Sediment Removal from Deep Reservoir Dams by Suction and Jet Flow

Abstract

One method of sediment removal from dam reservoirs is the use of submerged pumps and suction mixes of sediment and water. This method is usually considered for shallow rivers but we want to adopt this method for large dams. In this research, a system based on suction with a submerged pump structure is designed to collect fine sediments close to body of the dam from a large depth and to be transmitted by floating pipes to the margin of lake. And also, by pumping of jet fresh water flow and creating turbulence by the jet on sedimentary bed is simultaneously used to increase harvesting efficiency. The usage of simple equipment for removing fine grains near the dam body without the need for discharging of water resources is one of the essential features of this method which is suitable for arid and dry areas such as Iran. By using turbulent flow of water jet and simultaneous suction with a submerged pump, a vortices stretch is produced to suction the sediment mixture. Overall, the discharged sediment separates from water on the margin of lake to restores water to the reservoir.