Investigation of Plunging Depth and Density Currents in Egrekkaya Dam Reservoir

Fresh water sources are dwindling and becoming contaminated throughout the world due to environmental problems and fast growing population. Therefore, definition of reservoirs, reservoir flows, efficient use and proper modeling of fresh water sources gain great importance. In the real dam reservoirs, the density differences between inflow river water and ambient darn reservoir water create stratified flows. The density differences can be due to the discrepancies in temperatures, concentration of dissolved or suspended substances or a combination of both. In this study, a mathematical model is used for modeling reservoir flow and determining the plunging point and depth. The model consists of nonlinear and unsteady continuity, momentum, energy and k-epsilon turbulence model equations. The equations are constructed on actual dimensions, shape, boundary and initial conditions of the Egrekkaya dam. The model successfully simulates the formation of density currents and plunging flow. The results are found to be in accordance with the actual measured values. The results of this study are important with regard to sedimentation studies, water quality modeling and management and habitat assessment in reservoirs.