Modelling the Velocity Distribution around the Hydraulic Structure

Abstract

Intense pressure and velocity oscillations, as well as extensive air entrainment, make the investigation of the hydraulic leap created in stilling basins very difficult. Its intricacy, coupled with the real-world need for stilling basins to dissipate energy, puts physical modelling front and center. Despite stilling basins' essential role in engineering, bibliographic research has often focused primarily on the more familiar case of the classical hydraulic leap. Thus, a physical model of a typical USBR II stilling basin was used to investigate the features of the hydraulic leap in this work. Under this framework, the model investigated the hydraulic jump's free surface profile and velocity distribution. A series of experiments were conducted to compare the efficacy of modern tools like the time-of-flight camera with that of more conventional ones like the Pitot tube. Notwithstanding some of the stated constraints, the findings demonstrated a good depiction of the free sample surface and the velocity distribution. In addition, the used instruments demonstrated the substantial impact the energy dissipation devices had on the flow parameters. In comparison to traditional hydraulic leaps, significant variations in hydraulic jump form and maximum velocity locations within recorded vertical profiles were discovered.