3D flow simulation to improve the design and operation of the dam bottom outlets

• DOI: 10.1007/s12517-020-06378-4
• Publication Date: 2021-01-15T11:03:31Z
• Authors: Morteza Sadat Helbar; Atefeh Parvaresh ...; Javad Farhoudi; Amir Mohammadi
• Keywords: Flushing; Outflow

The most widely used method of flushing of reservoirs is to remove the deposited sediment through the bottom outlets. The size and shape of gates affect the outflow volume of water, the volume of removed sediments, and flushing efficiency. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of the area, number and shape of the bottom outlet gates on the velocity, concentration, and volume of the removed sediments and the dimensions of the flushing cone. Four different shapes with the same area were used for this purpose. Moreover, to study the effect of area and number of gates on flushing efficiency, circular gates with two different diameters were used. In this research, various pressure flushing modes were simulated using the Flow-3D model. Calibration and evaluation of this model were performed based on experimental findings. Results showed the parameters of the Flow-3D measures such as length, width, maximum depth, and flushing cone size with an average error of 3%, which is in good agreement with experimental results. As the area of the outlet gates increases, flushing is less risky in viewpoints of the operation process. Furthermore, the gate with a horizontal-rectangular section has an optimal shape with the highest flushing efficiency.