Currently energy storage systems are indispensable for the energy supply system. They are needed to ensure the required balance between production and demand of energy. As a short to medium term storage pumped storage plants have been used economically over a long period of time, but their expansion is limited locally and ther was not much need for them in Norway in the past. The use of underground reservoirs instead of surface lakes could increase expansion opportunities and overcome limitations. Existing tunnels could be used as reservoirs, too.
The aim of this master thesis is to investigate the potential in Norway, the sustainability of different concepts and to explain the hydrodynamics, for which we can provide fundamental knowledge and existing research results.
Photo: Nant det Drance (Elena Pummer
Four sets of experiments were conducted in a mobile bed curved flume (Fig 1) with same steady discharge, similar initial beds, same sediment feed rate and for same duration. The observations that were made in the experiment are total sediment transported, planform of channel, water level, and detail bathymetry using SfM, etc. All the observations were made at the end of the experiment. Now, each of the experiments will be simulated numerically, and the total transport and morphological parameters will be computed.
Aim of the thesis is to find out the discrepancies in the observed and computed parameters and their possible reasons. This will fundamentally add value to sediment transport research.
Tools for the research: ArcGIS, MATLAB, Delft3D
Fig 1. Schematic layout of the experimental setup
Hydraulics and Sediment Parameters
Model Scale: 1:50
Steady Discharge: 0.00453m3/s
D50 of bed and feed material: 0.9 mm
Feed Rate: 0.35 kg/min
Duration of each run :15 hours
(model tests were conducted in Nepal)