Sediment Management in RoR

Hydropower Plants
 INTRODUCTION
• Sediment is the mineral composition of quartz,
feldspar,besalt,granite,limestone,sand etc present
in the flow
• sedimentation is reduced or prevented by
preventive devices and sediment ejector by
controlling both the sizes and the concentration
of the sediments
Phenomena of sediment transport causes the following
Large scale of scouring and siltation of the canal,
thereby increasing their maintenance
 Silt deposition reduces the flow carrying capacity
of the canal
• Silting encourage the weed growth
• Silt affects the life of turbine and need to be repaired
corresponding to loss of power and component of
turbine
• Sediments in the water passing through the turbines
with high velocity erode the contact surfaces of turbine
components.
• The erosion of turbine components leads to drop in
hydraulic efficiency and high maintenance
• Shut down of units for considerable duration.
• Bed level may change by direct scouring and silting.
• Silt deposition reduces the flow carrying capacity of
channel.
• Therefore removal of sediment from water is
necessary upo tolerable limits
 Effects on civil structures

Sediment deposited in lined channel Sediment deposited in tailrace channel

of hydropower plant

Sediment deposited near

diversion weir

4
 Effects of
Erosion on
Sediment erosion at Pelton
various Sediment erosion at Pelton
turbine
components turbine needle

of Turbine

Erosion(At Runner) at pressure

Eroded guide vanes
side of blade 5
 Desilting tank in himanchal
pradesh 3MW SHP project

Desilting tank in Uttrakhand

5MW SHP project

6
 INTRODUCTION
Silt Size to be removed:
i. High head scheme:0.1-0.2 mm
ii.Medium head scheme-0.2 mm
iii.Low head scheme-0.2-0.5 mm
 INTRODUCTION
 To induce settlement of suspended sediment by reducing
the velocity / turbulence, desilting basins are provided.
 Desilting tank acts as a settling basin to remove the silt
from the water entering the power channel.
 It extract the silt from the canal water after the silted water
has travelled a certain distance in the off-take canal.
 These are constructed on the bed of canal and a little
distance downstream from the head regulator.
 Water from feeder channel enters the tank through a
transition.
 Desilting tank is divided in to suitable no. of parts. Each
part is made in the form of a hopper .
 Arrangement is made to flush out the silt from the bottom
of the hopper base through a flushing pipe.
 Settle the sediments by reducing the velocity of particles
i.e. by increasing the cross-section.
 Fall velocity of particle depends on sediment size.
 Time required to settle the particle –ratio of depth of
particle and falling velocity.
 If particle size is more, then length required will be less to
settle down (settling length).
 Normally transition of 2:1 in contraction & 3:1 in
expansion is provided to facilitate the change in velocity .
 ADVANTAGES
 Continuous data collection regarding discharge and sediment
concentration is useful to ensure proper performance of the
desilting basin.
 The entrance zone of the desilting tanks has a considerable
impact on the trapping efficiency of the sediment in the desilting
tanks.
 The trapping efficiency of the tank increases with the reduction
of the expansion angle of the entrance zone in the desilting
tanks, the optimum expansion angle is found to be about 9 deg.
Hydraulic model studies are essential, to optimize the size and
shape for desired settlement of suspended sediment and smooth
functioning under all operating conditions .
 DESILTING ARRANGEMENTS
• Preventive : The entry of sediment checked
before its entry into the head regulation. These
are constructed in the streams.
• Curative : The sediment is excluded from the
channel after its entry with the channel. These
are constructed in the channel.
• Desilting Devices are
• Settling basin,
• Vortex tube
• Sediment ejector
• Vortex settling basin
Settling Basin
 Performance of Settling Basins
The performance of settling basins are guided by;
• The ability to trap suspended sediments
– Size of the basin related to the flow (surface area)
– The geometry of the basins i.e. poor or favorable hydraulics,
turbulence level
– The characteristics of the suspended sediments
• The ability to remove trapped sediments
– The qualities and efficiency of the adopted flushing system
• The use of the facilities
– The skills of the operators
– The management regime of the plant
Settling Basins
Settling Basin: Definication Sketch

Vt
w
 Settling Basin Design Considerations

• Securing generation regularity

• Dealing with short term variation of
suspended sediment concentrations and PSD
• Minimising the effect on the production
• Concentration cut off limit
• Deposition may exceed the fluishing
• Duration of the flushing
 Design Criteria

• To maintain the hydraulic transport capacity

of the convenyence system
• To reduce the sediment load to the turbine
• To obtain required power generation
regularity
 Inlet Design Considerations
• Avoid bends gates or other
structures which will disturb the
flow in the approach canal to
the settling basin
• Avoid secondary currents if
length of approach is longer
than 10 x max (depth, width)
• Apply curved transition
between approach canal and
inlet transition both horizontally
and vertically
Inlet Transition With Guide Walls
Flow Tranquilizer at the Settling Basin Inlet
Rajwakti Hydro Power Project (4.4
MW,design discharge 10.5 cumec)
Hoppwer System
Sediment Excluder
Bieri Desilting Tank
Settling Basins
DESILTING TANK
Design Calculation Of Desilting Tank: -

The recommend particle size to be removed for power projects

having gross head of 96.33 m and above is 0.25 mm.

Design discharge = 7.80 m3/s

Flow Velocity (Vf) = 0.22 m/s
Particle size to be removed = 0.25 mm & above
Settling velocity (Vs) = 2.75 cm/sec
Width proposed (W) = 12.0 m
Q 7.80
Depth required = 12.0  0.22
W Vf
= 2.95 m  3.0 m
Depth provided = 3.0 m
Moderate settling velocity = 0.132
Vs   Vs
D
 0.132
= 2.75   2.75
3 .0

= 2.75 – 0.2095
= 2.54 cm/s
= 0.0254 m/s
Vf
Settling length =  Depth
Vs
0.22
=  3 .0
0.0254

= 25.98 m
Provided length = 26.0 m
Depth = 3.0 m
Width = 12.0 m
  12.0  2.490 
Provide U/s transition length = 3  
 2 

= 14.26 m
 14.50 m

 12.0  1.60 
Provide D/s transition length = 2 
 2 
= 10.40 m Say = 10.50 m

Provide Free Board = 0.40 m

 Trap Efficiency Computations
• The particle approach
– Camp’s method
(Assessing the probability of one particle being
trapped or passed through the basin)

• The concentration approach

– Vetter’s method
(Addressing the difference in average sediment
concentration in the inflow and outflow of the basin)
Fall Velocity of Quartz Spheres
Sediment removal Efficiency of settling basin
by Camp-Dobbins

36
Recently developed desilting devices
specially for Himalayan region
 Vortex Chamber type
• A cylindrical basin with an orifice at the centre of it bottom.
• The sediment particles being heavier than water are forced towards
the periphery of the chamber due to the centrifugal force imparted by
vortex flow
• The secondary flow resulting due to the combined vortex causes the
fluid layers near the chamber periphery to move towards the outlet
orifice at the centre along the chamber bottom, as a result the sediment
particles from the chamber periphery move with the flow along a
helicoidal path towards the orifice
• The sediment reaching the centre of the chamber can be flushed out
through the orifice continuously
• About 5% to 10% to be used for flushing of settled sediment particles
• As compared to the conventional settling basins for comparable
efficiency of sediment removal, vortex chamber type of sediment
extractor requires smaller dimensions and low water abstraction ratios
Design parameters for vortex settling basin
1. Basin diameter d, and basin height H;
2. Flushing discharge, Qo or flushing pipe diameter, d0
3. Depth of flow in the basin;
4. Radial slope of basin floor, Sc (horizontal to one vertical)
5.Basin depth at periphery, h2
6. length of overflow weir, Li, and
7. Modelling criteria to ascertain the performance of the designed VSB with
the aid of a physical model

39
Vortex Chamber type Sediment Ejector
 Settling Basin

Vortex Settling Basin

41
 Vortex Settling Basin

D-tank Khauli shp station(2x6 MW) D-tank Bhuri singh power house(450 kW)

D-tank Gaj shp station(3x3.5 MW)

42
 Vortex Tube type Ejector

– Continuously extracts sediment from bottom layers

of diverted flow by utilization of vortex motion

– It is a tube with longitudinal opening or slot at the

top that is placed in the bed of the channel

– Tube may be perpendicular to the flow or at a

smaller angle down to 30°
Vortex Tube type Ejector
Vortex Tube type Ejector- contd
– Flow rate is controlled by a valve or gate at the end of
the tube

– Spiral current generated in the tube is by combination

of flow and sediment characteristics and efficient
conveyor of sediment

– Width of the slot is function of the particle size

– Longer vortex tubes should be divided into sections,

each with its own outlet
Slotted Pipe Sediment Sluicer (SPSS)
Removal of sand from sand traps
 Slotted Pipe Sediment Sluicer

• Tests carried out at the laboratory in NTNU and tested

in the field in Nepal
• Has been installed in the gravel trap of the Khimti I
Hydropower Plant
GTO Slotted pipe in desilting basing
 ABOUT..
• Haakon Støle, of SINTEF NHL (Norwegian
Hydrotechnical Laboratory) and professor at
NTNU, has developed the "Serpent Sediment
Sluicing System“ in 1993 and got it patented.
• A flushing channel, with a longitudinal slot on
top, is constructed along the bottom of the
settling basin, with an outlet that is opened
during flushing.
• A heavy-duty rubber tube, normally full of
water, covers the slot on top of the channel.
 WORKING…
• A heavy-duty rubber tube blocks the passage of
sediments and water to the outlet, and the sediments
build up around the tube.
• When the tube is gradually dewatered, the upstream
end becomes buoyant and floats up, opening the slot
like a sort of zip-fastener. The suction area moves
along the length of the basin with the "zipper“.
• The system can also be operated by allowing the tube
to lie on the surface while the sediments are settling
out. To flush the system, the tube is filled with water,
and starts to sink. The "zipper" moves in the opposite
direction, moving the suction area along the basin.
• The level difference between the water surface in the
basin and the level of the outlet provides the energy
potential needed for flushing.
 longitudinal section of a sluice
this is located on the bottom of the settlement basin,

Longitudinal section of a sluice showing the arrangement

of S4
SLUICE WHEN THE DEPOSITED SEDIMENTS
ARE ABOVE THE FLOAT UNIT
WHEN THE DEPOSITED SEDIMENTS ARE
BELOW THE FLOAT UNIT
Preparations for S4 Installation
Serpent Sediment Sluising System (S4)
Basic Principles of S4 Operation
• The “serpent” (a specially developed
heavy-duty rubber tube) seals a
longitudinal slit between the settling
basin and a flushing canal along the
bottom of the basin when it is filled
with water. There is a flushing gate in
the downstream end of the flushing
canal and an operation valve
facilitating filling the serpent with
water or dewatering the serpent so it
becomes buoyant.
• The S4 is operated in two modes. In
opening mode, it is gradually lifted
from the slit along the bottom of the
basin to the surface. In closing mode it
is gradually closing the slit over the
flushing canal in the bottom of the
basin.
Installed S4 Operation at Jhimruk HPP
• The serpent is gradually sinking or rising in
the basin and thus closing or opening the slit
between the basin and the flushing canal as a
zip-fastener. The sluicing-area where water
and sediments are sluiced out from the basin
is gradually moved from one end of the basin
to the other end and then back again.
• The two settling basins with S4 in Jhimruk are
shown here. The settling basins are flushed
from the upstream end while water is
supplied to the tunnel in the downstream
end of the settling basins.
• The flushing-water consumption is only 10%
during flushing.
JHIMRUK VALLEY PROJECT, NEPAL
 Flushing of Settling Basins
There are various types of flushing systems designed for
different projects depending on the economic criteria.
Basically, the flushing system may be divided on the basis
of plant operation as below;

• Power plant close down during flushing.

– conventional gravity flushing.
– mechanical removal
– manual removal (small scale project only)
• Power plant in operation during flushing
– continuous flushing
– intermittent flushing, this includes; hopper system, the
Bieri system, the S4 system, the slotted pipe ejectors,
dredging, scrapers, etc.
Settling
basins
being
flushed
with
gravity
flushing
system
Continuous Flushing System
Split & Settle Sediment Excluder
 Flushing

• Sudden release of of sediment; aggradation

• High (and sudden?) concentration may affect water
quality and ecological environment
 Removal (or bypass) through
pipe/tunnel

• Often higher concentration than flushing

• Higher degree of control
• Sediment use: reclamation, farmland, construction
Saxophone Sediment Sluicer

• Head of the water is the driving

force
• Can be operated from the
surface
• The suction head stands on the
deposit by its own weight
New technology removes sediment at Malana
storage reservoir

70
Raft for operating in the reservoir
Malana, summer 2005
Malana: discharging 80 m3/hour
Malana sediment trap
Coanda Screen – General arrangement
• Installed on
downstream face
of weir/waterfall

• High sweeping
velocity - debris
washed off screen

• High capacity -
shear and Coanda
effect
• 0.14 cumec per m
width
 How Coandas work?
• The key to a coanda intake screen is the unique
tilted wire design.
• By tilting the profile wires upward into the stream
flow, the leading edges of each wire act as knives to
slice off layers of water.
• This creates surface adhesion on the top surface of
each wire which is the coanda affect.
• The surface adhesion directs water on each wire
through the screen where water is diverted into a
collection channel for further conveyance to a
penstock or pumping station
 Benefits of coanda screen weir
• Elimination of desilting tank
• Capable of screening out debris from 0.5mm to
2.0mm
• Improves component life by reducing wear on
turbines, impellers, nozzles
• Negligible or zero operation and maintenance cost
• Fish friendly
• Can operate at very low temperature without
freezing
MCNAIR CREEK PROJECT INTAKE,CANADA
 Mandagaloya - Sri Lanka – 1,200 l/s

• Installed in a developing country

– to avoid expensive de-silting and maximise turbine operation
– for reliability and low maintenance
Screen at High Flow