Discharge characteristics of a modified oblique side weir in subcritical flow

Side weirs are frequently used in many water projects. Due to their position with respect to the flow direction, side weirs are categorized as plain, oblique and labyrinth. One of the advantages of an oblique side weir is the increase in the effective length of the weir for overflowing and, therefore, diverting more discharge with the same channel opening, weir height and flow properties (i.e., upstream discharge, upstream Froude number and so on). In this paper, an experimental set-up of a new design of an oblique side weir with asymmetric geometry has been studied. The hydraulic behavior of this kind of oblique side weir, with a constant opening length, different weir heights and asymmetric oblique angle, has been investigated in a subcritical situation. The results from over 200 test measurements show that this kind of weir is up to 2.33 times more efficient with respect to the conventional side weir in a rectangular channel among the tested conditions. Finally, the discharge coefficient as a function of geometrical and flow variables are presented for design engineers. In addition, a more precise relation has been obtained for flow with Froude numbers less than 0.4.     

Experimental and numerical simulation of arced trapezoidal piano key weirs

Piano key weirs are high performance labyrinth weirs particularly at lower heads (water height over the weir). These weirs are considered a recent development in terms of application and research. This study was conducted to numerically and experimentally investigate the hydraulic performance of arced trapezoidal piano key weirs ATPKW under different hydraulic and geometric conditions. The main purpose was to investigate the effect of the planform arc angle on the weir's hydraulic performance. To this end, four LRPKW models as well as four ATPKW models were studied. Due to the complexities associated with flow over piano key weirs, numerical models were used to simulate the flow pattern over the weir. Comparison of the results obtained for the ATPKW and LRPKW models indicated that, at upper heads, the ATPKW models offered a higher hydraulic performance than the LRPKW models. On the other hand, LRPKW model indicated better performance at lower heads. In addition, it was found that reducing the planform arc angle from 90° to 45° caused an initial reduction in the discharge coefficient, after which it dramatically increased. Also, LRPKW models indicated a more effective length and a more appropriate performance.     

Discharge coefficient for an inclined side weir crest using a constant energy approach

In this paper, the inclined side weir discharge coefficient was studied using a side weir with three different crest angles (θ=4°,8°,12°) fixed either against and in the flow direction, and the results are compared with those from a horizontal side weir crest (θ=0°). In total there were seven models.The results show that the De Marchi assumption of constant energy for all side weir crested angles is acceptable, and thus that the calculated weir discharge value can therefore be undertaken.An equation for the discharge coefficient was obtained for an inclined side weir, so the value of C_d for crest angle θ=12° increased by 13.6% with respect to the value for θ=8°, by 29% with respect to that for θ=4°, and by 39% with respect to that for the horizontal case (θ=0°), for a crest inclined against the flow direction, while when the crest was inclined in the flow direction all those values exceed, to 14.5%, 31.0%, and 40.7%, respectively. This means that the discharge increases with increasing side weir crest angle, so when we want uniformity in the flow direction and exceed discharge we need to make the side weir crest incline against the flow direction while when we want furthermore discharge we need to make the side weir crest incline in the flow direction.     

Flow characteristics over asymmetric triangular labyrinth side weirs

Side weir is placed at the channel bank as a head regulator or a diversion device. Flow over a side weir has been the subject of many research studies considering its three dimensional and complicated characteristics. However, the labyrinth side weirs warrant further research due to their higher efficiency compared to linear side weirs. In this paper, subcritical flow characteristics and discharge coefficient for both symmetric and asymmetric triangular labyrinth side weirs were studied experimentally. The results show that asymmetric labyrinth side weirs have higher discharge coefficient compared to symmetric labyrinth side weirs; since a larger portion of the crest is orthogonal to the flow. Using the present laboratory data, general equations were proposed for the estimation of discharge coefficient of both symmetric and asymmetric triangular labyrinth side weirs. The results of this study can be useful to design side weirs with high hydraulic performance.     

Experimental investigation of discharge coefficient over novel kind of sharp-crested V-notch weir

Thin-plate weirs are the simplest and least expensive devices, which frequently have been employed in many water projects. In this research, a unique type of Sharp-Crested V-notch weir, entitled SCVW, has been introduced. The hydraulic characteristics of the present weir were investigated theoretically and experimentally under free aerated and non-aerated flow conditions in an open channel for large physical models. To investigate the variations of the discharge coefficient of SCVW versus weir height and vertex angle, a comprehensive laboratory experiments were conducted by measuring the discharge and the water head over the crest of weir. Possibility of different formulations for the head- discharge relationship of SCVW was examined and suitable analytical equation was proposed. The computed discharge using the suggested equation was within 0–10% of the observed ones. According to the experimental observations, the SCVW showed better performance in comparison with normal wire.     

Experimental study of discharge coefficient of trapezoidal arced labyrinth weirs of widened middle cycle

Arced labyrinth weir is a certain type of nonlinear weirs with a very high discharge capacity. Thanks to the increased effective length and the ensuing increased discharge capacity of these weirs, they can be used in dam spillways and water regulating structures. This study focused on trapezoidal Arced labyrinth weirs (TALW) of widened middle cycle. Various experiments were performed to evaluate the effect on discharge coefficient of various geometric parameters, including the ratio of inside apex width of the end cycles to that of the middle cycle (w₂/w₁) and the ratio of the length of labyrinth weir (Apron) in flow direction to the width of the middle cycle (B/w₁). Results of this study showed that with a decrease in w₂/w₁ from 0.42 to 0.30, discharge coefficient (C_d) would increase by 13–33%.     

Experimental study of discharge coefficient for trapezoidal piano key weirs

Piano Key Weirs (PKW) have been invented in the last decade to increase discharge capacity of hydraulic structures. Despite extensive studies on this type of weir with a rectangular plan form (RPKW), there are only a few pieces of research addressing trapezoidal piano key weirs (TPKW). In this experimental study, geometrical parameters of TPKW models were varied under different flow conditions and effects on discharge coefficient (C_d) were investigated. The C_d values were found to be mostly influenced by L/W whereas W_i/W_o had the least effect. Results also showed that TPKW has higher discharge efficiency in comparison with RPKW. This was believed to be related to formation of an “interference wedge” over the TPKW. Finally, quantitative values for distinguishing three flow regimes (i.e. nappe, transition and submergence) as well as criteria for design of TPKW are proposed.     

Hydraulic characteristics of a new weir entitled of quarter-circular crested weir

Weirs are used for flow measurement, flood control in reservoirs and water level control in irrigation systems. In this study, a new weir entitled of quarter-circular crested weir is investigated. This weir is geometrically consisted of a quarter-circular crest of radius R, upstream slope α and vertical downstream face. The downstream face of the weir must be ventilated. Discharge coefficient, crest section velocity and pressure profiles, pressure distribution on the crest surface and upper and lower nappe profiles of flow over the quarter-circular crested weir were experimentally investigated. Results indicated that discharge coefficient of the weir is a constant value and equals to 1.261. In the range of H/R<1.5, it is more than the discharge coefficient of circular crested weir. The lower nappe profile of free jet over the weir can also be considered as the ogee shape of the proposed weir.     

Flow measurement using a triangular broad crested weir theory and experimental validation

The self-cleaning and semi-modular triangular broad-crested weir without crest height was firstly subjected to a rigorous theory. The main objective was to establish the discharge relationship as well as that of the resulting discharge coefficient. For this, both energy equation and momentum equation applied between two judiciously chosen sections were necessary and proved to be essential. Contrary to previous studies related to flow metering, the relationship governing the flow rate was established by taking into account the approach flow velocity. Secondarily, the device was subjected to an intense experimental program to confirm the validity of the proposed theoretical relationships. It was observed an excellent agreement between the experimental and theoretical values of the flow rate. It has been found that the experimental and theoretical flow rates are related by a linear relationship such that $Q_{Exp}=1.0057Q_{Th}$. The constant clearly indicates that the flow rate theoretical formula only needs a slight correction. The theoretical stage-discharge formula was then very accurate even no calibration parameter was employed. The theoretical development has shown that the discharge coefficient C_d only depends on the dimensionless parameter M₁ that reflects the effect of the contraction of the cross-section of the approach channel. The variation curve of C_d(M₁) showed that C_d increases in the range [0.233; 0.277] with the increase in M₁.     

Flow over gabion weir under free and submerged flow conditions

A gabion weir is considered more environmentally friendly than a solid weir, as its porosity allows aquatic life and physical matter to move through it. In the present study, a series of laboratory experiments were conducted on flow over gabion weir and solid weir under free flow and submerged flow conditions. The collected data have been used to develop equations for the coefficient of discharge of gabion weir and solid weir. Two approaches are developed for the estimation of discharge over the gabion weir. Approach-I shows better results for the estimation of the discharge over gabion weir under free-flow and submerged flow conditions. Further, water surface profiles over the solid weir and gabion weirs with different porosities are observed during experimentation. It is also observed that the ratio of head over the gabion weir to crest height is an effective parameter for the coefficient of discharge of gabion weir.     

An experimental study of the effects of the parapet walls geometry on the discharge coefficient of trapezoidal piano key weirs

Parapet walls on the crown of piano key weirs (PKW) are employed in the channels to regulate or increase water levels of the upstream. They are also used in the reservoirs to increase water storage. Most recent surveys concerning discharge coefficient and parapet walls have been conducted on the rectangular piano key weirs (RPKW) while not many of them devoted to trapezoidal piano key weirs (TPKW). Also, the effects of its parapet wall and crest shape are rarely investigated in this regard. The aim of this research was to study the impacts of height (R), installation arrangements (S), and crest shape of parapet walls (flat, triangular, and semicircular) on changes of the upstream water level and discharge coefficient of TPKW. The weir height (P) was 15 cm. The parapet walls were installed on the crest of weir with three different arrangements: S₁ (on the crest overall), S₂ (on the sidewalls and inlet key), and S₃ (on the sidewalls). The results indicated that the influence of installation arrangement on changes of water level increased with the growth of parapet walls height. In the case of a flat parapet walls, maximum and minimum increase rates of total head were recorded for S₁ and S₃ arrangements, respectively. There was also a direct relationship between discharge coefficient (C) and the heights of parapet walls in a constant water level at upstream. When installing flat parapet walls with R/P = 0.3, the value of C for S₂ exceeded those for S₁ and S₃.     

Potential of particle swarm optimization based radial basis function network to predict the discharge coefficient of a modified triangular side weir

Estimating the discharge coefficient is one of the most important steps in the process of side weir design. In this paper, the particle swarm optimization algorithm and radial basis neural network are combined (RBFN-PSO) and employed to model the discharge coefficient of a modified triangular side weir. The developed RBF network has five neurons in the input layer and one neuron in the output layer. The inputs include a wide range of non-dimensional geometrical and hydraulic parameters of a modified triangular side weir, and the output is the discharge coefficient. The RBFN-PSO performance is evaluated using published experimental results and compared with the backpropagation radial basis function network (RBFN-BP) by using the statistical indexes Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE) and average absolute deviation (%δ). According to the results, the PSO algorithm successfully improved the RBFN while the RBFN-PSO model’s generalization capacity enhanced, with RMSE of 0.071 compared to the RBFN-BP model with RMSE of 0.114 in the testing dataset.     

Sensitivity analysis of the factors affecting the discharge capacity of side weirs in trapezoidal channels using extreme learning machines

Side weirs are installed on the side walls of main channels to control and regulate flow. In this study, sensitivity analysis is planned using Extreme Learning Machines (ELM) to recognize the factors affecting the discharge coefficient in trapezoidal channels. A total of 31 models with 1 to 5 parameters are developed. The input parameters are ratio of side weir length to trapezoidal channel bottom width (L/b), Froude number (Fr), ratio of side weir length to flow depth upstream of the side weir (L/y₁), ratio of flow depth upstream of the side weir to the main channel bottom width (y₁/b) and trapezoid channel side wall slope (m). Among the models with one input parameter, the model including Froude number modeled the discharge coefficient more accurately (MAPE=4.118, R²=0.835). Between models with two input parameters, the model using Fr and L/b produced MAPE and R² values of 2.607 and 0.913 respectively. Moreover, among the models with four input parameters, the model containing Fr, L/b, L/y₁ and y₁/b was the most accurate (MAPE=2.916, R²=0.925).     

Experimental and numerical study of flow over a broad-crested weir under different hydraulic head ratios

Herein, the free surface flow over a broad-crested weir under different hydraulic heads was investigated. A series of experiments were conducted in a 5-m-long-flume to measure the 3D velocity profile around a rectangular weir using Acoustic Doppler Velocimetry (ADV). The efforts were undertaken to simulate the hydrodynamic field over the weir using open-source toolbox OpenFOAM with five turbulence models including standard k-ε, RNG k-ε, realizable k-ε, k-ω SST and LRR. The numerical results were compared to the experimental data obtained from laboratory measurements. It demonstrated that the k-ω SST and LRR models had the best performance in cases dealing with vortices. Then, separation zone patterns at three locations: behind, over and in front of the weir under different head ratios were examined. It was found that changing the head ratio does not have a notable effect on the relative dimension of separation flow over the weir, whereas the separation zone located behind and in front of the weir grew linearly. After raising the head ratio, the downstream separation zone was split into two significant vortices rotating oppositely. Discharge coefficients are calculated for a wide range of head ratios. It was concluded that Cd equaled 0.85 for head ratios up to 0.3 and then grew to 1.0 by increasing the head ratio.     

Flow velocity pattern around trapezoidal piano key side weirs

In general, the side weirs are the structures installed along a channel or river. When the flow depth rises above the weir crest, the overflow passes through these weirs and enters the lateral canal. Nowadays, piano key weirs are considered as an important alternative to labyrinth weirs to modify the weirs encountering with difficulty to pass the maximum flow discharges. The present study investigates the hydrodynamic performance and the effect of the uniformity of velocity field on the resultant kinetic energy in the trapezoidal piano key side weirs with 90° installed laterally in the main channel wall. These weirs are classified as A-Type piano key weirs and two approaches (main: Mode 1 and adverse: Mode 2) were used to investigate the effect of the weirs' placement on their performance. The results showed that for velocity vectors in both modes, on average, the maximum flow discharge through the side weir occurred in the x and y directions (V_x and V_y) at Z*<0.2 and 0.2<Y*<0.7. The results also showed that at the control surface of X* = 1, the maximum values of α occur due to existing the inverse flow and increasing the deflection angle of the velocity vectors. The performance of the weir in Mode 2 was more appropriate Mode 1 due to the lack of weir base at the flow inlet, which is an obstacle for the deflection angle of the velocity vectors.     

Weir velocity formulation for sharp-crested rectangular weirs

Discharge in open channels can be measured by sharp-crested rectangular weirs. Generally, measured head over the weir crest is substituted into an empirical formula derived from energy considerations to calculate the discharge. Assumptions made on the derivation are taken into account by defining a discharge coefficient that fits into the experimental data. In this study, a physical quantity, the average velocity over the weir section defined as ‘weir velocity’ is directly formulated as function of weir geometry and head over the weir. Weir velocity plotted against the weir head has a universal behavior for constant weir width to channel width ratio independent of the weir size. This unique behavior is described in terms of weir parameters to calculate the discharge without involving a discharge coefficient. Combining weir velocity data for variable weir widths provides a basis for direct formulation of discharge. The weir velocity exhibits simpler functional dependency on weir parameters in contrast to the discharge coefficient.     

Discharge equation for the gabion weir under through flow condition

A gabion weir is considered to be more environmentally friendly as compared to an impermeable weir, as its permeability allows substances and aquatic life to pass through it. Also, gabion weirs offer an alternative design with low afflux that could be adopted for flash flood mitigation. In the present study, a series of laboratory experiments were performed on flow through gabion weir of various sizes and for varying boulder sizes and discharges. Collected data were used to check the accuracy of the existing relationships between hydraulic gradient and flow velocity for highly porous material like gabion filled with boulders. It is found that Ergun's equation predicts the hydraulic gradient more accurately than the other available equation. Ergun's equation is extended to calculate the flow through the gabion weir. The derived discharge equation for flow through gabion weir was validated with the collected data. A qualitative performance of the present model indicates that it has the highest coefficient of correlation (R = 0.956) and the lowest MAPE (16.902), RMSE (0.002), AAD (15.52). It was found that the derived equation computes discharge within a maximum of ±10% error for almost all data sets, which can be considered satisfactory from practical consideration. Sensitivity analysis reveals that the discharge through the gabion weir is more sensitive to the boulders diameter and upstream depth as compared to the downstream depth of the gabion weir.