Numerical investigation of air-entrainment in skimming flow over stepped spillways

As a widely used flood energy dissipator, the stepped spillway can significantly dissipate the kinetic or hydraulic energy due to the air-entrainment in skimming flow over the steps. The free-surface aeration involves the sharp deformation of the free surface and the complex turbulent shear flows. In this study,the volume of fluid(VOF), mixture, and Eulerian methods are utilized to simulate the air-entrainment by coupling with the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes/large eddy simulation(RANS/LES) turbulence models. The free surface deformation, air volume fraction, pressure, and velocity are compared for the three different numerical methods. Only the Eulerian+RANS method fails to capture the free-surface aeration. The air volume fraction predicted by the VOF+LES method best matches the experimental measurement, while the mixture+LES method predicts the inception point of the air entrainment more accurately.

Numerical Simulation of Flow over Stepped Spillways with Varying Step-Angle

In the present study,the flow over the stepped spillway was numerically investigated by using Flow3D model.The effect of step angle on different properties of Nappe flow regime such as the water surface profile,location of free-surface aeration inception,Froude number at the spillway’s toe,and pressure,flow velocity,air concentration and cavitation index were evaluated.The realizable k–εwas applied as the turbulence model,and Volume of Fluid(VOF)model was used to determine the free surface flow profiles of the spillway.The model was verified using experimental data.In order to investigate the different characteristics of Nappe flow regime,17 numerical runs was designed,in which,four step angles,four flow discharge were considered to investigate the flow characteristics over the stepped spillway.The results indicated that the numerical model is well suited with the experimental data over the stepped spillway(RMSE=0.147 and ARE=6.9%).In addition,with increasing the step angles,the aeration inception point is generally moved downstream.By increasing the step angles from zero to 10 degrees,the Froude number does not change significantly,however,at the angle of 15 degrees,the Froude number decreases by about 42 percent.

Energy dissipation on stepped spillways and hydraulic challenges—Prototype and laboratory experiences

Stepped cascades, chutes and spillways have been in use for more than three millennia. With the introduction of new construction materials and techniques, the staircase chute design has regained some interest within the last forty years. The stepped invert increases significantly the energy dissipation occurring above the steep chute and reduces the size of the required downstream stilling structure. The application of stepped chutes further encompasses in-stream re-aeration and water treatment plant cascades, to enhance the air-water transfer of atmospheric gases and of volatile organic components. However, the engineering design of stepped spillways is not simple because of the hydrodynamic challenges, with several markedly different flow regimes, some complicated two-phase air-water fluid dynamics and massive rate of energy dissipation above the stepped chute. Simply, the technical challenges in the hydraulic design of stepped spillways are massive. This review paper examines the hydraulic characteristics of stepped chute flows and develops a reflection on nearly three decades of active hydraulic research, including recent field measurements during major flood events. The author aims to share his passion for the complicated hydraulic engineering, as well as some advice for engineering professionals and researchers.

The effects of step inclination and air injection on the water flow in a stepped spillway:A numerical study

In this work, we perform a numerical study of a water flow over a stepped spillway. This flow is described by the Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes equation(RANS) associated with the turbulence k-ε model. These equations are solved using a commercial software based on the finite volume scheme and an unstructured mesh. The air-water flow was modeled using volume of fluid(VOF) and multiphasic methods. The characteristics of the flow were investigated including the total pressure, the velocity profile, etc.. We analyze the effects on the flow structure of the steps and countermarch inclination, the air injection through the countermarch into the water flow and the dynamics water discharges. Results show that the inclination of the countermarch relative to the vertical and the air injection into the water flow increase the total pressure in the neighbourhood of the steps.