AEP sought IIHR’s expertise to assess river hydraulics and complex flow patterns in the Ohio River near the Cardinal Power Plant. The plant is an 1800 MW coal-fired plant, built in 1967. The project goal was to assess the feasibility of the installation of an array of submerged screens in the cooling water intake forebay to meet EPA 316(b) requirements for fish impingement and entrainment.

IIHR built a 1:24 scale physical model that included a portion of the Ohio River, the intake forebay, Units 1 and 2, and the cooling water discharge channel. We calibrated the model performance to field data for validation. We worked closely with the client to investigate scenarios to reduce sedimentation potential in the forebay area. IIHR’s recommended mitigation measures will reduce sedimentation, making installation of the submerged screens more feasible, reducing the frequency of dredging at the site, and resulting in cost savings to the client. IIHR built a physical model of the Cardinal plant and conducted computer simulations to test the screens as well as mitigation strategies to reduce a sediment problem.