Technical Notes
Dec 6, 2023

Effects of Stepped Chute Slope and Slit Location on a Jet from Abrupt Contraction Aerator

Publication: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 150, Issue 2

Abstract

Under large unit discharges, stepped chutes are susceptible to cavitation damage due to lack of entrained air. Among various preaeration devices, the simple-structured abrupt contraction aerator (ACA) has a good performance on mild-slope (V:H=15) stepped chutes with a combined flow pattern consisting of a jet and a local hydraulic jump. To advance the understanding of ACA hydraulics, this paper investigates the effects of stepped chute slope and slit location on jet dynamics. A series of physical experiments were carried out on a steep-slope (V:H=45) stepped chute with varied slit locations. It was found that a jet was generated by ACA, and sufficiently aerated flow skimmed over the chute bottom with no black water, indicating an effective reduction of cavitation damage. The slit location had little effect on the flow patterns and aeration but might raise the flow profiles and enlarge the jet. Based on the experimental data, the empirical formulas for maximum height and distance of the jet are finally presented to provide references for sidewall design.

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Data Availability Statement

All data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the published article.

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51979082).

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Go to Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 150Issue 2March 2024

History

Received: Mar 8, 2023
Accepted: Sep 24, 2023
Published online: Dec 6, 2023
Published in print: Mar 1, 2024
Discussion open until: May 6, 2024

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Ph.D. Student, College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Hohai Univ., Nanjing 210098, China. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5487-3486. Email: [email protected]
Associate Professor, College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Hohai Univ., Nanjing 210098, China (corresponding author). ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7941-8773. Email: [email protected]
Professor, College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Hohai Univ., Nanjing 210098, China. Email: [email protected]

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