Numerical and Field Investigations of Local Bridge Abutment Scour and Unsteady Downstream River Flow From a Nearby Hydropower Plant

Sudden and often fluctuations of water discharges and levels in the downstream reach of the hydropower plant make water fauna and flora existence conditions unbearable. Besides, a riverbed here is subjected to long lasting and intensive scour and deformations. The aim of our investigations is to dev...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Arvydas Šikšnys, Narimantas Titas Ždankus, Gintautas Sabas, Oksana Barvidienė
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Riga Technical University Press 2014-09-01
Series:The Baltic Journal of Road and Bridge Engineering
Subjects:
Online Access:https://bjrbe-journals.rtu.lv/article/view/3512
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850055237546541056
author Arvydas Šikšnys
Narimantas Titas Ždankus
Gintautas Sabas
Oksana Barvidienė
author_facet Arvydas Šikšnys
Narimantas Titas Ždankus
Gintautas Sabas
Oksana Barvidienė
author_sort Arvydas Šikšnys
collection DOAJ
description Sudden and often fluctuations of water discharges and levels in the downstream reach of the hydropower plant make water fauna and flora existence conditions unbearable. Besides, a riverbed here is subjected to long lasting and intensive scour and deformations. The aim of our investigations is to develop measures improving the water flow regime in the downstream reach of the hydropower plants. The Nemunas River and Kaunas hydropower plants were selected as basis for our numerical and field investigations. Actual flow regime below the hydropower plant was observed and analysed on the ground of the long lasting dynamic measurement data. Numerical treatment of field measurement data and flow simulation works were arranged and carried out simultaneously. Numerical hydrodynamic model MIKE 21 made it possible to evaluate existing river flow conditions and to apply the model for simulation of many different turbine regimes and to select the optimal one. The content of our research was as follows: 1) analysis of typical turbines regimes while switching them on and off and flow regimes downstream; 2) continuous long lasting measurement of water level in many cross-sections of the river under investigation downstream the hydropower plants; 3) numerical simulation and investigation of untypical turbines regimes while switching them on and off and flow regimes downstream with application software MIKE 21 in the same unsteady flow conditions in which field measurements were made; 4) evaluation of the accuracy of hydrodynamic modeling results and possibilities for their application in predicting the local bridge abutment scour. The obtained data on water level and flow rate dynamics downstream the Kaunas hydropower plants have been analysed. Numerical model was developed to simulate the scour at bridge abutment and was calibrated for the same unsteady flow conditions. The obtained accurate results can be used for local bridge abutment scour evaluation.
format Article
id doaj-art-65f75dd17dc24bd79ccc024ec9a08efd
institution DOAJ
issn 1822-427X
1822-4288
language English
publishDate 2014-09-01
publisher Riga Technical University Press
record_format Article
series The Baltic Journal of Road and Bridge Engineering
spelling doaj-art-65f75dd17dc24bd79ccc024ec9a08efd2025-08-20T02:52:01ZengRiga Technical University PressThe Baltic Journal of Road and Bridge Engineering1822-427X1822-42882014-09-019321522410.3846/bjrbe.2014.271940Numerical and Field Investigations of Local Bridge Abutment Scour and Unsteady Downstream River Flow From a Nearby Hydropower PlantArvydas Šikšnys0Narimantas Titas Ždankus1Gintautas Sabas2Oksana Barvidienė3Institute of Hydraulic Engineering, Aleksandras Stulginskis University, Universiteto g. 10, 53361 Akademija, Kaunas, LithuaniaDept of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Kaunas University of Tehnology, Studentų g. 48, 51367 Kaunas, LithuaniaDept of Hydraulics, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Saulėtekio al. 11, 10223 Vilnius, LithuaniaDept of Hydraulics, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Saulėtekio al. 11, 10223 Vilnius, LithuaniaSudden and often fluctuations of water discharges and levels in the downstream reach of the hydropower plant make water fauna and flora existence conditions unbearable. Besides, a riverbed here is subjected to long lasting and intensive scour and deformations. The aim of our investigations is to develop measures improving the water flow regime in the downstream reach of the hydropower plants. The Nemunas River and Kaunas hydropower plants were selected as basis for our numerical and field investigations. Actual flow regime below the hydropower plant was observed and analysed on the ground of the long lasting dynamic measurement data. Numerical treatment of field measurement data and flow simulation works were arranged and carried out simultaneously. Numerical hydrodynamic model MIKE 21 made it possible to evaluate existing river flow conditions and to apply the model for simulation of many different turbine regimes and to select the optimal one. The content of our research was as follows: 1) analysis of typical turbines regimes while switching them on and off and flow regimes downstream; 2) continuous long lasting measurement of water level in many cross-sections of the river under investigation downstream the hydropower plants; 3) numerical simulation and investigation of untypical turbines regimes while switching them on and off and flow regimes downstream with application software MIKE 21 in the same unsteady flow conditions in which field measurements were made; 4) evaluation of the accuracy of hydrodynamic modeling results and possibilities for their application in predicting the local bridge abutment scour. The obtained data on water level and flow rate dynamics downstream the Kaunas hydropower plants have been analysed. Numerical model was developed to simulate the scour at bridge abutment and was calibrated for the same unsteady flow conditions. The obtained accurate results can be used for local bridge abutment scour evaluation.https://bjrbe-journals.rtu.lv/article/view/3512hydrodynamic modelkaunas hydropower planthydropower plants (hpp)bridge abutment scour
spellingShingle Arvydas Šikšnys
Narimantas Titas Ždankus
Gintautas Sabas
Oksana Barvidienė
Numerical and Field Investigations of Local Bridge Abutment Scour and Unsteady Downstream River Flow From a Nearby Hydropower Plant
The Baltic Journal of Road and Bridge Engineering
hydrodynamic model
kaunas hydropower plant
hydropower plants (hpp)
bridge abutment scour
title Numerical and Field Investigations of Local Bridge Abutment Scour and Unsteady Downstream River Flow From a Nearby Hydropower Plant
title_full Numerical and Field Investigations of Local Bridge Abutment Scour and Unsteady Downstream River Flow From a Nearby Hydropower Plant
title_fullStr Numerical and Field Investigations of Local Bridge Abutment Scour and Unsteady Downstream River Flow From a Nearby Hydropower Plant
title_full_unstemmed Numerical and Field Investigations of Local Bridge Abutment Scour and Unsteady Downstream River Flow From a Nearby Hydropower Plant
title_short Numerical and Field Investigations of Local Bridge Abutment Scour and Unsteady Downstream River Flow From a Nearby Hydropower Plant
title_sort numerical and field investigations of local bridge abutment scour and unsteady downstream river flow from a nearby hydropower plant
topic hydrodynamic model
kaunas hydropower plant
hydropower plants (hpp)
bridge abutment scour
url https://bjrbe-journals.rtu.lv/article/view/3512
work_keys_str_mv AT arvydassiksnys numericalandfieldinvestigationsoflocalbridgeabutmentscourandunsteadydownstreamriverflowfromanearbyhydropowerplant
AT narimantastitaszdankus numericalandfieldinvestigationsoflocalbridgeabutmentscourandunsteadydownstreamriverflowfromanearbyhydropowerplant
AT gintautassabas numericalandfieldinvestigationsoflocalbridgeabutmentscourandunsteadydownstreamriverflowfromanearbyhydropowerplant
AT oksanabarvidiene numericalandfieldinvestigationsoflocalbridgeabutmentscourandunsteadydownstreamriverflowfromanearbyhydropowerplant