Sediment Settling Strategy and Integrated Intake Structure Design for the San Gabán Ⅲ Hydropower Station

　　
　　Sediment management is a persistent and critical challenge during regular operation period for hydropower stations. If handled improperly, it will have an adverse impact on the normal operation of the hydropower stations. In order to reduce the abrasion of hydroelectric generating units, prolong reservoir working life, sediment settling strategy and desilting basin design are extremely important in the hydropower station on multi-sediment river. Especially for those diversion type hydropower stations with a low waterhead, most of them will adopt the impulse turbine units for electricity generation, while the increase in the diameter and concentration of sediment particles is apparently positively correlated with the wear rate of this kind of turbine. The San gabán Ⅲ hydropower station located at the the terminus of the San Gabán River mainstream in the border area between the Andes Mountains and the Amazon Plain. The San Gabán river is a typical multi-sediment river, with a significant sediment problem. Therefore, during the design process of this project, the overall sediment settling strategy and design scheme of desilting basin of the San Gabán Ⅲ hydropower station were proposed through field research and domestic and overseas sediment design experience in the hydropower station on multi-sediment river. After the operation test of the hydropower station, it was verified that the sediment settling structure shows a good effect on the sediment settling. The relevant research results can provide design references for other similar hydropower stations on multi-sediment rivers.
　　Sediment management is a persistent and critical challenge during regular operation period for hydropower stations. If handled improperly, it will have an adverse impact on the normal operation of the hydropower stations. In order to reduce the abrasion of hydroelectric generating units, prolong reservoir working life, sediment settling strategy and desilting basin design are extremely important in the hydropower station on multi-sediment river. Especially for those diversion type hydropower stations with a low waterhead, most of them will adopt the impulse turbine units for electricity generation, while the increase in the diameter and concentration of sediment particles is apparently positively correlated with the wear rate of this kind of turbine. The San gabán Ⅲ hydropower station located at the the terminus of the San Gabán River mainstream in the border area between the Andes Mountains and the Amazon Plain. The San Gabán river is a typical multi-sediment river, with a significant sediment problem. Therefore, during the design process of this project, the overall sediment settling strategy and design scheme of desilting basin of the San Gabán Ⅲ hydropower station were proposed through field research and domestic and overseas sediment design experience in the hydropower station on multi-sediment river. After the operation test of the hydropower station, it was verified that the sediment settling structure shows a good effect on the sediment settling. The relevant research results can provide design references for other similar hydropower stations on multi-sediment rivers.