Reservoir sedimentation; a literature survey

A survey of literature is made on reservoir sedimentation, one of the most threatening processes for world-wide reservoir performance. The sedimentation processes, their impacts, and their controlling factors are assessed from a hydraulic engineering point of view with special emphasis on mathematical modelling. The objective of this study is to find the remaining gaps in the understanding of the relevant features, and the needs for further research. The physics of sediment distribution (such as delta formation and density currents) and the present modelling techniques are identified for various types of reservoirs. Attention is also paid to the operational aspects and the environmental impacts of the reservoir on the river-system morphology. Finally the methods to reduce the sediment inflow, to reduce the accumulation, or to remove the deposits are described. Evaluating the state of knowledge it is clear that a large number of physical processes are involved which are not well understood or hard to simulate. Recommended is to develop more comprehensive mathematical models and to do more specific laboratory research