Author(s): J. Ezequiel Martin; Troy Lyons; Marcela Politano; Kathy Dober

Linked Author(s): Marcela Politano, Troy Lyons

Keywords: CFD model; Particle tracking; RANS model; Sedimentation; Stratified flow; Water intake

Abstract: A three-dimensional numerical model was developed to better understand the hydrodynamics and sediment processes near the water intake of the Cardinal power plant. Sediment is represented with particles that are suspended, deposited or transported as bed load depending on particle size, flow turbulence and local bed shear stress, neglecting morphological changes. Validation against field velocity data indicated that buoyancy forces, originated by temperature gradients, need to be included to predict the observed flow pattern. The existing intake structures do not fully prevent the entrainment of warm water from the plant into the intake, which affects the plant efficiency, flow pattern and sediment deposition. Location of deposited particles and deposition rate predicted with the model compared well against observations in a physical model. However, computations at prototype scale show deviations from the physical model, suggesting that model scale effects in the physical model can be significant.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00221686.2019.1684393

Year: 2020