Dams and Hydroelectric Projects
Design, construction and maintenance of dams and hydroelectric power projects can entail numerous flow problems. With its strength in free-surface flow modeling, FLOW-3D can be used to address a wide range of design problems for existing and proposed projects. Have a look at some of the ways FLOW-3D can help you.
Operation and Maintenance
CFD is a powerful tool for improving the operation and maintenance of existing dam and spillway structures.
A common application for FLOW-3D is to confirm the hydraulic performance of spillway designs, as demonstrated in the case shown at left. Here, studies by Manitoba Hydro indicated that lateral contraction effects in the three-gated sluiceway at its Wuskwatim hydroelectric project in northern Manitoba could be substantially reduced if minor design changes were made. As a result, an approximate 5% increase in spillway capacity at the design head was realized. This allowed designers to raise the spillway invert and reduce overall construction costs.
Dam Safety
Another use for FLOW-3D is in the analysis of flows whose return interval is large. In the context of dam safety, these problems can involve the determination of spillway performance and dam stability during infrequent and extreme flooding events.
The images at left are from an case where FLOW-3D was used by Alden Research Laboratory, on behalf of American Electric Power, to assess spillway performance of AEP’s Smith Mountain Dam project near Roanoke, Virginia, in operations under upwardly-revised probable maximum flood (PMF) conditions.
Traditionally, a physical model of the dam and spillway systems would be constructed and used in the analysis. In this case, however, because detailed data were available from the original design, and since constructing a new model would be expensive and time-consuming, a numerical model of the system was developed, validated against the historical data and then used to confirm the ability of the structure to withstand PMF conditions that had been increased by over 230%. And the analysis was completed at a fraction of the cost and time that would have been required with physical modeling.
Fish Passages and Environmental Studies
The ability of dams to affect the ecology of a river and to prevent the movement of migrating fish is a concern to everyone. FLOW-3D is frequently used to improve existing fish passage designs and to develop new novel approaches based on the physiological characteristics of different fish species. FLOW-3D is also used to design aeration systems to increase concentrations of dissolved oxygen in impounded waters and to provide the basis for the development of a new generation of geographical information systems to assess environmental impacts.
Read more in our Water
and Environmental Engineering Tech Papers