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23-700: Before reaching the Channel, its waters are barred by a 750 metre long dam forming the Rance tidal power plant . The river is linked to the Vilaine by means of the Canal d'Ille-et-Rance . Départements and towns along the river: Tributaries of the Rance include: This river has moderate turbidity and its brownish water is somewhat low in velocity due to the slight gradient of the watercourse; pH levels have been measured at 8.13 within

46-680: Is a tidal power station located on the estuary of the Rance River in Brittany , France. Opened in 1966 as the world's first tidal power station, the 240- megawatt (MW) facility was the largest such power station in the world by installed capacity for 45 years until the 254-MW South Korean Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Station surpassed it in 2011. The power station has 24 turbines . These reach total peak output at 240 MW, and produce an annual output of approximately 500  GWh (2023: 506 GWh; 491 GWh in 2009, 523 GWh in 2010); thus

69-422: Is equipped with cathodic protection against corrosion . It supplies 0.12% of the power demand of France . The power density is of the order of 2.6 kW/m . The cost of electricity production is estimated at € 0.12/kWh. The barrage is 750 m (2,461 ft) long, from Brebis point in the west to Briantais point in the east. The power plant portion of the dam is 332.5 m (1,091 ft) long and

92-652: The Corps des Ponts et Chaussées . From 1905 to 1912, he was a project manager in Troyes (Aube) and was pointed out for civil work improvements he undertook with the city sewer system. This protected the city from the centennial flood of the River Seine in 1910 . In 1912, he joined a leading structural engineering firm where he applied his unique talent as a structure designer. Albert Caquot conducted research and immediately applied it in construction. His most notable contributions include

115-513: The Rance . The idea of constructing a tidal power plant on the Rance dates to Gerard Boisnoer in 1921. The site was attractive because of the wide average-range between low and high tide levels, 8 m (26.2 ft) with a maximum perigean spring tide range of 13.5 m (44.3 ft). The first studies which envisaged a tidal plant on the Rance were done by the Society for the Study of Utilization of

138-711: The Bay of Biscay via the Canal d'Ille-et-Rance and the river Vilaine. Albert Caquot Albert Irénée Caquot (1 July 1881 – 28 November 1976) was a French engineer. He received the “ Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) ” (military honor) and was Grand-croix of the Légion d’Honneur (1951). In 1962, he was awarded the Wilhelm Exner Medal . He was a member of the French Academy of Sciences from 1934 until his death in 1976. Albert

161-407: The Rance ecosystem. Sand-eels and plaice have disappeared, though sea bass and cuttlefish have returned to the river. By definition, tides still flow in the estuary and the operator, EDF , endeavours to adjust their level to minimize the biological impact. A tourist facility at the dam is open to visitors. The facility attracted approximately 40,000 visitors in 2011. A lock for navigation at

184-479: The Tides in 1943. Nevertheless, work did not actually commence until 1961. Albert Caquot , the visionary engineer, was instrumental in the construction of the dam, designing an enclosure in order to protect the construction site from the ocean tides and the strong streams. Construction necessitated draining the area where the plant was to be built, which required construction of two dams which took two years. Construction of

207-451: The aeronautical industry. His main accomplishments are: In 1933, after a budget cut prevented him from proceeding with his projects, he resigned and returned to structural engineering for several years. In 1938, under the threat of the war, Albert Caquot was brought back to manage all the national aeronautical businesses. He resigned in January 1940. On 2 July 2001, a 4.5-FRF (0.69-€) stamp

230-484: The allied forces, including the English and United States armies, for three years. The United States also manufactured nearly a thousand "Caquot R balloons" in 1918-1919. This balloon gave France and its allies an advantage in military observation, significantly contributing to the allies' supremacy in artillery and aviation and eventually to the final victory. In January 1918, Georges Clémenceau named him technical director of

253-428: The average output is approximately 57 MW, and the capacity factor is approximately 24%. The turbines are "bulb" Kaplan turbines , of nominal power 10 MW; their diameter is 5.35 m, each has 4 blades, their nominal rotation speed is 93.75  rpm and their maximal speed 240 rpm. Half of the turbines were built from martensitic stainless steel , the other half from aluminium bronze . The plant

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276-537: The beginning of his career, and mentioned that he was one of the best engineers that aeronautics ever had. He (Albert Caquot) was visionary and ahead of his time. He led aeronautical innovations for forty years. As early as 1901, already visionary, he performed his military service in an airship unit of the French army. At the beginning of First World War, he was mobilised with the 40e Compagnie d'Aérostiers equipped with Drachen type airships as first lieutenant. He noticed

299-552: The city of Dinan and electrical conductivity of the waters have tested at 33 micro-siemens per centimetre. At this reference location, summer flows are typically in the range of 14 cubic metres per second (500 cu ft/s). This Brittany geographical article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to a river in France is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Rance tidal power plant The Rance Tidal Power Station

322-525: The course of his life, he committed alternately to structural and aeronautical engineering, following the rhythm imposed by the First and Second World Wars. Albert Caquot's aeronautics contributions included designing the "Caquot dirigible" and technical innovations at the new French Aviation Ministry, where he created several Fluid Mechanics Institutes that still exist today. Marcel Dassault , whom Albert Caquot charged to develop several major aeronautical projects at

345-494: The entire military aviation. In 1919, Albert Caquot proposed the creation of the French aeronautical museum (today called Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace , in Le Bourget). This museum is the oldest aeronautical museum in the world. In 1928, Albert Caquot became the first executive director of the new Aviation ministry. He implemented a research, prototypes, and mass production policy, which contributed quickly to France's leadership in

368-505: The following: In the course of his life, Albert Caquot taught mechanical science for a long time in three of the most prominent French engineering schools in Paris: Écoles nationales supérieures des Mines , des Ponts et de l’Aéronautique . In the course of his career as a designer, he designed more than 300 bridges and facilities, among which several were world records at the time: Two prestigious achievements made him famous internationally:

391-854: The internal structure of the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) at the peak of Corcovado Mountain (1931) and the George V Bridge on the Clyde River in Glasgow (Scotland) for which the Scottish engineers asked for his assistance. In his late eighties, he developed a gigantic tidal power project to capture the tide energy in Mont St Michel bay, in Normandy. During

414-517: The plant commenced on 20 July 1963, while the Rance was entirely blocked by the two dams. Construction took three years and was completed in 1966. Charles de Gaulle , then President of France , inaugurated the plant on 26 November of the same year. Inauguration of the road crossing the plant took place on 1 July 1967, and connection of the plant to the French National Power Grid was carried out on 4 December 1967. In total,

437-528: The plant cost ₣ 620 million (approximately € 94.5 million). It took almost 20 years for the La Rance to pay for itself. In spite of the high development cost of the project, the costs have now been recovered, and electricity production costs are lower than that of nuclear power generation (1.8 ¢/kWh versus 2.5 ¢/kWh for nuclear). However, the capacity factor of the plant is 28%, lower than 85–90% for nuclear power. The barrage has caused progressive silting of

460-477: The poor wind behavior of these sausage shaped captive balloons, which were ineffective except in calm conditions. In 1914, he designed a new sausage-shaped dirigible equipped with three air-filled lobes spaced evenly around the tail as stabilizers. He moved the inner air balloonette from the rear to the underside of the nose, separate from the main gas envelope. The Caquot could hold in 90 km/h winds and remain horizontal. France manufactured "Caquot dirigibles" for all

483-470: The tidal basin measures 22.5 km (9 sq mi). An early attempt to build a tidal power plant was made at Aber Wrac'h in the Finistère in 1925, but due to insufficient finance, it was abandoned in 1930. Plans for this plant served as the draft for follow-on work. Use of tidal energy is not an entirely new concept, since tidal mills have long existed in areas exposed to tides , particularly along

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506-522: The west end of the dam allows the passage of 1,600-tonne vessels between the English Channel and the Rance . Departmental road 168 crosses the dam and allows vehicles to travel between Dinard and Saint-Malo . There is a drawbridge where the road crosses the lock which is raised to allow larger vessels to pass. The Rance estuary is the first part of the inland waterway from the English Channel to

529-613: Was born to Paul Auguste Ondrine Caquot and his wife, Marie Irma (nee Cousinard). They owned a family farm in Vouziers , in the Ardennes , near the Belgian border. His father taught him modernism, by installing electricity and telephone as early as 1890. One year after high school, at eighteen years old, he was admitted at the Ecole Polytechnique ("year" 1899). Six years later, he graduated in

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