Funil Plant



Credit: Reinaldo Hingel


The Funil Hydroelectric Power Plant has a different architecture from other FURNAS power plants. With a double-curved, concrete vault dam, one-of-a-kind in Brazil, the plant was built on the Paraíba do Sul River at a site known as "Salto do Funil", in Resende, Rio de Janeiro.

Its construction had been planned since the 1930s to provide power to a railway line connecting Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Belo Horizonte. After being postponed, Chevap (Companhia Hidrelétrica do Vale do Paraíba) began construction in 1961. In 1965, the Funil Plant was incorporated by Eletrobras which, two years later, appointed FURNAS to complete plant construction and put it into operation.

The plant came online in 1969 and, a year and a half later, it was already supplying the FURNAS electrical system with its total capacity of 216 MW.

Although it has a lower installed capacity than the Company's other power plants, the Funil Plant is a very important part of the System because it is located close to large consumer hubs and is a reliable source of energy for the states of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Espírito Santo and helps adjust voltage in the region, where large companies, such as the Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional (CSN) in Volta Redonda, are based. Another aspect that highlights the importance of this plant is its dam, which regulates the ebb volume and reduces the frequency and intensity of floods that occur in downstream cities.

Because FURNAS uses water from the Paraíba do Sul river, it participates in regional environmental activities through the Funil Project, which includes environmental recovery, social inclusion and the Guarda Mirim project. The Horto Florestal (Forest Garden) in Funil cultivates 64 species of native Atlantic Forest trees. Its seedlings are either used for local reforestation or taken to other areas where the Company operates and donated to public organizations and farmers. To contact the Horto Florestal staff, call (24) 3352-2638.


Technical Data


Dam

  • Type: double curved vault
  • Maximum height: 85 m
  • Development at the crown: 385 m
  • Width at crown: 3.6 m
  • Elevation at crown: 468 m
  • Total volume: 270 thousand m³


Reservoir

  • Normal operating level: 466.5 m
  • Maximum flood level: 466.5 m
  • Level of expropriation: 470 / 468 m
  • Minimum operating level: 444 m
  • Flooded area: 40 km²
  • Total volume: 8.9 billion m³
  • Usable volume: 6.2 billion m³


Water Intake

  • Caterpillar gates
  • Quantity: 3
  • Water height on sill: 77.83 m
  • Width: 4.5 m
  • Height: 6.2 m
  • Manufacturers: B.V.S. (France) / MEP (Brazil)


Spillway

  • Maximum Discharge: 1,700 m³/s (right bank) and 2,700 m³ (left bank)
  • Segmented gates
  • Quantity: 1 (right bank) and 2 (left bank)
  • Width: 11.47 m (right bank) and 13 m (left bank)
  • Height: 16.53 m (right bank) and 14.16 m (left bank)
  • Radius: 16.1 m (right bank) and 13 m (left bank)
  • Manufacturers: Bardella/Brazil (right bank) and MEP/Brazil (left bank)


Powerhouse

  • Type: curved plant cover
  • Size: 90.47 m x 21 m
  • Generator units: 3
  • Rotation: 163.3 RPM
  • Rated capacity: 72 MW


Turbines

  • Type: Francis vertical axis
  • Manufacturer: Ansaldo San Giorgio (Italy) / Coemsa (Brazil)


Generators

  • Frequency: 60 Hz
  • Terminal voltage: 13.8 kV
  • Manufacturer: Gesa (Brazil)
  • Transformers: 10 (operation + back-up)
  • Type: single-phase
  • Total operating capacity: 270 MVA
  • Transformation ratio: 13.8 / 138 kV
  • Manufacturer: GE