CFD Simulations of Conical Central Baffle Flumes

Conical central baffle flumes present an effective solution for temporary flow measurements in open channels. A conical central baffle flume consists of a cone-shaped obstruction, or a central baffle, oriented vertically at the center of an open channel. In the present study, a previously developed discharge prediction model for flow measurements in open channels using the conical central baffle flumes has been experimentally recalibrated for use in rectangular and trapezoidal channels to cover a wider application range. The proposed calibration equation has been validated for an extended range of flow and geometrical parameters using the results of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations using Flow-3D. The simulation studies are carried out in two steps. The first step is the validation of the defined simulation problem set up by comparing the water surface profiles of the simulation and experiment flows for the same discharge and flow conditions. The second step is the validation of the proposed discharge prediction model for the extended range (0–0.50) of the dimensionless discharge and side slopes ($m_1=0$, 0.50, 1.00, and 1.50). It is found that for submergence less than 80%, the error in discharge prediction is always less than 10% with a mean value of nearly 3%. Based on the results of the CFD analysis, the use of the calibrated discharge prediction model has been recommended up to a submergence limit of 80%, beyond which the errors are found to be greater than 10%.