Numerical modeling of fine sediments in a hydro power reservoir

Abstract

<p>One of the biggest threats to a water reservoir is the storage loss due to sedimentation. Different sediment management strategies are practiced and documented in literature but selecting appropriate ones for a particular reservoir is affected by many parameters that include topography, water volume, sediment volume, costs, and environmental concerns. Physical models are used in verifications of designs of hydraulic structures and modeling bed load transport in rivers. In case of reservoirs, investigations are required for transport of fine sediments in suspension. Here, physical models have limits with scaling and costs of modeling. Numerical models are now increasingly utilized and researched to investigate suspended sediment transport.</p><p>In this study, a 3D numerical model is utilized to investigate the transport of fine sediments in a reservoir. The goal is to verify the numerical model with the results from the physical model and then investigate the sedimentation in the prototype scale with fine sediments. This will assist in understanding the temporal and spatial distribution of sediments in reservoir to plan for a suitable sediment handling technique.</p>