Numerical Modeling of the Impact of a Pumped-Storage Hydroelectric Power Plant on the Reservoirs’ Thermal Stratification Structure: a Case Study in NW Spain

Bermúdez, María; Cea, Luís; Puertas, Jerónimo; Rodríguez, Nuria; Baztán, Javier

doi:10.1007/s10666-017-9557-3

Cited by 16 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Our findings confirm that summer stratification can be weakened by PS operation. Our results also suggest, in contrast to Anderson [18] and Bermúdez et al [19], that the timing of stratification can be affected by PS, particularly that of inverse stratification. Regarding the PS impact on temperature, our results indicate a warming of the hypolimnion, which is contrary to the findings of USBR [34], but similar to those of Bonalumi et al [23] and Potter et al [33].…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 84%

“…Models of different complexity have previously been applied for studying impacts of reservoir management on water quality. These range from one-dimensional models such as GLM-AED [15], DYRESM-CAEDYM [16] or MyLake [17], to three-dimensional models such as the Environmental Fluid Dynamics Code [18], Delft3D [19] or ELCOM-CAEDYM [16,20]. Models of lower complexity have the advantage of shorter computation times, allowing for large numbers of simulations, e.g., for the purpose of parameter estimation or scenario simulations, but may not be able to adequately reproduce the effects of local inflows on basin-scale dynamics and water quality, especially for large local discharges as they are typically introduced by PS operations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of Lake–Reservoir Pumped-Storage Operations on Temperature and Water Quality

2018

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Pumped-storage (PS) hydropower plants are expected to make an important contribution to energy storage in the next decades with growing market shares of new renewable electricity. PS operations affect the water quality of the connected water bodies by exchanging water between them but also by deep water withdrawal from the upper water body. Here, we assess the importance of these two processes in the context of recommissioning a PS hydropower plant by simulating different scenarios with the numerical hydrodynamic and water quality model CE-QUAL-W2. For extended PS operations, the results show significant impacts of the water exchange between the two water bodies on the seasonal dynamics of temperatures, stratification, nutrients, and ice cover, especially in the smaller upper reservoir. Deep water withdrawal was shown to strongly decrease the strength of summer stratification in the upper reservoir, shortening its duration by~1.5 months, consequently improving oxygen availability, and reducing the accumulation of nutrients in the hypolimnion. These findings highlight the importance of assessing the effects of different options for water withdrawal depths in the design of PS hydropower plants, as well as the relevance of defining a reference state when a PS facility is to be recommissioned.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 84%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Lake–Reservoir Pumped-Storage Operations on Temperature and Water Quality

2018

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“…Regardless their complexity, 3D models are widely applied, e.g. POM (Beletsky and Schwab, 2001;Song et al, 2004), ELCOM (Carpentier et al, 2017;Marti et al, 2011;Zhang et al, 2020) and Delft3D-FLOW (Soulignac et al, 2017;Bermúdez et al, 2018;Baracchini et al, 2020;Guénand et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of dimensionality on the performance of hydrodynamic models

Ishikawa

González

Golyjeswski

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Abstract. Numerical models are an important tool for simulating temperature, hydrodynamics and water quality in lakes and reservoirs. Existing models differ in dimensionality by considering spatial variations of simulated parameters (e.g., flow velocity and water temperature) in one (1D), two (2D) or three (3D) spatial dimensions. The different approaches are based on different levels of simplification in the description of hydrodynamic processes and result in different demands in computational power. The aim of this study is to compare three models with different dimensionality and to analyze differences between model results in relation to model simplifications. We analyze simulations of thermal stratification, flow velocity, and substance transport by density currents in a medium-sized drinking water reservoir in the subtropical zone, using three widely used open-source models: GLM (1D), CE-QUAL-W2 (2D) and Delft3D (3D). The models were operated with identical initial and boundary conditions over a one-year period. Their performance was assessed by comparing model results with measurements of temperature, flow velocity and turbulence. Results show that all models were capable of simulating the seasonal changes in water temperature and stratification. Flow velocities, only available for the 2D and 3D approaches, were more challenging to reproduce, but 3D simulations showed closer agreement with observations. With increasing dimensionality, the quality of the simulations also increased in terms of error, correlation and variance. None of the models provided good agreement with observations in terms of mixed layer depth, which also affects the spreading of inflowing water as density currents, and the results of water quality models that build on outputs of the hydrodynamic models.

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“…Further research could explore the potential induced changes on water quality and ecosystem health (Anderson, 2010;Potter, Stevens, & Meyer, 1982), and the role of the intake-outlet location and design on limiting those (Bermúdez, Cea, Puertas, Rodríguez, & Baztán, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydraulic model study of the intake-outlet of a pumped-storage hydropower plant

Bermúdez

Cea

Puertas

et al. 2017

Engineering Applications of Computational Fluid Mechanics

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The design of intake-outlet structures for pumped-storage hydroelectric power plants requires sitespecific location and geometry studies in order to ensure their satisfactory hydraulic performance. This article presents the numerical and physical model studies conducted on the lower intake-outlet of Belesar III power station in Northwest Spain. The proposed location of this structure in a narrow reservoir and at a shallow depth is particularly challenging and required the analysis of both the near-field and far-field flow dynamics in the reservoir. First, the hydrodynamics of the reservoir were studied with a 2D shallow water model. The location of the intake was found to be suitable, with adequate flow conditions in the reservoir even for the lower operating water levels. The intake could be fed with the maximum pumping discharge without being limited by the reservoir's hydraulics. Second, the flow in the near-field was investigated by complementary use of 3-dimensional numerical simulations and reduced-scale physical modeling. The results allowed the verification of the submergence requirements and the comparison of geometry alternatives. In comparison with the initial design, the final proposed design shows a more symmetrical approach flow into the structure during pumping mode, resulting in a more homogenous flow distribution between the openings and reduced head loss. This study can provide guidance in the application of hydraulic modeling procedures to locate and design intake-outlet structures in existing lakes or reservoirs and to evaluate potential limitations on water levels, inflows and outflows. It can be useful during planning stages of power plants to aim for the shortest possible waterways between the reservoirs while ensuring adequate flow conditions. ARTICLE HISTORY

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Numerical Modeling of the Impact of a Pumped-Storage Hydroelectric Power Plant on the Reservoirs’ Thermal Stratification Structure: a Case Study in NW Spain

Cited by 16 publications

References 38 publications

Effects of Lake–Reservoir Pumped-Storage Operations on Temperature and Water Quality

Effects of Lake–Reservoir Pumped-Storage Operations on Temperature and Water Quality

Effects of dimensionality on the performance of hydrodynamic models

Hydraulic model study of the intake-outlet of a pumped-storage hydropower plant

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