Author(s): Gregory Guyot, Mathieu Rodriguez
Linked Author(s): Grégory Guyot
Keywords: Experimental set up, scale model, air exhausting, sediments transportation
Abstract: EDF has designed the La Coche Hydraulic power unit upgrade. The construction is currently in progress. A new 240 MW Pelton power plant will be erected on the existing hydropower plant area. One of the biggest challenges was to design the power plant stilling basin that faces all the contradictory constraints imposed by the neighborhood, the water quality and the particular site. Thus, the experimental design must be able to answer to hydraulic, air exhausting and sediment transportation topics. As such matters cannot be solved by analytical calculations, a three step method was performed to provide a relevant design. The process was composed by a main scale model (1/8. 33), a wide experimental measurements to determine the bubble distribution to test on the main scale model and a global head losses model (1/16. 41) that gives the head losses in the new hydraulic network and the maximum level of water under the Pelton wheel. The issues of this study are firstly, the way of determining the bubble distribution, secondly, the method used to test the air exhausting on the main scale model and the sediment deposit management. The use of a hydraulic wall ensures an acceptable level of sediment deposit, a more quiet flow and an equal level of air exhausting in the stilling basin. Finally, the air exhausting system improvements bring about an acceptable air exhausting for the project
Year: 2017