Author(s): Gabriel Galvao Matos; Patrick Donega Queiroz; Joao Lucas Dozzi Dantas; Felipe Santos De Castro; Felipe Araujo Da Mata; Gisleine Coelho De Campos; Roberto Ramos Junior; Andre Mitsuo Kogishi

Linked Author(s): Gabriel Galvão Matos, Felipe Santos de Castro

Keywords: Floating debris; River pollution; Small hydroelectric plants; Debris removal system

Abstract: In addition to environmental degradation, several problems can result from irregular dumping of debris into rivers in urban areas. In the case of small dams and hydroelectric plants, the main problems are related to turbine damage and blockage of the inlet region. Both issues result in material losses and reduced energy generation, due to interruptions of the plant’s activities for maintenances. The Edgard de Souza Dam, located at the Tietê River, the most polluted river in Brazil, receives a large number of urban wastes and vegetation from São Paulo and surrounding cities that clog inlet regions and hinder the operations of nearby hydroelectric plants. To minimize these issues, automated debris collection systems that retain, store, and transport wastes are employed. They consist of floating barriers, a debris collector hull, a transporting mechanism, a storage container, and an apparatus to remove the wastes from the floating system. This article presents an innovative automatic system to collect solid debris from the Tietê River. This system consists of a trash boom, along with a collecting hull with a metallic belt for debris transportation, containers to store the debris, and a crane located in the river bank. The trash boom, in conjunction with the local flow regime, redirects the debris to the metallic belt, which transports them to a container. Once filled, a crane located in the river bank removes the containers. In order to determine the system’s design, bathymetric data, the flow and variation of the river level, the geological-geotechnical characteristics, and the modeling of the river’s velocity field were necessary. Based on the geological-geotechnical characteristics of the site and the data obtained from the hydrological analysis, the CFD and mooring loads simulations, the bathymetrical and velocimetry tests, and the amount of waste dumped, the debris removal system was developed as an R&D project by the Institute for Technological Research. The use of this retention system facilitates subsequent maintenance work at plants and dams, and helps increasing the energy generation from small hydroelectric plants.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3850/IAHR-39WC2521711920221155

Year: 2022