Francis Turbine Runner - Brilliant, BC
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T0SHEA
N 49° 20.203 W 117° 36.166
11U E 456210 N 5465062
This turbine runner is preserved at the Brilliant Rest Area, 2 km. northeast of the Brilliant Dam, on Highway 3A.
Waymark Code: WMHBXP
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 06/21/2013
Views: 4
The Brilliant Dam is the final dam in the series of dams between Nelson and Castlegar on the Kootenay River.
Built beginning in 1944 By Cominco, Ltd., its primary purpose at the time was to supply electricity to Cominco's smelter in Trail, BC. Surplus power was supplied to the local grid for residential and commercial use.
Cominco built a larger dam at Waneta, closer to the smelter, in 1954, but continued to operate this dam until 1996 when it was sold to the Columbia Basin Trust and Columbia Power Corp. Originally it housed 2 27 MW Francis turbines.
The dam is 42.6 metres high, with a head of 28 metres, and has eight sluice gates. In 2000 the facility was upgraded with four turbines generating a total of 145 MW of electricity.
In 2003, the Columbia Power Corporation began the Brilliant expansion. A 120 MW powerhouse was added which will use excess water beyond the capacity of the original powerhouse. Completed in 2007, the combined generation is now 265 MW.
This turbine runner is an original one, replaced when the powerhouse was upgraded beginning in 2000. This was part of unit #3 of four. The runner saw service from 1950 until 2002.
Type of Machine: Francis Turbine Runner
Year the machine was built: circa 1949
Year the machine was put on display: circa 2005
Is there online documentation for this machine: Not listed
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