Reflection Phenomena in Underground Pumped Storage Reservoirs

Energy storage through hydropower leads to free surface water waves in the connected reservoirs. The reason for this is the movement of water between reservoirs at different elevations, which is necessary for electrical energy storage. Currently, the expansion of renewable energies requires the deve...

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Main Authors: Elena Pummer, Holger Schüttrumpf
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2018-04-01
Series:Water
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/10/4/504
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spelling doaj-f806496dbe734bd1b26d4b518c086adb2020-11-24T22:49:06ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412018-04-0110450410.3390/w10040504w10040504Reflection Phenomena in Underground Pumped Storage ReservoirsElena Pummer0Holger Schüttrumpf1Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management, RWTH Aachen University, 52062 Aachen, GermanyInstitute of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management, RWTH Aachen University, 52062 Aachen, GermanyEnergy storage through hydropower leads to free surface water waves in the connected reservoirs. The reason for this is the movement of water between reservoirs at different elevations, which is necessary for electrical energy storage. Currently, the expansion of renewable energies requires the development of fast and flexible energy storage systems, of which classical pumped storage plants are the only technically proven and cost-effective technology and are the most used. Instead of classical pumped storage plants, where reservoirs are located on the surface, underground pumped storage plants with subsurface reservoirs could be an alternative. They are independent of topography and have a low surface area requirement. This can be a great advantage for energy storage expansion in case of environmental issues, residents’ concerns and an unusable terrain surface. However, the reservoirs of underground pumped storage plants differ in design from classical ones for stability and space reasons. The hydraulic design is essential to ensure their satisfactory hydraulic performance. The paper presents a hybrid model study, which is defined here as a combination of physical and numerical modelling to use the advantages and to compensate for the disadvantages of the respective methods. It shows the analysis of waves in ventilated underground reservoir systems with a great length to height ratio, considering new operational aspects from energy supply systems with a great percentage of renewable energies. The multifaceted and narrow design of the reservoirs leads to complex free surface flows; for example, undular and breaking bores arise. The results show excessive wave heights through wave reflections, caused by the impermeable reservoir boundaries. Hence, their knowledge is essential for a successful operational and constructive design of the reservoirs.http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/10/4/504underground pumped storagehybrid modellingphysical modellingnumerical modellinghydrodynamic processeswave reflections
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Elena Pummer
Holger Schüttrumpf
spellingShingle Elena Pummer
Holger Schüttrumpf
Reflection Phenomena in Underground Pumped Storage Reservoirs
Water
underground pumped storage
hybrid modelling
physical modelling
numerical modelling
hydrodynamic processes
wave reflections
author_facet Elena Pummer
Holger Schüttrumpf
author_sort Elena Pummer
title Reflection Phenomena in Underground Pumped Storage Reservoirs
title_short Reflection Phenomena in Underground Pumped Storage Reservoirs
title_full Reflection Phenomena in Underground Pumped Storage Reservoirs
title_fullStr Reflection Phenomena in Underground Pumped Storage Reservoirs
title_full_unstemmed Reflection Phenomena in Underground Pumped Storage Reservoirs
title_sort reflection phenomena in underground pumped storage reservoirs
publisher MDPI AG
series Water
issn 2073-4441
publishDate 2018-04-01
description Energy storage through hydropower leads to free surface water waves in the connected reservoirs. The reason for this is the movement of water between reservoirs at different elevations, which is necessary for electrical energy storage. Currently, the expansion of renewable energies requires the development of fast and flexible energy storage systems, of which classical pumped storage plants are the only technically proven and cost-effective technology and are the most used. Instead of classical pumped storage plants, where reservoirs are located on the surface, underground pumped storage plants with subsurface reservoirs could be an alternative. They are independent of topography and have a low surface area requirement. This can be a great advantage for energy storage expansion in case of environmental issues, residents’ concerns and an unusable terrain surface. However, the reservoirs of underground pumped storage plants differ in design from classical ones for stability and space reasons. The hydraulic design is essential to ensure their satisfactory hydraulic performance. The paper presents a hybrid model study, which is defined here as a combination of physical and numerical modelling to use the advantages and to compensate for the disadvantages of the respective methods. It shows the analysis of waves in ventilated underground reservoir systems with a great length to height ratio, considering new operational aspects from energy supply systems with a great percentage of renewable energies. The multifaceted and narrow design of the reservoirs leads to complex free surface flows; for example, undular and breaking bores arise. The results show excessive wave heights through wave reflections, caused by the impermeable reservoir boundaries. Hence, their knowledge is essential for a successful operational and constructive design of the reservoirs.
topic underground pumped storage
hybrid modelling
physical modelling
numerical modelling
hydrodynamic processes
wave reflections
url http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/10/4/504
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