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Conventional HydroBaseline sediment budget for the Klamath River
Lead Companies
U.S. Geological Survey
Lead Researcher (s)
- Chauncey Anderson (ORWSC)
- Scott Wright (CAWSC)
USGS is working with PacifiCorp, Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC), Tribes, States of OR and CA, and others to understand the effects of the Klamath Hydroelectric Project (KHP) on sediment transport and water quality in the Klamath River. In anticipation of a the potential removal of the lowermost 4 dams of the KHP, the USGS is working with the Tribes to help conduct monitoring required of KRRC under the Section 401 permits for the dam removal, currently scheduled for 2023, and at a larger scale to generate a baseline sediment budget for the river. Similar work is anticipated during and after the drawdown and dam removal process. Sub-studies, such as evaluating the bed mobility and effects of reservoir flushing on sediment resuspension, with application to mitigation of fish disease, are also ongoing. The study uses a mix of sediment flux, geomorphic assessments, and sediment tracer effects to estimate the overall effects of sediment releases from the reservoirs on downstream processes and place it in context with historical sediment transport in the basin.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Sediment Transport
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
TBD
- Conventional Hydro
Basin-Scale Opportunity Assessment Initiative: Background Literature Review
Lead Companies
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Lead Researcher (s)
- Bo Saulsbury
As called for in the March 2010 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Hydropower, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), environmental stakeholders, and the hydropower industry are collaborating to identify opportunities to simultaneously increase electricity generation and improve environmental services in river basins of the United States. New analytical tools provide an improved ability to understand, model, and visualize environmental and hydropower systems. Efficiencies and opportunities that might not be apparent in site-by-site analyses can be revealed through assessments at the river-basin scale. Information from basin-scale assessments could lead to better coordination of existing hydropower projects, or to inform siting decisions (e.g., balancing the removal of some dams with the construction of others), in order to meet renewable energy production and environmental goals. Basin-scale opportunity assessments would inform energy and environmental planning and address the cumulative effects of hydropower development and operations on river basin environmental quality in a way that quantifies energy-environment tradeoffs. Opportunity assessments would create information products, develop scenarios, and identify specific actions that agencies, developers, and stakeholders can take to locate new sustainable hydropower projects, increase the efficiency and environmental performance of existing projects, and restore and protect environmental quality in our nation's river basins. Government agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGO) have done significant work to understand and assess opportunities for both hydropower and environmental protection at the basin scale. Some initiatives have been successful, others less so, and there is a need to better understand the legacy of work on which this current project can build. This background literature review is intended to promote that understanding.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Regulatory Management Process
Research Sub-Category
Environmental Impact
Status
complete
Completion Date
2010
- Conventional Hydro
Benchmarking of Ensemble Streamflow Forecast Usage in Hydropower Planning
Lead Companies
CEATI International
Lead Researcher (s)
- #0429
This study includes three main components: a literature review of the use of streamflow ensembles; industry level surveys and interviews to benchmark the current use of ensembles; and an interactive Roadmap to guide users through the many different components of developing, verifying, processing, and using ensemble data.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Interconnect Integration and Markets
Research Sub-Category
Hydraulic Forecasting
Status
complete
Completion Date
2020
- Conventional Hydro
Best Practice Guide for Maintaining Hydro Generating Station Power System Electrical Connections
Lead Companies
CEATI International
Lead Researcher (s)
- 03/101
A technical report that integrates the best available information and practices into a single source that can be used to understand the design and installation principles of PSE connections while providing guidance for maintenance and repair practices. A technical how-to user manual to help field personnel properly install and maintain PSE connections.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Powerhouse Equipment
Research Sub-Category
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
Expected 2020
- Conventional Hydro
Best Practice Guide for the Operation and Maintenance of Cranes and Lifting Equipment
Lead Companies
CEATI International
Lead Researcher (s)
- #0397
This guide focuses on the entire life-cycle of crane and hoist assets, incorporating best practices obtained from survey responses from a cross section of participating HPLIG utilities that operate and maintain a combined total of 4500 cranes and hoists.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Powerhouse Equipment
Research Sub-Category
Status
complete
Completion Date
2020
- Conventional Hydro
Best Practices for Mussel Control and Mitigation at Hydropower and Water Delivery Facilities
Lead Companies
Bureau of Reclamation
Lead Researcher (s)
- Sherri Pucherelli
The goal of this research is to compile currently used technology and techniques for the control of invasive mussels at hydropower and water delivery facilities. The approach involves case studies across multiple agencies to identify effective technologies and strategies that have been used in order to share this information with Federal and State agencies as well as impacted stakeholders. This effort will provide facility managers with information and options to be used for planning purposes in the case that invasive mussels are detected at their facility. Mussel control and mitigation techniques are site specific and dependent upon facility design and operation, and a survey of a variety of impacted facilities across the United States may uncover techniques that can be implemented at a diverse range of Reclamation facilities.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Fish and Aquatic Resources
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
2020
- Conventional Hydro
Best Practices in the Design, Operation, and Maintenance of Spillway Gates in Northern Climates
Lead Companies
CEATI International
Lead Researcher (s)
- #0396
The report identifies the various ice mitifation measures that are currently available for three types of gates: radial, vertical lift and flap gates.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Dam or Weir
Research Sub-Category
Spillgates
Status
complete
Completion Date
2020
- Conventional Hydro
Biologically-Based Design and Evaluation of Hydropower Turbines
Lead Companies
DOE, WPTO
Lead Researcher (s)
- Mark Bevelhimer
Hydropower regulatory requirements frequently call for industry to meet targets regarding fish injury and mortality rates, but meeting these requirements can add costs for project owners and operators. This project provides biologically based design and evaluation tools and fundamental information that industry, regulators, and natural resource managers can routinely apply to reduce design and regulatory review time and aid the development of sustainable hydropower.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Fish and Aquatic Resources
Status
complete
Completion Date
2020
- Conventional Hydro
Blackstart
Lead Companies
ORNL, NREL, ANL
Lead Researcher (s)
- 0
This project is using Run-of-river hydropower Integrated with SuperCapacitors (BRISC), which is currently assessing not only the technical characteristics, but also the financial viability of coupling energy storage solutions and run-of-river hydropower facilities. Efforts in this space will culminate in not only field deployment of energy storage systems at a facility, but also industry-accessible guidance.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Research Sub-Category
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
TBD
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