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DOE OSTI · 1607488

Cellular cofferdams for hydropower use. Final report

Prassetyo, Simon Heru·Khademian, Soheyl·Gutierrez, Marte
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Abstract

This report presents the results of a comprehensive study on a proposal to use cellular cofferdams as basis for the design and construction of water retaining structures to sustainably and cost-effectively harness hydropower. Previously, cellular cofferdams have been widely used mainly as temporary water exclusion devices to permit dry construction of in-water structures such as dams, locks, bridge footings and piers, and hydroelectric power plants. Design and construction requirements for cellular cofferdams are less stringent than for hydropower dams. To make cellular cofferdams suitable for permanent hydropower use, different design concepts that utilize cellular cofferdams as the main or core element of the water-retaining dam structure are proposed. One key design concept is the so-called “dry construction technique” in which the granular fill in cofferdam cells and the downstream berm are permanently kept dry in contrast to the wet construction technique for temporary use of cellular cofferdams. The viability of the proposed permanent cellular cofferdam design concepts is demonstrated using well-established structural and geotechnical design procedures and computational modeling. The improved performance of the proposed design concepts, particularly in combination with the dry construction technique, show cellular cofferdams have the potential to be used as basis for the construction of permanent hydropower dam structures that are versatile, with less impact on the environment, and will cost less to build than conventional hydropower dams.

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13 HYDRO ENERGY42 ENGINEERINGCellular CofferdamsEEREGeotechnicalHydropowerlow head hydroLow Impact HydroWater Power Technologies OfficeWPTO

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Prassetyo, Simon Heru, Khademian, Soheyl, Gutierrez, Marte. 2020-03-19. Cellular cofferdams for hydropower use. Final report. https://doi.org/10.2172/1607488

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