Current State-of-Practice in Dam Safety Risk Assessment

DeNeale, Scott; Baecher, Gregory B.; Stewart, Kevin; Smith, Ellen D.; Watson, David J.

doi:10.2172/1607224

Cited by 10 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…A-9 involves conducting potential failure modes analysis 78 to assess how a dam may fail (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 2017; US Bureau of Reclamation and US Army Corps of Engineers 2017). As described by DeNeale et al (2019), potential failure mechanisms include overtopping, internal erosion, sliding, overturning, overstressing, spillway failure, and other mechanisms. Ensuring that the superstructure and foundation systems are designed to operate safely and reliably requires testing the ability of the system or components to impound water while reducing or eliminating seepage and maintaining structural stability and support.…”

Section: A3 Conventional Structural and Geotechnical Testingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Needs and Opportunities for Testing of Hydropower Technology Innovations

Musa

Smith²,

Sasthav

et al. 2022

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Despite hydropower's status as a well-established technology, changes in the global energy sector have prompted a variety of necessary hydropower technological innovations. Examples include efficient lowhead turbines, more flexible and dispatchable hydropower and pumped storage systems to complement variable and intermittent renewable resources, and technologies providing higher environmental performance. However, while innovative technologies are currently being proposed to meet these development challenges, small hydropower facility owners do not have sufficient risk-bearing capacity to adopt new, unvalidated technologies. This discourages manufacturers from bringing nascent technologies to market and stalls the technological growth of the sector. To reduce the risks associated with new technologies and promote further innovation, systemic (and sometimes unconventional) validation activities and new testing capabilities for hydropower are highly desired. These testing capabilities must demonstrate the safety, environmental acceptability, reliability, and performance of innovative technologies to quantify their value compared with existing technologies. Establishing these capabilities through dedicated testing facilities will be key to promoting hydropower growth in the United States.Following direction from the House Energy and Water Development Committee, the US Department of Energy's Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) has been tasked with understanding the state of hydropower testing in the United States. This scoping report discusses the needs and opportunities of hydropower testing in the United States, with a specific focus on small hydropower. Future developments will likely mostly target low-head sites with less than 30 ft (9.1 m) from new stream-reach developments, non-powered dam retrofits, and rehabilitation/upgrade of existing plants.Based on emerging technology trends, testing gaps evaluation, and stakeholder inputs, four overarching thematic challenges were identified for testing hydropower innovations: 10

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Section: A3 Conventional Structural and Geotechnical Testingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Needs and Opportunities for Testing of Hydropower Technology Innovations

Musa

Smith²,

Sasthav

et al. 2022

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“…For general dam classification (i.e., classification not specific to hydropower dams), dam classification schemes have typically been narrowly focused on one characteristic of an NPD system. Several common classification schemes as described in another work (DeNeale et al 2019) include the following:…”

Section: Classification Based On Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Non-Powered Dam Custom Analysis and Taxonomy (NPDamCAT) Framework

Hansen

Sasthav

Musa

et al. 2022

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Characteristic: a feature or quality used to identify or describe something.Classify: to divide things into groups according to a defined characteristic.Class or category: a group into which something is divided according to a defined characteristic.Clustering: the process of grouping things based on similar characteristics, typically via statistical analysis (e.g., k-means clustering).Dam: an artificial barrier that has the ability to impound water, wastewater, or any liquid-borne material, for the purpose of storage or control (FEMA 2004b). Greenfield development: new hydropower developments along previously undeveloped waterways (DOE 2016).Hydropower or hydroelectric power: electricity generated by converting the potential energy of water into mechanical energy.Non-powered dam: dams that do not have any electricity generation equipment installed (DOE 2021) or were previously equipped to generate power (mechanical or electrical), but are no longer operational. Taxonomy: the science or technique of classification.Value: numerical or categorical information. For example, the characteristic of age for a particular dam has a numerical value, measured in years while the characteristic of federal regulatory authority is categorical and have a value of the name of a federal agency.Variable: the quantitative or qualitative measure used to describe a characteristic. For example, the characteristic of size could be described by several variables, such as height, length, surface area, and volume.

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“…Unlike most other civil infrastructure requiring a geotechnical foundation design, dams must maintain equilibrium under numerous static and dynamic hydraulic forces imparted by the upper and lower water bodies and any uplift pressure beneath the dam (Figure 12). Therefore, engineering design must carefully consider the full range of operational conditions expected (and regulated by responsible dam safety authorities) throughout the dam's expected life (DeNeale et al, 2019). The complicated nature of hydropower foundation engineering analysis, relative to other geotechnical applications, is further complicated by the complexity of geologic materials and how they perform when saturated or exposed to water.…”

Section: Dam Construction Typesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These flows can serve a variety of purposes, including flood control, navigation, recreation, water supply, and environmental conservation. The location and type of spillway or bypass can vary across sites, but they are commonly made from concrete or other non-erodible materials, or founded on rock to prevent weakening of the structure from relatively constant large flows (DeNeale et al, 2019). For instance, a spillway can be part of the dam or located on top of it, releasing water directly over the top; it can alternatively divert flow from the top of the dam via a bypass to release water further downstream.…”

Section: Spillwaymentioning

confidence: 99%