Professional Documents
Culture Documents
3. BOTTOM OUTLETS
3.1
Bottom outlet is the outlet structure with the lowest elevation which can serve for
various purposes:
Filling of the reservoir
Drawdown of the reservoir
Flushing of sediments
Discharging surplus water
A bottom outlet must be provided in every dam as a safety structure to control reservoir
level and for emergency operations.
3.2
The load test of a dam is performed during the first filling of the reservoir.
The filling must be made progressively by accounting for the stability and the
watertightness of both the dam and its surroundings at certain levels of the
reservoir.
The load test procedure during the first filling is only amenable if a bottom outlet is
available.
The bottom outlet must thus be designed that the reservoir level can be kept
constantly under arbitrary levels
3.3
Drawdown of reservoir
Qo
h
Fp
Qb
zo
3.4
Fp Bh2 / 2
A drawdown of the reservoir level is followed by a stress relief. Accordingly,
drawing down an endangered dam is highly efficient.
Qb > Qo
3.5
3.6
The allowable discharge Qs can be estimated from the limit drawdown velocity us
us
h
t
and
Qs = us A
The limit drawdown velocity is related to allowable pore water velocity of the
groundwater flow along the shores of the reservoir.
3.7
Acceptable bottom
outlet dimensions
h=h(Qb))
h
Solution
domain
Qo+Qs
Qb
Qo
QL
3.8
For flood conditions, the approach discharge Qo is large and the limit discharge QL
is small. Then, domain of solution shrinks, and can even vanish.
During flood periods, a drawdown is thus impossible.
Usually, one would choose average discharge conditions for the design.
The drawdown time is an important parameter. Under emergency, one would like
to draw down the top layers of the reservoir only, in a few days or weeks.
Bottom outlet is not a structure for permanent use due to limitations regarding
cavitation, hydrodynamic forces, abrasion and vibrations. It should, however, allow
a complete emptying of the reservoir when necessary.
3.9
Flushing of sediments
In certain cases, bottom outlets are used for sediment flushing.
Continuity of the sediment transport is important. If it deposits in the tailwater the
bottom outlet may be submerged and thus endangered.
The ratio between water and sediment has to be such that it corresponds to the
transport capacity of the tailwater.
3.10
Combined use of overflow spillway and the bottom outlet may be allowed for flood
conditions.
For this purpose multiple bottom outlets may be constructed.
A bottom outlet designed according to previous criteria is normally too large to fit
for the control of residual discharge.
It had to be operated permanently with an extremely small opening not suited
hydraulically. Therefore, a small outlet is often added to satisfy the needs for
residual discharge.
3.11
Design Principles
A useful design is the combination of diversion tunnel and bottom outlet.
For smaller dams, a culvert type bottom outlet may also be considered because of the
simple design.
b) Bottom outlet culvert, not accessible except for minimum reservoir level, with two
gates close to the inlet.
3.14
c) Diversion tunnel used as combined spillway and bottom outlet for morning glory
spillways.
3.15
d) Gravity dam with bottom outlet that is much shorter than for an earth dam.
3.16
3.17
3.18
3.19
3.20
Air entrainment
Free gate outflow reduces the potential of gate vibration and cavitation.
A bottom outlet should always be designed for free surface flow.
Aeration of flow just after the gate is required for rapid energy dissipation and to
reduce the risk of cavitation.
3.21
3.23
3.24
3.25
Qa
a0
a
Cca
Gate flow may be either free or submerged. For free gate flow, the space behind the
gate is filled with air of pressure head ha. If the efflux is into the atmosphere, ha=0.
3.26
1/ 2
where
Cc
H-he
the head on the gate with he the head loss from the entrance to the
gate section.
Cc 0.8 0.2(a / a0 )4
3.27
Cavitation
Cavitation is defined as formation of bubble or void in a liquid.
Cavitation occurs by decreasing the local pressure under constant temperature.
The local pressure reduction in a fluid flow can be caused by:
a decrease of total energy head because of increase in elevation,
a local increase of velocity and
turbulence, vortices or large scale separation.
3.28
The water flowing in hydraulic structures contains air bubbles of various sizes and with
numerous impurities. These conditions are necessary to initiate cavitation.
p pv
h hv
V02 / 2 V02 / 2g
where
is local pressure,
pv
V0
3.29
20
pv (kPa)
15
10
10
20
30
40
50
60
Temperature ( C)
3.31
If cavitation occurs close to flow boundaries, then cavitation damage may happen, and
the structure can seriously be damaged.
Offset into-the-flow
Groves
Protruding joints
3.32
Control of cavitation
3.35
3.36