Irrigation Structures Chapter-7

Chapter 7
Miscellaneous Structures
Waste ways (Escapes): are structures provided in a canal to remove either excess water or
silt from it.
Based on the function of the escapes, they can be
1- Surplus water escape
2- Canal scouring escape
3- Tail escape
Surplus water escape: this is constructed on the bank of canal to dispose off excess water
from the canal.
Canal souring escape: provided at the head reach of a canal to scour deposited silt (sediment)
in the canal (Gated structure or weir type).
Tail escape: provided at the tail end of a canal to maintain FSL at the tail. (Generally weir
type escape with crest level at FSL of the canal is provided).

Surplus water escape: In case of surplus water in the canal, surplus water escape acts as a
safety value of the canal to dispose it off. If these escapes are not provided, the excess flow
can cause canal breaches in the d/s reach of the canal.
The causes for surplus water are:
a- Mistake in regulation at the head work
b- Heavy rainfall in upper reaches of the canal
c- Sudden closure of irrigation off takes & outlets due to decrease in water demand
d- Sudden closure of off takes due to breaches in that canal

If an escape is available, the canal water can be drained – off through the escape to a natural
drainage. The escape is usually provided with gates. Its capacity = 1/3 to ½ of the canal
capacity.
 Its crest is at canal bed level
 The floor is designed as discharge regulator.

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Irrigation Structures Chapter-7

Canal scouring escape is provided in the head reach of the main canal in order to scour the
silt deposited. It is usually provided at downstream of a de-silting basin. The crest is
generally kept a little lower than the bed of the canal. The escape channel should be
sufficient to carry the silt. The waterway of the escape should produce high velocity of 4 to 6
m/sec through the sluice gates. More water will be released at the headwork and the silt
scoured to a natural drainage on the downstream.

Tail escape is provided at the end of a canal across it and is provided as a weir. It has two
functions:
a- Excess water will flow to natural drainage over it (disposes excess water)
b- Maintains the FSL of the canal at the tail end. When tail escape is not provided, water
level drops at the d/s end which reduces the discharge of the off takes reducing the
command area. Crest level of tail escapes = FSL of the canal.

Culverts
Culverts are conveyance structures which carry water under canal, roads, highways etc. It
consists of a pipe barrel which can be circular or rectangular, an entrance and exit. Flow in a
culvert can be either free flow (open channel) or pipe flow.

Flow in a culvert
The design of culvert is based on an orifice formula:

Q = Cd.A * , for short culverts (pipe flow)

Where Q = flow through the culvert
Cd = discharge coefficient
A = area of culvert
= total head loss over the culvert
The total head loss over the culvert is the sum of the following

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Irrigation Structures Chapter-7

1- Entrance loss at the inlet

=K* where he = entrance loss

Where K = coefficient
V1 = velocity in approach canal
V2 = velocity in the culvert

2- Exit losses at the cutlet

ho = K * where ho = exit loss

V = velocity in the tail water canal

3- Head loss due to friction in the culvert

( Darcy – Weisbach formula )

friction loss
L = Length of the culvert f = friction factor
D = Diameter of culvert
V2 = Velocity in the culvert

Thus h = he + ho + hf
The total head loss should be equal to the available head loss over the culvert

Example : design a culvert for discharge of 3m 3/sec under a load of width 7m. Take coeff. K
= 0.50 both for exit and entrance, f = 0.05, available head, H = 0.20m,
V1 = 0.8m/sec, V3 = 0.8m/sec ( Y1 =Y3 = 1.6m)

Solution: he = ½ (V12- V22)/2g = ho =

= 0.35 m

hf = f* Let’s assume a pipe of D = 1.00m

= 0.26m. = 0.77m2

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Irrigation Structures Chapter-7

V2 =

Total head loss = he + ho +h f = 0.35 + 0.35 + 0.26 = 0.96m

Assume a pipe of diameter, D = 1.50 m A =

hf = 0.5* = 0.034m V2 = 1.70 m/sec

he = ½

h = total loss = 0.06 + 0.06 + 0.034 = 0.154m

Q = 3m3/sec = Cd. A * =0.9 * (1.77) * =3

49.80 * =9 = 0.18m
h = 0.18m < V2= 1.77 m/sec ( 1< V2< 2m/sec ) which is recommended
for culverts.

Settling basins
Settling basins are basins of relatively large cross section provided to remove sand and
heavier silt loads from irrigation water. Settling basins are usually provided just downstream
of a diversion structure to sluice the deposited sediments back to the river channel. At the
setting basin (on the bank of the canal) a scouring escape is provided to sluice the deposited
sediment.

At the downstream end of the settling basin a control gated structure is provided in the canal
to close off the flow during sluicing operation. Downstream of the sluice way, an escape
channel is provided to carry the sediment with high velocities.
The size of the setting basin depends on the design discharge. The velocity of flow is
generally less than or equal to 0.30m/sec for full supply discharge. The width of the basin is
generally greater than the normal canal depth. Large cross- section of canal means that the

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Irrigation Structures Chapter-7

flow velocity is less and the sediment entering at the head work settles on the floor of the
basin. The sediment is then flushed (sluiced) periodically through the escape to the natural
river course on the downstream. The flow in to the canal is closed during the flushing
operation.

Example: Size of the basin: V = 0.3m/sec, V = 2/3

S ½ ( b/d known)

V= ½ b= the width of the basin can be

determined by trial and error.

Sand traps
Sand traps are useful to remove bed load (sands) moving by rolling along the canal bottom.
They are usually provided before siphons, culverts, structures where sediment can cause
significant problems of performance. It consists of a short lowered canal section at which the
sand moving in the canal can trap. For effective removal (flushing), the sand trap should be
located near a natural drainage or river. A slice will be located at the downstream to sluice
out the deposited sand.

Trash Racks
Trash racks are made of steel bars and are used to prevent entrance of debris into structures.
In structures like canal siphons, intake structures and long culverts, debris can cause
blockage and cleaning is not easy. Trash racks are placed on the upstream to cover the whole
opening. The racks are inclined slightly to facilitate cleaning and are usually standing bars.

The head loss through a trash rack is calculated from:

, Where = head loss in m.

C = B*

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Irrigation Structures Chapter-7

V= Velocity through the racks (m/sec)

C = Coefficient
s = Thickness of the bars
b= Clear distance b/n the bars
= Angle of inclination of the rack from horizontal

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