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Background
Skagerak Kraft are going to build a hydropower plant, Sauland, in Hjartdal in Telemark. The
power plant have two waterfalls they will utilize and one common tailrace tunnel.
In the project the stability and dynamics in the power plant were evaluated for the first
waterfall. In the thesis the simulations and analytical calculations will look at the whole
power plant with the two headrace tunnels.
Both of the headrace tunnels need surge chambers. An alternative is to build air cushions,
instead of the normal surge shaft. Both surge alternatives will be analyzed, to find the best
alternative. It should also take into account the effect of implementing different dampening
models. In the end the stability of a hopefully optimal solution will be evaluated.
Supervisor: Torbjørn K. Nielsen
By Torunn Engen Røse
Master Thesis
Waterpower Laboratory
Surge Shafts or air Cushions
in Hydropower Plants