Construction Of Dams: Importance, Phases, And Challenges

Importance of Dam Construction

Question:

Discuss about the Critical Analysis Of The System Engineering Design Of The Construction Of A Dam.

It is to be noted that the construction of the infrastructures like dams is very crucial for any region having rivers in the vicinity as dams help in the regulating the flow and direction of the rivers and assist in preventing the areas from getting flooded.  The objective of the construction of dams is very precisely described in the previous assignment. The key objective of constructing the dam is to stop the water of the river or cease the underground steam from over flooding a particular area.  The reservoirs that are created due to the construction of the dams are used for multiple uses such as stopping the floods along with reserving the water for projects like generation of electricity and supply water to the entire area and other adjoining cities and regions (Bayin, 2013).  It has been recognized that the infrastructures like dams have proved to be crucial for every region in any country in respect of providing huge safety to the country. The general objective of the construction of the dams is reserving excess amount of rain and river water for the use generation of electricity and irrigation purpose. The reserved river water due to the construction of dams is also stated to be used in the consumption of the humans and other industrial uses (Becker, et al., 2013). The focus is primarily on the Glen Canyon dam which is one of the biggest dams in the history of human kind. It also has the stated that there are various kinds of dams among which Arch Gravity is one to be conisdered.ist was stated that Glen Canyon dam is constructed as one of the arch gravity dam.  Glen Canyon is situated on the town called page and the dam is situated on the Colorado River in the North Arizona which is in the United States of America (Döring, Birnbaum & Kuckling, 2013).

The phase of the preliminary or conceptual design of any type of system engineering relates to the development and definition of the preferred concept of the   dam system and the requirements for the structuring of the water reservoir system. It was observed that the preliminary design of the Glen Canyon dam has taken place after the analysis of the feasibility and the appraisals in the context to the options available which was obtained after the briefing of the project. The conceptual design is presented in the previous assignment in regards to the construction of the Glen Canyon dam in various aspects of the design for both the inception and completion of the construction project (Gordon, et al., 2017). The description of the ways and what stages the construction of dam will be conducted in regards to the completion of the system engineering project. In regards to the construction of the Glen Canyon dam from the preliminary phase of the design starts with the definition of the problem for which the entire planning of the project has been carried out. In the preliminary phase of design of the Glen Canyon dam, planning and architecture of the project has been laid out in various phases. Further, it has been stated that the programs for the system engineering plays a great role in the construction of the dams. The possible needs that are needed to materialize the project is been stated (Gouda, Radhika & Akshatha, 2013).  It has also been stated in the previous assignment that the total materials, number of workers, technologies are included in the plan that is devised in the planning of the construction of the Glen Canyon dam. 

Phases Involved in the Construction of Dams

The detailed design and development of the construction of Glen Canyon dam would encompass the program management plan of the Glen Canyon dam. This has the inclusion of the concept called as the Project Management Body of Knowledge which  integrates a group of employees  that are in charge do et taking the most important decisions of the construction.  The detailed design and development process also included the architecture of the dam which encompassed the understanding of the structure (Hariharan & Kannan, 2014).  This phase is also referred to as the technical architecture phase which is very much subjected to the change according to the practical situations.  The assignment included the functional baseline, specifications of the system, the management plan regarding the system engineering in the context of the construction of Glen Canyon dam along with the program of implementation regarding real execution of the stages of the project. It was observed in the assignment that during the implementation of the program regarding the construction of the Glen Canyon dam, filling up the lake Powell has been challenging (Jain & Nigam, 2013).  The definition of the system requirements has been observed to be a very significant part of the construction of the Glen Canyon dam as this is supposed to be the part that is accountable for the success or failure of the project. This definition of the system requirements was observed to   have the various layers such as advanced system planning and architecting. It was also observed that the system requirements of the construction of Glen Canyon dam encompassed the problem definition and identification of the needs which are integral parts of the development process (Jain & Nigam, 2013).  The maintenance and operation process along with the development process of the technology have been considered in the layers of the design and development phase of the construction of Glen Canyon dam. It is to be noted that relevant researches were stated to be carried out throughout entire implementation of the project. Research has been considered as a very crucial part of the design and engineering of the system in regards to the construction of dam. The previous assignment has also focused on the up gradation of the initial design by the information associated with the work field to the structuring of the final and detailed design (Kiro, Shitrit & Qimron, 2014). The analysis of the life cycle also integrates the designing, synthesis of the entire project of the dam construction, selection of models, developmental revision, design of the materials and process and critical analysis of the design.  Te manufacturing and the configuration of the design is also included in the detailed design and development. The operation of the construction of the Glen Canyon dam along with the support to the system is also covered in the detailed design and development. Moreover, it was observed that the use of the various products, phase out and the disposal of the materials used in the construction of the Glen Canyon dam is also included in this part (Kong, Dabney & Tai, 2014).

Challenges in the Construction of Dams

The system test, evaluation, and validation and optimization in regards to the construction of the Glen Canyon dam denotes to the assessment of the entire project including the technical and environmental aspects of the construction. These parts integrated the maintenance of the construction of the Glen Canyon dam   that is stated to be done prior to the operation of the dam to the public and governmental use (Pishchik & Molokhina, 2017).  The evaluation and testing of the Glen Canyon dam   would include the analysis and assessments of the factors that assist in the measurement of the technical performance of the Glen Canyon dam from the aspects of the civil engineering.  The validation process of the Glen Canyon dam denotes to the assurance of the configuration and specifications of technical configuration in the regards to the fulfillment of the objectives of the construction of the Glen Canyon dam (Saini¹, Goel & Kumar, 2013). Human factors have a very crucial role in the construction and operation of the Glen Canyon dam. The people residing near the river and the area on which the damn would be made are required to understand the significance and need to allow the construction of the Glen Canyon dam. The complete functionality of the construction of the Glen Canyon dam can be observed through the functional analysis of the dam (Yassin, et al., 2017). 

 The application of the ADDIE Model is very much relevant in this case. It is significant as it denotes to the generic process which is very much appropriate for the authorities who would construct the Glen Canyon dam. The five phases of the ADDIE Model   relate to the stages in which the construction of the Glen Canyon dam is done. Analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation are the respective phases that are included in the model. The analysis phase is related to the conceptual or the preliminary phase of the construction of the Glen Canyon dam (Stansinoupolos, et al., 2013). The design phase would relate to handling the equipment, instruments, and selection of materials along with time of the construction of Glen Canyon dam. The development phase of the ADDIE model would relate to the creation and assemble of materials and machinery required for the construction of Glen Canyon dam. The implementation phase would associate with the initiation of the operation of construction of Glen Canyon dam. The evaluation phase would integrate the assessment and summation of the construction of Glen Canyon dam that also denotes to the testing of the dam (Wang, et al., 2014).

Application of ADDIE Model

Conclusion

The significance of the design process and the efficient implementation of different phases of the construction of Glen Canyon dam as a project are discussed in the project. From the analysis of the phases of the design of the construction of Glen Canyon dam, many aspects of design could; be learnt. The construction of a dam is a massive instance in regards to engineering and design. Importance to the intricate details has to be given as every aspect in terms of construction is very much important in this regard. It has been observed from the previous assignment that many issues have been confronted in regards to the implementation of construction. The brainstorming and innovative thinking with the ever altering technology and evolution can be put into application while addressing such issues and challenges in the construction of dam and conserving water from a large source for various purposes. It is a fact that the society needs to accept the significance of having a dam constructed which would ultimately serve the society and overall human kind in times of a necessity.

References

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