ENERGY DISSIPATION ON LABYRINTH SPILLWAY

Abstract

Dams play a very important part in development of a country. A dam is responsible for supply of Drinking water, protection from the floods, power generation from hydroelectric plants, water supply for irrigation purpose and navigation purposes. Sometimes due to unavoidable circumstances the inflow in the dam exceeds safe storage of the dam. For the proper discharge of this storage spillways are needed. Spillways play a very important role in dissipating upstream energy of the dam.

This experimental study was conducted to improve labyrinth spillway design and analyze energy dissipation using physical model based data sets from this and previous studies and by compiling published design methodologies and labyrinth spillway information.

A standard geometric design and analysis of labyrinth spillway is presented in this study. Labyrinth spillways offer great amount of energy dissipation. Thus, it is the main goal of this study to analyze energy dissipation on labyrinth spillways having different sidewall angles.

Two labyrinth spillways having sidewall angles α of 8⁰ and 10⁰ were designed in this study and compared for energy dissipation. Comparisons were made with linear weirs (α = 90⁰) to show their energy dissipation efficiency. The effect of sidewall angle of labyrinth spillway on effective crest length and discharge is also stated in this study.