Hydraulic Analyses of J. Strom Thurmond Reservoir Headwaters

摘要

The US Army Engineer District, Savannah, is in the process of adding pumped/storage capability at the Richard B. Russell Project. The addition of four 75-MW pump/turbines will double the hydroelectric generation capacity while creating the capability to recharge the power pool in Russell Lake from the adjacent J. Strom Thurmond Lake. Completion of the Richard B. Russell powerhouse will result in a total capacity generation discharge of 60,000 cfs and pumping capacity of 24,800 cfs. This investigation examined the impacts of increasing the generation and pumpback flows of the project. Of particular concern was the interaction of flows with the downstream channel, which is constructed by sand deposits. The numerical model used in this study examined the velocity field and water-surface fluctuations associated with completed project flows in J. Strom Thurmond Lake. The results indicated a significant influence of the channel construction on both the velocity field and water surface at capacity flow conditions for low tailwater pools. During periods of low tailwater pool, the duration of capacity pumpback would be limited. A channel realignment was proposed to improve the hydraulic conditions during project operation. Keywords; Channelization; Dredging; Flow fields; Hydrodynamics; Reservoirs; Savannah river; Hydroelectric power plants; Pumped storage; South Carolina.