Experimental modeling of fine sediment routing: SEDMIX device with thrusters

Reservoir sedimentation is a key challenge for storage sustainability because it causes volume loss, affecting hydropower production capacity, dam safety, and flood management. A preliminary EPFL study proposed and studied an innovative device (called SEDMIX), which uses water jets to keep fine sediments near the dam in suspension and ultimately allows the sediments to be released downstream. The SEDMIX device is composed of two rigid steel parts: one floating and one on the basin bottom holding a multi-jet manifold frame. The jets induce a rotational flow which creates an upward motion and keeps fine sediments in suspension near the dam and water intakes. The sediment can then be continuously released downstream through the power waterways at acceptable concentrations, without additional water loss or required energy. The efficiency of the SEDMIX device has been confirmed through recent experimental simulations and numerical analyses at EPFL. This study involves updated experimental simulations to include thrusters in the device design, instead of jets, because they lead to a less complex arrangement that requires less energy to operate. The experimental setup is similar to the previous experiments (utilizing a glass tank), and tests different thruster parameters to understand the resulting changes in tank turbidity (using turbidity meters).