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Visualizing Hyporheic Flow Through Bedforms Using Dye Experiments and Simulation
Published on: November 18, 2015
Management of turbidity current venting in reservoirs under different bed slopes
Sabine Chamoun1, Giovanni De Cesare1, Anton J Schleiss1
1Laboratory of Hydraulic Constructions (LCH), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Station 18, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
Abstract:
The lifetime and efficiency of dams is endangered by the process of sedimentation. To ensure the sustainable use of reservoirs, many sediment management techniques exist, among which venting of turbidity currents. Nevertheless, a number of practical questions remain unanswered due to a lack of systematic investigations. The present research introduces venting and evaluates its performance using an experimental model. In the latter, turbidity currents travel on a smooth bed towards the dam and venting is applied through a rectangular bottom outlet. The combined effect of outflow discharge and bed slopes on the sediment release efficiency of venting is studied based on different criteria. Several outflow discharges are tested using three different bed slopes (i.e., 0%, 2.4% and 5.0%). Steeper slopes yield higher venting efficiency. Additionally, the optimal outflow discharge leading to the largest venting efficiency with the lowest water loss increases when moving from the horizontal bed to the inclined positions.
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