IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v14y2021i19p6226-d646536.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Assessment of Riverbed Clogging in Reservoirs by Analysis of Periodic Oscillation of Reservoir Level and Groundwater Level

Author

Listed:
  • Eva Koren

    (Department of Geotechnology, Mining and Environment, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčev 12, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia)

  • Miran Veselič

    (Graduate School, University of Nova Gorica, Vipavska 13, 5000 Nova Gorica, Slovenia)

  • Goran Vižintin

    (Department of Geotechnology, Mining and Environment, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčev 12, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia)

Abstract

In the area of the the Krško alluvial field, the Brežice hydroelectric power plant (BHPP), with its surface water reservoir, was completed in 2017. The new BHPP reservoir dam is located approximately 7 km air distance downstream of the old Krško nuclear power plant (NEK) reservoir dam. The NEK dam was built in the 1970s. The primary purpose of the NEK reservoir is to provide fresh water for cooling the NEK nuclear reactor. To assess the impact of the newly built surface water reservoir on groundwater, we performed a series of data analyses prior to its construction. One part of the analysis relating to data from the monitoring facility of the NEK showed an interesting correspondence between the water level oscillation in the NEK reservoir and the groundwater oscillation in the nearby observation well. Based on measurements taken in 2000, we sought to estimate the clogging of the Sava riverbed sediments in the area of the old NEK surface water reservoir. To determine the permeability of the riverbed sediments, we applied geometry similar to that chosen by Hantush for his pumping test method. Using Fourier analysis, we determined the dominant frequencies from the hydrograph records of the NEK surface water reservoir and from the pressure probe in the nearby observation well. Based on the determination of the dominant frequency, we used the wave equation to compare the influence of different values of the hydraulic transmissivity of the clogged part of the NEK surface water reservoir on the transfer of its water oscillations to the groundwater in the observation well. For the hydraulic values of the non-clogged part of the aquifer (T, S), we assumed the values from the pumping experiments performed in the alluvial aquifer of Krško polje. We also assumed that the aquifer is homogeneous and isotropic, as Hantush had assumed in his method for the determination of semipervious river beds. The results obtained indicated the potential for estimation of the thickness of the clogging layer which, by analogy from applied geophysics, can be called the apparent thickness. This meant that the thickness could be determined on the basis of the default conceptual model rather than on real measurements. The presented method shows the potential for using the analysis of periodic oscillations in river reservoir level and nearby piezometers, as a method of monitoring riverbed clogging, in cases where periodical oscillations in reservoir level occur and observation wells are near enough to detect the oscillations.

Suggested Citation

  • Eva Koren & Miran Veselič & Goran Vižintin, 2021. "Assessment of Riverbed Clogging in Reservoirs by Analysis of Periodic Oscillation of Reservoir Level and Groundwater Level," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-15, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:14:y:2021:i:19:p:6226-:d:646536
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/19/6226/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/19/6226/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:14:y:2021:i:19:p:6226-:d:646536. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.