SEDIMENT TRANSPORT AND DEPOSITION IN WATERSHEDS WITH RESERVOIR CASCADES

• Grant number: 23/08711-5
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: December 01, 2023
• End date: November 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Geosciences
• Principal Investigator: Hugo de Oliveira Fagundes
• Grantee: Hugo de Oliveira Fagundes
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia Civil, Arquitetura e Urbanismo (FEC). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: ANDRÉ LUÍS SOTERO SALUSTIANO MARTIM ; Ayan S Fleischmann

Abstract

South America has been in the spotlight worldwide regarding reservoirs because it is a region that carries a high sediment load. Studies have indicated that erosion rates in South America are increasing. If this trend continues, more sediments will be trapped in the reservoirs, reducing their lifespan. In Brazil reservoirs are important components of our integrated national electric generation system (SIN), responsible for a relevant portion of Brazil's total electric generation. The SIN is one of the largest integrated electricity generation systems in the world. The siltation process of reservoirs is the natural limiting factor of water accumulation in reservoirs and, therefore, a relevant factor in the lifespan of hydropower plants and dams for multiple uses. When a reservoir is built upstream/downstream of another, forming what is normally called a "cascade" of reservoirs, it is expected that fewer sediments will reach the downstream reservoirs since these are deposited in the upstream reservoirs. This has the potential to increase the lifespan of the reservoirs that are located downstream. One way to estimate sediment deposition in reservoirs would be to perform in situ measurements, a monetarily expensive process. Another way, much less expensive, is to use mathematical models to simulate sediment fluxes. One gap in the literature is the understanding of the dynamics of sediment siltation in cascade reservoirs and its impact on sediment transport. Thus, the main contribution that this project seeks to provide is the understanding of the spatial-temporal dynamics of siltation and the generation of quantitative information from cascades of Brazilian reservoirs. These results can provide fundamental data for decision-makers of agencies and companies in the electric power sector, environmental managers, and political agents. (AU)