Measuring heat transfer processes in gully pots for real-time estimation of accumulated sediment depths

The accumulation of sediments in stormwater systems negatively affects their functioning. For example, the re-suspension of these sediments can lead to serious pollution of surface water bodies through combined sewer overflows (CSOs). In addition, the persistent accumulation of sediments reduces the storage and hydraulic capacity of stormwater systems, resulting in an increased risk of flooding. Stormwater managers spend considerable resources cleaning these systems, but we still lack reliable and easy-to-use monitoring methods to provide information on the location, volume and composition of sediments. This study explores the use of temperature sensors combined with the analysis of heat transfer processes to measure sediment depth in sand trap gully pots. To this end, a laboratory-scale experimental campaign was carried out using a 1 : 1 scale gully pot model, with different sediment types, hydrographs and inflow temperature conditions. The experiments were designed using field measurements to reproduce the temperature changes in gully pots and thus the heat transfer processes. The results showed maximum differences between reference measurements and estimated depths of less than 30 mm. Finally, the use of temperature sensors as a cost-effective solution for monitoring sediment accumulation is discussed.