Thermal load of the Sava river after construction of the lower Sava river cascade

Authors: Andrej ŠIRCA
Citation: Acta hydrotechnica, vol. 22, no. 36, pp. 57-73, 2004.
Abstract: The introductory part of the paper brings a survey of the work performed in the sphere of mathematical modelling of the Sava river thermal load in the period 1997–2003. In the continuation, characteristics of the applied mathematical models as well as simulation cases are given, the purpose of which is to show a thermal condition of the river after construction of the first phase of the HPP chain (2012) and after its completion (2018) as well as comparison with the present state. Two alternatives of the thermal power unit in Trbovlje and the present state of the NPP Krško (NEK) have been considered. Analyses were done for the NEK and HPP Mokrice cross- sections for the warm part of the year (April–September). After the HPP chain construction, the average monthly river temperatures at NEK shall increase by up to +0.4°C and at HPP Mokrice by up to +1.6 °C. In the 4-year return period conditions the increase at the NEK shall reach +1.3 °C while at HPP Mokrice it shall reach up to +2.1 °C. Considering the 40-year return period the relevant increases shall be up to 2.0 °C at the NEK and up to 2.2 °C at the HPP Mokrice. The TPP Trbovlje impact on the NEK operation is lower than estimated by the previous study from 1998.
Keywords: thermal load, run-of-river hydro powerplants, chain of HPPs, mathematical models, the Sava River
Full text: a36as.pdf