Publications associées à Laboratory research: bed load guidance into sediment bypass tunnel inlet

Study of flexible operating conditions in variable-speed hydraulic turbines : advanced models and experimental validation

The global imperative to transition from fossil fuel-based energy sources to renewable alternatives has become increasingly urgent in the pursuit of sustainable and renewable power generation. This paradigm shift necessitates innovative approaches to manag ...

EPFL2024

On the prediction of the induced damage by the start-up sequence of Francis turbines: On operational resilience framework

Christophe Nicolet, Mario Paolone, Martin Seydoux, Elena Vagnoni

The number of transient operations in hydraulic machinery connected to power grid, notably start-ups and shut-downs, has observed a substantial increase in recent decades, primarily driven by the global shift toward intermittent renewable energy sources. S ...

Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd2024

Twenty years of irrigation acclimation is driven by denser canopies and not by plasticity in twig- and needle-level hydraulics in a Pinus sylvestris forest

Charlotte Grossiord, Eugénie Isabelle Mas, Christoph Bachofen, Alex Tunas Corzon, Hervé Cochard, Alice Jacqueline Frédérique Gauthey

Climate change is predicted to increase atmospheric vapor pressure deficit, exacerbating soil drought, and thus enhancing tree evaporative demand and mortality. Yet, few studies have addressed the longer-term drought acclimation strategy of trees, particul ...

Oxford Univ Press2024

A comprehensive review on geomembrane systems application in hydropower

Giovanni De Cesare, Samuel Luke Vorlet

Geomembrane systems have been used at hydropower plants as rehabilitation and mitigation technology for several decades and are now used worldwide. In the context of planning an energy transition that promotes the sustainable use of water resources for ene ...

2024

Enhancing Flood Resilience: Sediment Management in Le Bez Torrent

Giovanni De Cesare, Azin Amini, Romain Nathan Hippolyte Merlin Van Mol

In the canton of Bern, Switzerland, the “Le Bez” torrent is known for its flash floods, causing sediment and wood debris buildup in Villeret village settled on the alluvial fan. To mitigate this issue, a sediment/wood trap system is being implemented upstr ...

Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT)2023

Exploring the efficacy of reservoir fine sediment management measures through numerical simulations

Giovanni De Cesare, Azin Amini, Samuel Luke Vorlet, Montana Marshall

Reservoir sedimentation is one of the main challenges in the sustainable operation of large reservoirs because it causes volume loss, affecting hydropower production capacity, dam safety, and flood management. To ensure the sustainability of deep reservoir ...

CRC Press/Balkema2023

Hydromorphological assessment of sediment augmentation measures in gravel-bed rivers

Christian Mörtl

In the riverine environment, the riverscape, sediment and flow regime are essential drivers for natural habitat dynamics. Today, most water courses in Europe are regulated, and their natural dynamics are impaired. Flood releases coupled with the artificial ...

EPFL2023

The clogging of riverbeds: A review of the physical processes

Giovanni De Cesare, Romain Maxime Dubuis

Fine sediment represents an important part of the solid flux of rivers. Due to the size of these particles, they are often transported as suspended load. They gradually fill the pores of the substrate forming the hyporheic zone or cover the substrate by se ...

2023

Experimental modeling of fine sediment routing: SEDMIX device with thrusters

Giovanni De Cesare, Azin Amini, Montana Marshall

Reservoir sedimentation is a key challenge for storage sustainability because it causes volume loss, affecting hydropower production capacity, dam safety, and flood management. A preliminary EPFL study proposed and studied an innovative device (called SEDM ...

CRC Press/Balkema2023

Characterization of Thruster-Induced Turbulence for Fine Sediment Suspension

Giovanni De Cesare, Azin Amini, Montana Marshall, Andre Luis Stakowian

Reservoir sedimentation is a key challenge for storage sustainability because it causes volume loss, affecting hydropower production capacity, dam safety, and flood management. A preliminary EPFL study proposed and studied an innovative device (called SEDM ...

2023

Structural impact of the start-up sequence on Pelton turbines lifetime: Analytical prediction and polynomial optimization

Mario Paolone, Elena Vagnoni, Aldo Leonardo Alerci

Hydropower plants play a crucial role in the power system facing ambitious renewable energy targets. Due to their inherent controllability, they are well suited to provide flexibility to the grid. However, an increased flexibility provision leads to a prol ...

Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd2023

Continuous monitoring of morphological changes from sediment augmentation by field measurements and flume experiments

Giovanni De Cesare, Christian Mörtl

In this study, we present results from continuous field monitoring and a flume ex-periment of a sediment augmentation measure in a residual flow reach of the Swiss midlands. A straight morphological channel with fixed bed material was constructed to repres ...

2023

Simulation of fine sediment deposition on floodplains

Giovanni De Cesare, Carmelo Juez Jiménez

Rivers extend beyond the channels that are typically associated with this word. Of particular interest are flood plains, where important hydro- and morphodynamic processes occur as a result of recurrent flooding. Ecologically, they also support the establi ...

2023

Effects of water releases and sediment supply on a residual flow reach

Giovanni De Cesare, Camille Blanck, Robin Schroff

An artificial floods program has been implemented on the Sarine residual flow reach, downstream of the Rossens dam. Two artificial floods were released in 2016 (coupled with sediment augmentation) and in 2020. A natural flood occurred in 2021. The indicato ...

CRC Press/Balkema2023

Importance of hydropower reservoirs and dams in Europe to mitigate the energy crisis and to serve as a catalyst and enabler for the Green Deal

Anton Schleiss

Hydropower has a long tradition in Europe and contributed significantly during the last century to industrial development and welfare in most of the countries in Europe. The ambitious plan for an energy transition in Europe now seeks to achieve a lowcarbon ...

CRC Press/Balkema2023

Influence of channel geomorphic units on bedload transport and river morphology during low‐magnitude bed‐forming floods coupled with sediment augmentation

Giovanni De Cesare, Severin Stähly, Christian Mörtl, Robin Schroff

In this study, we map different types of channel geomorphic units in a sediment-starved, residual-flow reach before and after an artificial flood. Bedload particles of a previous sediment augmentation measure are tracked with passive integrated transponder ...

2023

CFD simulations of hydraulic short-circuits in junctions, application to the Grand’Maison power plant

François Avellan, Cécile Münch-Alligné

In the framework of the XFLEX HYDRO H2020 European Project, the pumped-storage power plant of Grand'Maison (France), owned by Electricité De France, focuses on the implementation of the hydraulic short-circuit (HSC) operating mode. This mode increases the ...

2022

Experimental investigations on plunge pool protection measures for Ilarion Dam in Greece

Giovanni De Cesare, Anton Schleiss, Azin Amini, Romain Nathan Hippolyte Merlin Van Mol

Ilarion Dam is a 130 m high earthfill dam at Aliakmon River in northern Greece. The dam was commissioned in 2010. It has two spillway tunnels with ski jumps at the outlets. The two spillways are designed to release a total discharge of 5'500 m3/s during th ...

2022

The Role of Hydraulic Failure in a Massive Mangrove Die-Off Event

Alice Jacqueline Frédérique Gauthey

Between late 2015 and early 2016, more than 7,000 ha of mangrove forest died along the coastline of the Gulf of Carpentaria, in northern Australia. This massive die-off was preceded by a strong 2015/2016 El Nino event, resulting in lower precipitation, a d ...

FRONTIERS MEDIA SA2022

Effect of blocked driftwood on the hydraulic performance of a gated standard weir

Giovanni De Cesare, Michael Pfister, Loïc Bénet

Driftwood belongs to riverine ecosystems and is stored and transported in every natural stream. Hydraulic structures built in streams typically alter the flow characteristics and might consequently get in conflict with driftwood. The latter can get trapped ...

International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research (IAHR)2022