Recent Advances in 3D Numerical Modeling of Reservoir Sedimentation

Construction of impounding structures, such as dams and reservoirs, across the river basin interrupts sediment transport in natural waterways and causes sediment deposition in the reservoirs. Sediment deposition leads to several problems in impounding structures, such as capacity loss in water storage of the reservoir. Performance of the reservoirs is severely impacted by the sedimentation process, and even losing a small amount of capacity may cause many sediment-related problems, which will increase as the reservoirs begin to age, and sediments continue to accumulate. Nowadays, several dams are reaching the end of their design life while their operation is being increasingly affected by the long-term sedimentation issues, which were not taken into account at the time of construction. By controlling the sedimentation, dams can have useful lives longer than other types of structures. In the past two decades, the development of numerical methods has led to possibility of simulating sedimentation in reservoirs with more reliability. Among mathematical models, 3D models are the most similar models to reality. The present paper intends to give a brief introduction on the process of sedimentation in reservoirs and to introduce and compare 3D numerical models developed for sedimentation in reservoirs

Keywords:

Sediment deposition , Reservoir sedimentation , 3D numerical models