement of Three
Gorges Dam.
Eastern Scheldt Storm Surge Barrier
Strength

The surge barrier protects people and infrastructure from the threat of flooding.

Instead of building a conventional dam, the Dutch constructed the barrier with movable
gates.

The dam is manually operated but if human control fails an electronic security system
acts as a backup
Weakness
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
The cost of operation can reach up to 17 million euros per year.

The barrier limits the transportation in the local area.
Opportunity

As a result, an entirely new landscape emerged-lakes, dams, beaches, recreation areas,
new settlements and industrial zones. Manipulating the currents generated sandbars and
nature reserves.

The barriers create economic opportunities in the local area.
Threat

The tides in the area changed dramatically and can be a threat to the mussel industry.
Panama Canal
Strengths

A key pass way for international maritime trade. Panama Canal made it possible for ships
to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in half the time previously required.

The water is moved by gravity, and is controlled by huge valves in the culverts

Mechanical interlocks are built into the controls to make sure that no component can be
moved while another is in an incorrect state

No motor is required to fill up the gates and to drain them.

The dam at one of the arteries to the canal, is able to generate the electricity to run all the
motors which operate the canal as well as the locomotives in charge of towing the ships
through the canal
Weaknesses

The Panama Canal unlike the Suez Canal is not operated at the sea level. Since, it is
situated in a mountainous terrain; the sea level is 500 ft.

The dimensions of the gates determine the maximum size of ships which can use the
canal.
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
Health risks posed to workers in the mosquito-infested Panamanian jungle, principally
malaria and yellow fever, cost thousands of lives and caused unanticipated delays
Threats

Excessive soil erosion and sedimentation caused by deforesting the zone could lead to
serious silting problems.

China is looking into constructing a 220 km railway between Colombia's Pacific and
Caribbean coasts
Maeslant Barrier
Salient Points

Protects Rotterdam and surrounding communities from Storm Water surge.

The gates then close automatically by a feedback system that makes the decision based
on water levels and weather forecasts, with no human assistance needed.

With rising sea levels, the Dutch Government expects the gates to be used more often.

About one million people in South-Holland are protected from the sea.

The whole project, including the dike reinforcements cost 635 million Euros. This was
150 million Euros less than the alternative plan, in which all dikes in the area would have
been reinforced and raised.

Dike reinforcement project would have taken an additional ten years of work.

The whole system is above the water. Hence, making the maintenance easy.
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