Thermal analysis of a concrete dam taking into account insolation, shading, water level and spillover

Žvanut, Pavel (author), Turk, Goran (author), Kryžanowski, Andrej (author)

This study presents a procedure for modeling the heat transfer process in a concrete dam, taking into account the time-varying boundary conditions on the upstream and downstream sides of the dam (i.e., the water level of the reservoir, spillover, insolation, and shading) which affect the temperature conditions of the dam. The large concrete arch-gravity Moste Dam (in North West Slovenia) was analyzed, where an automated system for the measurement of concrete and water temperatures, and for the monitoring of meteorological effects, was installed. Thermal analyses (1D and 2D) for non-linear and non-stationary heat conduction through solids were performed using a finite element method (FEM) based program, TeEx, which was complemented by two specially developed programs for determining the effects of convection and insolation, considering also the effect of shading. A 15-day period was analyzed, as well as a period of one year. It was found that the results of the performed analyses fitted in well with the experimentally determined concrete temperature measurements. The results showed that at the insolated side of the dam, the temperature gradient was largest in a very narrow area along the concrete surface, but the temperature did not stabilize shallower than at a depth of about 6 m. As part of the thermal analyses, uncertainty analyses of the results of the calculations were also performed.

• Language: English
• Keywords: concrete dam, heat transfer, solar radiation, shading, convection, thermal analysis, finite element method, temperature monitoring, temperature field, uncertainty
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FGG - Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2021
• Number of pages: 19 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 11, iss. 2, art. 705
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-125102
• UDC: 624.012:627.82:621.8.035
• ISSN on article: 2076-3417
• DOI: 10.3390/app11020705
• COBISS.SI-ID: 46998275
• Publication date in RUL: 04.03.2021

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Applied sciences
• Shortened title: Appl. sci.
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2076-3417
• COBISS.SI-ID: 522979353

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 13.01.2021

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: betonski jez, prenos toplote, sončno sevanje, senčenje, konvekcija, toplotna analiza, metoda končnih elementov, interakcija človek-stroj