Sustainable reservoir management and sedimentation at the Zipingpu hydropower project, China

Sedimentation can impact the effective storage capacity of reservoirs and seriously affect their functioning. Zipingpu reservoir, in Sichuan Province, China, suffers significant challenges from sedimentation; these have been especially acute since the strong earthquake in the region in 2008. Identifying suitable methods to manage fine sediment particles with a high silt content is a particular challenge. The authors propose using the fine sediments with high silt content (6.55 per cent average) to produce high-performance cemented materials. The influence of characteristics including silt content, gradation, water-binder ratio, and the content of cementitious materials on the strength of cemented materials has been studied. Combined with scanning electron microscopy analysis of the cementing mechanism, high-strength cemented material can be produced from reservoir sediments with compressive strengths greater than 100 MPa and flexural strengths greater than 20 MPa.