MEASUREMENT OF SUSPENDED SEDIMENT CONCENTRATION AND PARTICLE SIZE DISTRIBUTION USING ULTRASOUND DURING SEDIMENT SLUICING BY DRAWDOWN OPERATION

Abstract

 In recent years, ultrasonic attenuation spectroscopy has been frequently used for the measurement of suspended sediment concentration and particle size distribution. Sediments are derived from the rock masses at the upper basin and transported downstream owing to floods, and then deposited in the reservoir. The reservoir sediments affect the entire river system because the sediment transport is blocked by dams. For this reason, sediment sluicing has been performed in several rivers. In such cases, it is important to monitor the suspended sediment concentration and particle size distribution. Therefore, we have measured the suspended sediment concentration and particle size distribution using an ultrasonic spectrometer during sediment sluicing by drawdown operation. The applicability of our measurement technology using ultrasonic attenuation spectroscopy for monitoring of suspended sediment concentration and particle size distribution was verified.