Students design dam gates that operate automatically

When the gates of the Kalangi reservoir near Srikalahasti were damaged in November 2015 floods, resulting in the draining out of the entire stored water, it had a deep impact on the minds of a batch of second year engineering students at Palamaner. For two years, they kept studying the working dynamics of various dams and the causes for the damage of gates and resultant disasters.

‘Gate lifting in dams through sensors’ became their project for the final year in 2017-18. A prototype exhibited at the district and zonal-level expos bagged the first prize early in January, and now the concept is going to be adopted for Cherlopalli dam coming up near Kadiri in Anantapur district.

Five civil engineering students — D.R. Diwakar, Adbul Ashfaq, M. Sai Priya, P. Neelima and Shalini — of the Mother Theresa Institute of Engineering and Technology at Palamaner came up with their model in August 2017.

Head of the Department (Civil) Prof. Bindu Chandra Obula Prasad told The Hindu that the students had approached him with the concept of ‘automatic’ lifting of gates of dams for their project work. “After a three-month study of various dam structures and functioning of their gates during floods at the global level, the idea of using sensors had struck us,” he said. A prototype was developed through Aurdino, a computer programme which sets sensors to dam gates.

Mr. Obula Prasad claimed that it was for the first time that the idea of using sensors for lifting dam gates was being used.“During floods, as and when the reservoirs and dams receive heavy inflows and cross the danger mark, the sensors attached to the gates will automatically run the programme. The gates will open to let out the water, and when the water level comes down, the gates will automatically close,” he said.

Extensive study

As part of the study, the five-member batch had extensively toured various States and visited some of the massive dams.

The team leader, Diwakar, said it was found that all the dams in India operated on either hydraulic or gravity modules in lifting of gates. “When there is a power supply disruption or a technical snag, the modules are prone to risks. We are happy with our prototype, and it’s functioning well. We have plans to approach foreign universities to advance our research, and study various dams internationally,” he said.