Vodárenská věž Práčov - Práčov

Taken from the Water Tower site. The Práčov Hydroelectric Power Station was one of the first hydrotechnical structures built in our country after World War II. It was put into operation in 1953. Water is supplied to the power plant from Křižanovická Dam on the Chrudimka River by a natural gradient of water through an underground feeder 3139 m long, 240 cm in diameter, which opens into a buffer tower. A steel pipe with a diameter of 200 cm leads from the tower to the power station, which stands by the equalizing reservoir Křižanovice II. Práčov Hydroelectric Power Station operates in peak mode. The tower serves as a compensator for water hammering when closing the pipeline above the turbine. It is an essentially open reinforced concrete tube perched on a shaft supplying energy to the power plant. The known physical principle of continuous vessels is applied here, because the level of the Křižanovická dam is roughly at the level of the top part of the balancing tower and therefore the water can rise so high. The water level in the tower can rise by up to six meters. The total height of the tower is less than 58 m, the walls are 50 cm thick. The concreting of this tower was carried out with a 1.2 m high sliding formwork, which required not only the correct and even shifting of the formwork upwards at 12 cm / hr, but also the trouble-free supply of electricity, concrete, reinforcement as well as all machines for three weeks . The balancing tower is built as a simple long orange cylinder, whose casing is decorated with vertical and longitudinal grooves forming rectangles. There is an elevator shaft on the west side of the tower. Just beneath the roof, several illuminated windows are placed next to each other. At the same time, the flat roof is designed as an observation deck (normally not accessible). The elevator shaft ends here as well. The tower also serves as a base for several antennas and transmitters.