Sediment Transport in Fluvial Systems: A Novel Method to Quantify Lateral Bedload Transport Induced by an Engineering Vane Array

Abstract Submission: Fluvial sediment transport controls the geomorphological evolution of rivers through erosion and deposition processes, which transform the surrounding landscape. These processes can also pose a threat to numerous water infrastructures nationwide. For example, hydropower dams are crucial for renewable energy generation and water resources management. However, dams interrupt rivers' natural flow of water and sediment, causing sedimentation in the upstream reservoir. This sediment accumulation reduces water storage capacity and power generation efficiency, requiring complicated and expensive sediment removal techniques (e.g., dredging). One potential solution is continuously collecting sediment from upstream reservoirs and transporting it downstream of dams through sediment passages. We proposed a method by installing a yawed porous submerged vane array to control lateral bedload transport and enhance sediment collection efficiency. Via a series of laboratory experiments, using a state-of-the-art laser scanning device to acquire high-resolution bed elevation time series data, we thus can quantify individual bedform geometries and the corresponding migration velocity through a specialized tracking method. A control volume theory based on mass conservation principles was then developed to quantify the lateral bedload sediment transport with an average grid mapping algorithm. The results focus on quantifying and evaluating the efficiency of sediment lateral redirection by installing a yawed submerged vane array, which provides the opportunity to study alternative engineering methods for controlling downstream sediment transport via in-stream submerged structures.

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