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Anti-vortex structures at hydropower dams

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International Journal of the Physical Sciences Vol. 7(28), pp. 5069-5077, 19 July, 2012
Available online at http://www.academicjournals.org/IJPS
DOI: 10.5897/IJPS12.387
ISSN 1992 - 1950 © 2012 Academic Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Anti-vortex structures at hydropower dams

S. M. Taghvaei, R. Roshan, Kh. Safavi and H. Sarkardeh
Water Research Institute, Tehran, Iran.
Accepted 17 July, 2012

Vortex formation due to power generation at hydropower dams could cause serious problems, and
eliminating or reduction in its strength is one of the dam designer and manager duties. Therefore, the
design and use of anti-vortex structures is usual. Design of an anti-vortex structure for each project is
unique and it is therefore necessary to have knowledge about the performance of each one. In the
present study, to evaluate the performance of various anti-vortex structures, physical model of power
intakes were constructed and used. Intakes were projected in the reservoir and are current in many dam
projects. For each anti-vortex, a comprehensive study was performed to determine better Alternative in
view of dissipating vortices. Experiments were conducted by recording class of vortices in different
water elevations and with the current range of discharge for 13 anti-vortex Alternatives. Experiments
showed that the horizontal plate had better performance in eliminating vortices.

Key words: Anti-vortex structure, physical model, vortex, power generation, dam.

INTRODUCTION

Using hydropower dams is a way to generate green
energy, which is presently commercially viable on a large
scale. Formation of vortices at hydropower dams are
undesirable phenomenon in lower water elevations which
must be considered by dam designers and managers.
Strong vortices can induce air and trash into the tunnel
and reduce performance of turbine (Knauss, 1987).
Based on Sarkardeh et al. (2010), vortices are classified
into three general classes. Vortices of Class C are
considered as the safe vortices and weak rotation of flow
or a small drop maybe observed in water surface.
Vortices Class B, the rotation of flow is extended down to
the intake and may drag debris or trash into the intake. In
vortices Class A, air bubbles or a stable air core are
entrained from water surface and are transported down to
the intake (Figure 1).
To prevent formation of a strong vortex, a minimum
operating level, called critical submerged depth Sc is
recommended for the intake. Submerged depth is defined
as the distance between water surface and the axis of the
intake (Figure 2).
Many researchers have been carried out to find a
*Corresponding author. E-mail: hamed_sarkardeh@yahoo.com.
relationship for Sc based on prototype and physical model
studies (Denny and Young, 1957; Berge, 1966; Gordon,
1970; Reddy and Pickford, 1972; Amphlett, 1976; Chang,
1977; Anwar et al., 1978; Jain et al., 1987; Odgaard,
1986; Sarkardeh et al., 2010). It should be noted that
since the operating level of power intake be reduced
below the critical submerged depth, the volume of water
in this region cannot be used for power generation.
Therefore increasing the submerged depth of the intake
for prevention of vortex formation may not always be an
economical solution. Moreover, construction of deeper
intakes may be more expensive. Considering factors
which has an effect on vortex strength (Sarkardeh et al.,
2012), it can be concluded that vortex formation can also
be prevented or its strength can be reduced if the dis-
tance between water surface and the intake is increased
for example by installing a plate in the path of the vortex.
Alternatively disturbing flow and increasing turbulence
may have similar results. Knauss (1987) introduced
various anti-vortex devices for intakes. These devices
include: Vertical and half cylinder walls in front of the
intakes, floating plates at reservoir water surface and
horizontal plates installed on top of the intakes (Figure 3).
By considering advantages of using anti-vortex devices
in increasing the efficiency of hydropower plants, it
seems design of them for hydropower dams is
5070 Int. J. Phys. Sci.
Vortex Class C Vortex Class B
Figure 1. Vortex Classification (Sarkardeh et al., 2010).
Figure 2. Submerged depth at an intake (D is the tunnel diameter).
necessary. In the present work, by using physical model
of Siahbisheh Pumped Storage Dam (scale 1:20), per-
formance of four different types of anti-vortex structures
with 13 variants was investigated. Also the performance
of working two hydropower intakes together and its effect
on strength of vortices was investigated.
EXPERIMENTAL SETUP
All experiments were conducted on a Froude-based hydraulic
model in the range of hydropower intake models (Figure 4). For this
purpose, two parallel intakes with rectangular inlet by dimensions
70 cm × 50 cm (height × width) were made of Perspex. In each
intake, a transition connected the rectangular inlet to circular tunnel
with 28.5 cm diameter. Such configuration is usual in the design of
hydropower conveyance members. For avoiding effects of
boundary condition on vortex formation, a relatively large reservoir
by dimensions 16 m × 9.6 m (length × width) was constructed. A
centrifugal pump supplied water from a canal to the reservoir of the
Vortex Class A
model. A sharp crested rectangular weir was installed in the
downstream of the model for discharge measurement. A precise
limn meter was used to measure the water surface elevation (WRI,
2008). In order to avoid scale effects on the physical model studies
of vortices and the effects of viscosity and surface tension, various
minimum values were suggested for Re and We numbers as
follows: Re ≥ 5 × 10 4 (Daggett and Keulegan, 1974),
Re ≥ 7 .7 × 10 4 and We>600 (Padmanabhan and Hecker, 1984),
Re ≥ 1 . 1 × 10 5 and We>720 (Odgaard, 1986) and We>120 (Jain
et al., 1987). Values of Re and We in the present work were more
than the minimum values suggested by different researchers.
HYDRAULIC MODEL TESTS AND RESULTS
Six different submerged depths (S/D = 2 to 4) were
adjusted and regulated for tunnel Froude number of 0.7.
To reach the stable condition, model was run for more
 Taghvaei et al. 5071

(a) (b)

(c) (d)
Figure 3. Some anti-vortex devices at horizontal intakes. (a) Vertical wall (b) Half cylender
wall(c) Floating perforated plate (d) Horizontal perforated plate.

Figure 4. Layout of the physical model used in the present work.

5072 Int. J. Phys. Sci.

Table 1. Class of vortices for various submerged depths.

S/D 2.10 2.45 2.80 3.15 3.50 3.85

Left Intake Class B Class A Class B Class C Class B Class B
Right Intake Class B Class B Class C Class C Class C ---

Figure 5. Different types of anti-vortex structures in Alternative 1.

than six hours. In each test, vortex class was recorded.
Results are presented in Table 1.
In prototype a trashrack structure is present at face of
power intakes. Therefore a trashrack was installed at the
intake entrance in the model. The net opening of
trashrack was around 75% (USBR, 1987). In all tests, the
trashrack was kept in the model to simulate the real
condition. For investigating hydraulic performance of anti-
vortex structures under critical operations, 13 Alternatives
which were categorized in four general types (horizontal
plates, vertical walls, wedge shape structures and
combination of them) were installed and experiments
were conducted on each separately (Figures 5, 6, 7 and
8).
In Alternative 1, three types of thin wedge anti-vortex
plates were installed above the intake. Three variants of
Alternative 1 with relative lengths, L/D=0.175, 0.35, 0.5
(where L is the length of anti-vortex plate expanded into
the reservoir) and different shapes were investigated in
the model (Figures 5 and 9). The distance between
plates was supposed to be equal. Therefore the entrance
of the left intake has been divided into three sections by
about W/D=0.7 (where W is the distance between two
plates).
In Alternative 2, rectangular thin plates with L/D=0.175,
0.35, 0.5 were installed on the axis between two intakes
(Figure 10).
In Alternative 3, vertical plates with L/D=0.175, 0.35
and a combination with Alternative 2 were installed above
the intakes (Figure 11).
 Taghvaei et al. 5073

Figure 6. Different types of anti-vortex structures in Alternative 2.

Figure 7. Different types of anti-vortex structures in Alternative 3.

5074 Int. J. Phys. Sci.

Figure 8. Different types of anti-vortex structures in Alternative 4.

Alternative 1-1 Alternative 1-2 Alternative 1-3

Figure 9. Installed various types of Alternative 1 in the model.

Alternative 2-1 Alternative 2-2 Alternative 2-3

Figure 10. Installed various types of Alternative 2 in the model.

 Taghvaei et al. 5075

Alternative 3-1 Alternative 3-2

Alternative 3-3 Alternative 3-4

Figure 11. Installed various types of Alternative 3 in the model.

Alternative 4-1 Alternative 4-2 Alternative 4-3

Figure 12. Installed various types of Alternative 4 in the model.

In Alternative 4, performance of horizontal anti-vortex
plates with L/D=0.175, 0.35, 0.5 which were installed
horizontally above both intakes were examined (Figure
12).
Each described anti-vortex Alternatives were installed
in the model and the relevant flow conditions over the
intakes for different water elevations in the reservoir
were studied. These results are presented in Table 2.
Installing anti-vortex structures over the intakes by
introducing more friction to the flow or cutting the flow
pass lines may cause elimination or reduction in vortex
strength. Two general types of anti-vortex structures in
the present paper were checked and results in detail are
presented in Table 2. Results showed that in Alternative 1
5076 Int. J. Phys. Sci.

Table 2. Performance of different anti-vortex structures in the present model.

Alternative Anti-vortex type S/D Intake Vortex class

Right C
1-1 2.45
Left B

Right C
1 1-2 2.80
Left B

Right ---
1-3 3.50
Left B

Right C
2-1 2.45
Left A

Right C
2 2-2 2.80
Left B

Right ---
2-3 3.50
Left C

Right ---
3-1 3.50
Left B

Right ---
3-2 3.50
Left B
3
Right ---
3-3 3.50
Left C

Right ---
3-4 3.50
Left C

Right C
4-1 2.10
Left B

Right C
4 4-2 2.45
Left C

Right ---
4-3 2.80
Left C

which is a set of vertical wedge shape thin walls (1-1, 1-2
and 1-3), increasing length of wedge shape walls has no
significant effect on vortex class. However, installing a set
of vertical wedge shape walls causes vortices to become
unstable and by increase in the length of them, the
instability was relatively increased. Installing Alternative 2
which was sloped vertical wall by different lengths had
effect on the surface flow path lines by potential of
circulation. This potential may be created by unsym-
metrical reservoir geometry. This type of anti-vortex
structures does not have any visible effect on degrading
vortex classes as well as previous Alternative caused
instability on formed vortices. Regarding to the effect of
sloped intake head walls on reduction of the strength of
vortices (Sarkardeh et al., 2010), some test were
performed by installing it on the model by using two
lengths (3-1 and 3-2). Also, installing them does not add
any meaningful effect on the vortex class. By combination
of vertical sloped wall and sloped intake head wall,
experiments were conducted to see the effect of working
them together. In this condition, strength of vortices was
reduced and all formed vortices became unstable. By
considering the research of Amiri et al. (2011), installing
solid anti-vortex plates at Alternative 4 had very good
effect on vortex class degradation. This showed that
cutting the vortex core pass caused decreasing the

vortex class. By studying and comparing the flow
conditions, the Alternative 4-2 had better performance.
Conclusions
In the present study different anti-vortex structures were
tested on a physical model to eliminate or reduce the
vortex strength. These structures could help designer and
mangers to be allowed to use more water of the dam
reservoir. 13 Alternatives and 3 different S/D between 2-4
and a current power intake discharge were selected. In
each test effect of different Alternatives were visually
studied. Finally, Alternative 4-2 which was solid plate had
better performance to degrade vortex classes.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors would like to thank Water Research Institute
(WRI) for their kind cooperation in using data.
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