Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In July 1997, a field inspection was carried out of parts of the tunnel system of the Tonstad hydroelectric power station, Norway. This report discusses the findings: (1) The main drift has a varying bottom covering of sediments, (2) The tunnel to Ousdal had on its downmost 2 km an almost unbroken and apparently stable armour layer along the walls and an unstable or incomplete armour layer in the middle, (3) The tunnel to Homstoel almost had no bottom layer, (3) Sediments in side inlets and niches are of two kinds: (a) masses added through side inlets, (b) fine sand and mud deposited by the main tunnel, (4) A few cases were observed of downfallen rocks and of peeled rock of about 1 m size. It looks as if the Homstoel tunnel may have been previously used for larger discharges than that from Ousdal and that the latter is now being used to the limit of what the previously established armour layer can stand