Abstract
U-flumes are a subset of long-throated flumes suitable for use in wastewater metering. Although their mathematical characteristics are well defined so that they can be readily analyzed with existing design tools for long-throated flumes, specific tests of their performance are sparse in the literature. This study compares rating curves developed using a half-scale physical model, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model, and an analytical model (WinFlume). The physical model and CFD model were also used to determine the effects of increasing tailwater and to make comparisons to WinFlume’s predictions of the limiting tailwater conditions for accurate flow measurement (modular limit). Based on the results obtained from the U-flume physical model, WinFlume estimated the rating curve for the study flume with an accuracy within 3%. The rating curve generated with the CFD model had a similar level of accuracy, corresponding to flow measurement errors of to 3.8%. Both WinFlume and the CFD model gave reasonable estimates of the effect of high tailwater on the gauge level reading, but the limited CFD runs used in this study leave room for further work. The results of this portion of the study suggest that both WinFlume and CFD are useful tools for predicting the rating curves of long-throated flumes.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request, including the experimental data and the CFD code.
Acknowledgments
This study was funded by Metropolitan Council Environmental Services. The authors would like to acknowledge the extensive efforts of Erik Steen and Richard Christopher (St. Anthony Falls Lab) in the design and construction of the physical model used in this study.
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Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Volume 148 • Issue 3 • March 2022
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© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Apr 29, 2021
Accepted: Nov 7, 2021
Published online: Jan 11, 2022
Published in print: Mar 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Jun 11, 2022
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