Calculation of Contraction Coefficient under Sluice Gates and Application to Discharge Measurement

The contraction coefficient under sluice gates on flat beds is studied for both free flow and submerged conditions based on the principle of momentum conservation, relying on an analytical determination of the pressure force exerted on the upstream face of the gate together with the energy equation. The contraction coefficient varies with the relative gate opening and the relative submergence, especially at large gate openings. The contraction coefficient may be similar in submerged flow and free flow at small openings but not at large openings, as shown by some experimental results. An application to discharge measurement is also presented

Discussion of "Revisiting the Energy-Momentum Method for Rating Vertical Sluice Gates under Submerged Flow Conditions" by Oscar Castro-Orgaz, Luciano Mateos, and Subhasish Dey

The discussers really appreciated the efforts to make more solid some usual assumptions used to derive reliable stage-discharge relationships, and the confrontation with field measurements. Energy and momentum equations are generally applied in their standard form, as presented in most hydraulic engineering books. The authors are right to point out that some of these assumptions are simplistic, which introduces biases in the derived relationships. Velocity distribution is one of these assumptions, and trying to improve this distribution is commendable. Head loss is another crucial issue, especially for submerged gates where the presence of the roller above the jet induced large dissipation. The authors also neglected the friction forces and assumed that contraction coefficient (Cc) is the same in submerged flow as in free flow. This assumption was questioned by Henderson (1989), and Belaud et al. (2009) showed how to derive a continuous relationship for Cc between low submergence (Cc about 0.61) and fully open gate (Cc ¼ 1). For submerged gates, there have been a limited number of experimental studies that explored the validity of the most sensitive assumptions. Compared to free flow, much more phenomena need to be quantified, such as head loss due to jet–roller interaction, velocity distributions at the contracted section and downstream measuring section, friction forces between these two sections. The effect of submergence introduces another dimension when trying to elaborate generic relationships. As the practical objectives are to obtain accurate discharge predictions, a common approach is to calibrate corrections using measured discharges, water levels, and openings. This may not be sufficient to validate physically based improvements since several phenomena compensate for each other. The pioneer experimental works used by the authors provided very useful data sets to perform this analysis. This discussion is based on recent experimental and numerical results presented by Cassan and Belaud (2012). Experiments used acoustic Doppler velocimetry at selected locations, for three configurations in free flow and three in submerged flow. Computational fluid dynamics was used in complement, with the objective to interpolate flow characteristics between measuring points and to explore other configurations than those measured. Experiments were essential to verify the validity of the numerical results, based on Reynolds–Average Navier–Stokes simulations with the volume-of-fluid method and Reynolds stress model as turbulence closure model. Notations are those of the discussed paper

Estimation Of Offtake Discharge And Cross-Device Parameters Using Data Assimilation For The Automatic Control Of An Irrigation Canal

The automatic control of open surface hydraulic systems such as Rivers (with dams and/or hydropower plants) or irrigation canals (with gated cross-devices) almost always use hydraulic models. These models can be used in different manners, either just to test and validate controllers prior to implementation, to tune the controller parameters off-line, or used on-line in real-time. The control algorithm calculates the control action variables u, using measured variables z obtained from the real system, in order to achieve some objectives for some controlled variables y. These models have always limited precision due to unknown or wrong: parameters, input variables and internal states. Among the parameters we find cross-device discharge and bed friction coefficients. Among input variables we find the inflow or outflow discharges entering into the river, or taken by users from the canal. Indeed, they are rarely measured, or in the best cases with a limited precision. This is a problem since the tuning of the control parameters of the feedback loops depends a lot on the dynamics of the system and therefore on the previous listed parameters. A feedforward control component, very useful for this class of delayed systems, could benefit from the knowledge of the input variables. In this paper we will show how data assimilation technics can reconstruct these unknown parameters and variables. We will also focus on the required number and locations of the measurements, to be able to reconstruct this correctly. We will study the best or required configurations allowing to use this information, detect and isolate some problems, correct the model, and reconstruct the wrong or unknown variables, inputs or parameters of the model. The framework we will use for this study is the Kalman filtering one. We will see that this framework is very powerful to solve the above described problems

Hydraulic Modeling of a Mixed Water Level Control Hydromechanical Gate

This article describes the hydraulic behavior of a mixed water level control hydromechanical gate present in several irrigation canals. The automatic gate is termed "mixed" because it can hold either the upstream water level or the downstream water level constant according to the flow conditions. Such a complex behavior is obtained through a series of side tanks linked by orifices and weirs. No energy supply is needed in this regulation process. The mixed flow gate is analyzed and a mathematical model for its function is proposed, assuming the system is at equilibrium. The goal of the modeling was to better understand the mixed gate function and to help adjust their characteristics in the field or in a design process. The proposed model is analyzed and evaluated using real data collected on a canal in the south of France. The results show the ability of the model to reproduce the function of this complex hydromechanical system. The mathematical model is also implemented in software dedicated to hydraulic modeling of irrigation canals, which can be used to design and evaluate management strategies

Influence of Canal Geometry and Dynamics on Controllability

This paper presents the results of the Task Committee on Canal Automation Algorithms with regard to the influence of canal properties on the controllability of irrigation canals. While the control provided by individual algorithms was not evaluated, studies were performed to illustrate inherent hydraulic limitations—the inability of canal pools to recover rapidly from disturbances or flow perturbations. Studies were performed in nondimensional form to develop a better understanding of how pool properties influence pool response. Three such studies were performed. First, nondimensional backwater curves were developed for a range of canal conditions. The second study involved the propagation of waves initiated at the upstream end of a canal pool, as this is influenced by downstream boundary conditions. Finally, the response of pools to downstream withdrawals was examined in terms of their sluggish recovery even when the correct flow change is applied upstream. These results will help in understanding how canal properties influence the ability of operators to effectively control a canal either manually or automatically, and should influence future design practices

Velocity profiles in a real vegetated channel

Most of the studies regarding vegetation effects on velocity profiles are based on laboratory experiments. The main focus of this paper is to show how the laboratory knowledge established for submerged vegetation applies to real-scale systems affected by vegetation growth (mainly Ranunculus fluitans). To do so, experiments are conducted at two gage stations of an operational irrigation system. The analysis of first- and second-order fluctuations of velocities is based on field measurements performed by micro-acoustic doppler velocimeter during 8 months, completed with flow measurement campaigns in different seasons. The Reynolds stresses are used to determine shear velocities and deflected plant heights. Then, the modified log–wake law (MLWL), initially derived from laboratory flume experiments, is applied with a unique parametrisation for the whole set of velocity profiles. The MLWL, along with a lateral distribution function, is used to calculate the discharge and to show the influence of vegetation height on the stage–discharge relationships

Focus – SIC-2, un logiciel pour la gestion des canaux, rivières et fleuves

Le logiciel SIC2, développé à Irstea, est un modèle de simulation du comportement hydraulique des canaux d’irrigation. Outil efficace, il permet aussi bien aux gestionnaires d’un canal qu’aux chercheurs, de simuler rapidement un grand nombre de configurations hydrauliques tant au niveau de la conception que de la gestion