Novel methods of increasing the storage volume at Pumped Storage Power plants

Storli, Pål-Tore Selbo

doi:10.5293/ijfms.2017.10.3.209

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 16 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In the very critical larval phase, a combination of compensation reservoirs and altered operational management might be most effective by avoiding over-sized reservoirs. Currently, the feasibility of the air cushion underground reservoir (ACUR) technology [94] to mitigate environmental hydropeaking effects is being tested in the European project "HydroFlex" [95].…”

Section: Achieving Hydrological Mitigation Measures and Their Economimentioning

confidence: 99%

Life Stage-Specific Hydropeaking Flow Rules

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Peak-operating hydropower plants are usually the energy grid's backbone by providing flexible energy production. At the same time, hydropeaking operations are considered one of the most adverse impacts on rivers, whereby aquatic organisms and their life-history stages can be affected in many ways. Therefore, we propose specific seasonal regulations to protect ecologically sensitive life cycle stages. By reviewing hydropeaking literature, we establish a framework for hydrological mitigation based on life-history stages of salmonid fish and their relationship with key parameters of the hydrograph. During migration and spawning, flows should be kept relatively stable, and a flow cap should be implemented to prevent the dewatering of spawning grounds during intragravel life stages. While eggs may be comparably tolerant to dewatering, post-hatch stages are very vulnerable, which calls for minimizing or eliminating the duration of drawdown situations and providing adequate minimum flows. Especially emerging fry are extremely sensitive to flow fluctuations. As fish then grow in size, they become less vulnerable. Therefore, an 'emergence window', where stringent thresholds on ramping rates are enforced, is proposed. Furthermore, time of day, morphology, and temperature changes must be considered as they may interact with hydropeaking. We conclude that the presented mitigation framework can aid the environmental enhancement of hydropeaking rivers while maintaining flexible energy production.2 of 17 impacts on rivers downstream of dams" [3]. Fish communities, in particular, are severely threatened by hydropeaking [4]. Fish can be affected by changes in various components of the hydrograph, whereby the most common responses-stranding, drift, and dewatering of spawning grounds-are mostly related to up-and downramping rates [5,6], peak flow magnitude [5], and baseflow duration [7].Considering the large capacity of existing storage hydropower plants [8], as well as new ones that are currently being planned and installed [9], it is imperative to develop appropriate and transferable management measures to mitigate these ecological impacts. Many structural (e.g., constructing retention basins) and operational (e.g., reducing flow fluctuation rates) mitigation measures have been proposed [10,11], but implementation remains difficult, among other issues, because of significant reductions in the energy yield when setting ecological thresholds [2,12]. Therefore, well-targeted mitigation measures have to be developed to avoid energy losses and to guarantee ecological efficiency.Freeman et al. [13] argue that adverse effects can be minimized by either restoring vital features of the natural flow regime or by implementing a flow management scheme which avoids hydropower-induced habitat bottlenecks. Regarding the latter, multiple studies point out the need to identify critical flows, which include seasonal and diel considerations when determining operational mitigation strategies in rivers affected by hydropeaking [5,[13][14][15][16]. To...

show abstract

Section: Achieving Hydrological Mitigation Measures and Their Economimentioning

confidence: 99%

Life Stage-Specific Hydropeaking Flow Rules

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…ACUR represents the possibility of increasing the energy storage at an existing power plant without the need to replace the existing dam. The position of ACUR below the lowest reservoir level (LRL) in Figure 6 is intentional, and the interested reader can find reasons for this in a previous paper by one of the authors [17]. In that same paper, the ACUR configuration is theoretically demonstrated, showing that the reduction in the efficiency of a pump-turbine cycle due to losses in the compressed air system is small, and that the relative reduction decreases with the increasing head of the PHS.…”

Section: Energy Storage and Power Productionmentioning

confidence: 94%

A New Technical Concept for Water Management and Possible Uses in Future Water Systems

Storli

Lundström

2019

Water

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A new degree of freedom in water management is presented here. This is obtained by displacing water, and in this paper is conceptually explained by two methods: using an excavated cavern as a container for compressed air to displace water, and using inflatable balloons. The concepts might have a large impact on a variety of water management applications, ranging from mitigating discharge fluctuation in rivers to flood control, energy storage applications and disease-reduction measures. Currently at a low technological readiness level, the concepts require further research and development, but the authors see no technical challenges related to these concepts. The reader is encouraged to use the ideas within this paper to find new applications and to continue the out-of-the-box thinking initiated by the ideas presented in this paper.

show abstract

“…Given that mortality is dependent on the hydropeaking flow regime, a range of recommendations have been made to mitigate effects including modifying operational regimes (Moreira et al, 2019) and installation of hydraulic structures such as buffer reservoirs and retention basins (Reindl et al, 2022). Additionally, mitigation technologies including the Air Cushion Underground Reservoir (ACUR) (Storli, 2017;Storli & Lundström, 2019) that uses compressed air to dampen changes in downstream flow conditions during hydropeaking have recently been investigated. Fish behaviour also affects stranding mortality.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring sensitivities to hydropeaking in Atlantic salmon parr using individual‐based modelling

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Hydropeaking (the release of water pulses at hydropower plants) results in temporary reductions in river channel water‐covered area downstream, which may cause fish mortality through stranding. We used a mechanistic modelling approach to examine how both the form of the hydropeaking cycle and the characteristics of the affected fish control how hydropeaking may cause stranding mortality of fish. We modelled the response of Atlantic parr to hydropeaking in a regulated watercourse in central Norway (the River Nidelva) using an individual‐based population model designed explicitly to examine fish behaviour and stranding mortality during hydropeaking. A response to hydropeaking, involving migration from the riverbanks towards the mid‐channel on down‐ramping and a return to the riverbanks on up‐ramping, was based on individuals being parameterized to migrate to habitat properties that spatially changed throughout the hydropeaking cycle. We found that stranding mortality was strongly dependent on both the form of the hydropeaking cycle and on the fish response. Total stranding mortality was more dependent on the down‐ramping speed than the duration of the minimum flow period. Total stranding mortality was greatest when there was a low movement speed, leading to individuals being stranded, combined with a high probability of dying per unit of time when stranded. Given the sensitivity of mortality to the fish response and the lack of detailed field studies quantifying this, we conclude that this area requires further controlled studies for parameterizing models used to predict effects of hydropeaking on fish. Simulation‐based modelling, where there is a 100% control of and knowledge of fish characteristics, where a range of deterministic functions can be evaluated and in which boundary conditions can be easily controlled, may be a useful research tool to complement empirical studies.

show abstract

Novel methods of increasing the storage volume at Pumped Storage Power plants

Cited by 3 publications

References 16 publications

Life Stage-Specific Hydropeaking Flow Rules

Life Stage-Specific Hydropeaking Flow Rules

A New Technical Concept for Water Management and Possible Uses in Future Water Systems

Exploring sensitivities to hydropeaking in Atlantic salmon parr using individual‐based modelling

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About