IMPROVING THE EFFICIENCY OF RIVER ACTIVITIES BY REFORMING ISLANDS (Case study: El Kurimat Power Plant)

This paper presents the effect of reforming the islands on enhancing the performance of a main river activity with minimum influence on the other activates. Nile River from Km 802 to Km 812 was selected for this study, as this part of the Nile River has two main activates isolated by two separate Islands. The main activity is a power generation by a thermal Power Plant, (El Kurimat Power Plant) which is suffering from sedimentation problems in front of its intake. The other activity is river navigation pass. 3D Mathematical model, Delft 3D, was used to simulate the study area and test the different scenarios of the study. Field measurements using advanced equipments were carried out to cover a distance of 10 km of the River Nile at study area. Intensive bathymetric survey around the existing structures within the surveyed area (groins, intakes or outfalls structures, Islands, etc) was implemented. The model constructed and calibrated using the measured data. Different flow condition of the NileRiver; minimum, dominant and the maximum discharges were tested. The model showed that the connecting of the two Islands by a submerged weir with crest level lower than the minimum water level by 30 cm will reduce the sedimentation problem at the power plant intake by more than 40% with minimum significant changes on the navigation pass.