Author(s): Jolanda. M. I. Jenzer Althaus
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Abstract: The release of sediment laden water through power intakes and turbines is a promising possibility to manage the long term problem of the sedimentation process in reservoirs. In order to get the suspended sediments entrained into the power intake, they need to be in suspension right in front of the water intake. Therefore an upward flow to lift the sediments and to maintain them in suspension is required. The present research study provides attractive methods which allow these processes using a minimum of external energy by making use of the affluxes of water transfer tunnels feeding the reservoir. The water of the transfer tunnels is caught and introduced into jet nozzles fixed at a definite position in the reservoir close to the power intake. Physical laboratory test configurations of such water jets creating a cyclonic circulation show that the induced flow velocities are strong enough to transport fine sediments to the required level in order to be drawn into the water intake. A sensitivity analysis regarding the jet Froude number has been performed in order to evaluate which jet diameter and jet velocity give the optimal combination with respect to the suspended sediment release.
Year: 2009