HYDRAULIC SPILLWAY

Thehydraulic spillway orspillway is ahydraulic structure designed to allow the free or controlled
passage of water in surface runoff; the spillway is exclusively for drainage and not for metering. There
are different types depending on their form and use, sometimes in a controlled manner and other times
as a safety measure in case of storms in dams.

FUNCTIONS

Spillway as a dam element

It has several purposes, among which the following stand out:

1. To guarantee the safety of the hydraulic structure, by not allowing the elevation of the level,
upstream, above the maximum level (NAME).
2. To ensure a level with little variation in an irrigation canal upstream. This type of landfill is called
"duck-billed" because of its shape.
3. To constitute a part of agauging section of theriver orstream.
4. Dissipate the energy so that the return to the natural channel does not cause damage. This is
done by means of jumps, trampolines or bowls.

In adam, thespillway is the part of the structure that allows the evacuation of water, either as
usual or to control the level of the water reservoir.
Generally, water is discharged close to the free surface of the reservoir, as opposed to
thebottom discharge, which allows the controlled release of water from the deep strata of the
reservoir.
 Landfill as a channel element

Weirs are used in conjunction with floodgates to keep a river navigable or to provide the necessary level for
navigation. In this case, the spillway is constructed significantly longer than the width of the river, forming a "U" or
making diagonals, perpendicular to the passage. Since the spillway is the part where the water overflows, a long
spillway allows a greater amount of water to pass through with a small increase in spill depth. This is done in order
to minimize fluctuations in the upstream river level.1

Weirs allowhydrologists a simple method for measuring flow in water flows. Knowing the geometry of the high
spillway area and the water level above the spillway, it is known that the liquid passes from a slow to a fast regime,
and above the thick-walled spillway, the water adopts thecritical draught.

Spillways are widely used in rivers to maintain the water level and to be used as lakes, navigation and recreation
areas. Hydraulic mills usually use dams to raise the water level and take advantage of the waterfall to move the
turbines.

Because a spillway increases the oxygen content of the water passing over the crest, it can have a beneficial effect
on the local ecology of the river. A dam artificially reduces the velocity of water, which can increase sedimentation
processes upstream, and an increase in erosion capacity downstream. The dam where the spillway is located, by
creating a difference in level, represents a barrier for migratory fish, which cannot jump levels.
 Classifications

Landfills can be classified in several ways:

 For itslocation in relation to the main structure:

 Front landfills
 Lateral landfills
 Tulip spillways; this type of spillway is located outside the dam and the discharge may be outside the
downstream channel. (Tulip spillway discharging water)
 from the pointof view of the instruments for the control of the discharge flow:
 Free, uncontrolled landfills.
 Weirs controlled bygates.
 from the point of view of thewall where the discharge occurs:
 Thin wall landfill
 Thick wall landfill
 Landfill with hydraulic profile
 from the point of view of thesection through which the discharge occurs:
 Rectangular
 Trapezoidal
 Triangular
 Circulars
 Linear, in which the discharge flow is a linear function of the water flow over the crest.
 from the point of view of itsoperation, in relation to the downstream level:
 Free spillway, not influenced by downstream level
 Drowned landfill
 from the point of view of itsmain function
 Surplus water discharge, allowing the release of excess water from the reservoirs, either in free
flow. In this case, the spillway is also known as a spillway. These structures are in charge of
guaranteeing the safety of the hydraulic works as a whole;
 As an instrument for measuring flow, either permanently, in which case it is associated with a
permanent level measurement and recording, or in a temporary installation, for gauging sources or
springs;
 As a structure designed to maintain a slightly variable level upstream, either in a river, where the
aim is to improve or guarantee navigation regardless of its flow; or in an irrigation canal where the
aim is to guarantee a slightly variable level upstream, where an intake for a branch canal is
located. In this case, they are weirs of a length greater than the width of the river or channel. The
length of the weir is calculated according to the level variation to be allowed;
 As a device to allow the exit of the surface layer of water in decanters in water purification plants;
 As flow distribution structures.
  As a structure designed to increase aeration (oxygenation) in natural watercourses, thus favoring
the self-purification capacity of its waters. In this case we are always dealing with thick-walled
dumps, more assimilable to bottom assaults.

Weirs in a decanter of a water treatment plant in Honduras.

Thin wall landfill

WEIRS (weirs)

Theoretical basis
A weir is the hydraulic structure over which a free surface discharge is made. The landfill can have different shapes
depending on the purposes for which it is intended. If the discharge is made on a plate with a profile of any shape
but with a sharp edge, the weir is called thin-walled; when the discharge is made on a surface, the weir is called
thick-walled. Both types can be used as gauging devices in the laboratory or in small channels. The thick-walled
spillway is also used as a control or overtopping work in a dam and as a gauging device in large canals.
Sharp-crested weirs (thin-walled weirs)
The use of thin-walled weirs is generally limited to laboratories, small channels and streams that do not carry debris
and sediment. The most common types are the rectangular and triangular weir. The upstream face should be
installed vertically and the edge of the plate should be carefully shaped. The thin structure is prone to deterioration
and over time the calibration may be affected by ridge erosion.
The triangular weir is preferred when discharges are small, because the cross section of the pouring sheet shows
noticeably the variation in height.
The relationship between discharge and height above the weir crest can be obtained mathematically by making the
following assumptions on flow behavior:
1.Upstream of the weir the flow is uniform and the pressure varies with depth according to hydrostatics (p=ρgh).
2.The free surface remains horizontal to the plane of the weir and all particles passing over the weir move
horizontally (actually the free surface falls as it approaches the weir).
3.The pressure across the liquid sheet or nappe passing over the weir crest is atmospheric pressure.
4.The effects of viscosity and surface tension are negligible.

These assumptions lead to the following ideal flow model:

Equation for a thin-walled rectangular weir:
Applying Bernoulli's equation between points 1 and 2 on the same current line, we obtain:

An experimentally determined Cd coefficient is involved to consider the use of the assumptions, then:
Cd is known as Discharge Coefficient.
A non-shrinking rectangular weir is one whose width is equal to the width of the approach channel. For this type of
landfill, the Rehbock formula is applicable to find the Cd value:

Where p is the height of the weir crest measured from the channel floor.
A rectangular weir with contraction is one in which the channel floor and walls are far enough away from the edge
of the weir and therefore do not influence the flow behavior over it. For this type of landfill, the Hamilton-Smith
formula is applicable to find the Cd value:

Equation for a thin-walled triangular weir:

Following the same procedure as above and disregarding the value of v1/2g since the approach channel is always
wider than the weir, the discharge is obtained through
 Flow conditions adopted for the De Poleni-Weisbach Formula
Considering the Energy Equation, along a flow line there is an increase in velocity and a corresponding drop in
water level. At the crest of the spillway is the upper limit of the liquid stream, below the water mirror, with a flow
section smaller than that assumed by Poleni-Weisbach.

Thin wall landfill

In the contracted section X, located downstream of the weir crest, the pressure distribution develops with both ends
equal to atmospheric pressure. In these sectors the velocities coincide with those determined through Torricelli's
law, considering only energy losses. In the same jet, the velocities acquire values lower than those defined by the
aforementioned law.
 Thin-walled weirs as a function of upstream flow conditions

Thick wall landfill

Solid long base weirs (Solid long base weirs)

This type of weirs is mainly used for level control in rivers or canals, but they can also be calibrated and used
as flow measurement structures.
They are strong structures that are not easily damaged and can handle large flows. Some types of wide rim
weirs are:
Figure 2. Types of Wide Edge Landfills
The round-edged horizontal weir and the triangular weir can be used for a wide discharge range and operate
effectively even with sediment-laden flow. The rectangular weir is a good research element for sediment-free
water flow measurement. It is easy to build, but its discharge range is more restricted than that of other types.

Equation for a wide rim weir (not choked):

Under these conditions, critical flow will occur at some point above the weir crest.
Figure 2. Critical Flow over Wide Edge Landfills
and the total discharge will be:

The coefficient Cd is introduced to express the actual flow rate:

where, as shown in the figure, H is the total upstream head above the weir crest. In the laboratory, the
approach velocity V can be obtained by measuring the flow rate and cross-sectional area, thus allowing the
calculation of H. However, in the field, the depth h is the
The only measurement taken and the flow equation should be modified as follows:
 Thick-walled spillway with no leaks
Figure 4.5 - Wide-crested spillway.
Over the thick-walled spillway and in a very short section, the critical flow (section B) will occur before the fall
boundary, under the domain of a rapidly varying flow. In this sector the flow reaches its minimum height (less
than hcrit) due to the acceleration caused by the free fall of the jet. According to Rouse-Knapp.

For large head heights, i.e. for Ho/L > 3, the flow development deviates from broad-crested weir
characteristics.
Flow over a broad-crested weir for h0/l > 3
Discharge coefficient
The approximate limiting values of the discharge coefficient result from the assumption of the presence of the
critical flow on the weir crest and the upstream and downstream velocities defined by the Torricelli equation.

Consider the following scheme:

 Crowning or spillway crest.
For large-scale works it is usual to carry out studies on hydraulic models to determine the value of the
discharge coefficient, but for the design of small works only the bibliographic reference and the experience of
the designer will be used.

Practical forms of landfills

 Wide-walled spillway with rounded upstream edge
The effect of rounding the upstream edge of a broad-crested weir approximates the action of lowering the
crest level, since shrinkage is reduced, increasing evacuation capacity.

Wide-crested landfill
With a radius of 10 cm. on the upstream edge, the coefficientK increases by 9 %. Blackwell, experimented
with three 0.9 m weirs. wide and with a slightly inclined crown. The inclination seems to slightly increase the
unloading coefficient, however the results are incompatible for small loading heights.
The slope of the crest of a thick-walled weir has an effect on efficiency; the application of a slope on a weir
with a rounded edge at values between I = 0.085 to I = 0.055,
has results that are summarized in the following figure:
 Flow with small load over a broad-crested weir
Unless another condition is specified, it will be assumed that its faces are vertical, its crest is flat and
horizontal and its edges are sharp and square. The loading height is measured at a minimum distance of 2.5
Ho upstream of the spillway. Because of the upstream sharp edge, the upstream sheet shrinks, initiating free-
surface shrinkage a short distance upstream of the weir.
From this point, the free-surface profile continues with a downward curve that becomes concave at an
inflection point and becomes tangent to a plane approximately parallel to the crest a short distance
downstream of the upstream edge of the weir. At the point of tangency the water depth is h and the head
corresponding to the runoff flow is Ho.
Blackwell, Bazin, Woodburn, the U.S. Deep Waterways Board and the U.S. Geological Survey and other
researchers (12) have conducted experiments on broad-crested weirs, covering a wide range of hydrostatic
loading conditions, weir width and height. For loading heights up to 0.15 m. there is great discrepancy among
the different authors. For loads between 0.15 m. and 0.45 m. the unloading coefficient K becomes more
uniform and for loads between 0.45 m. until those in which the slope sheet detaches from the crest, the
discharge coefficient is almost constant and equal to approximately 1.45. When the loading height reaches
one or two times the width, the slope sheet becomes detached and the weir essentially functions as a thin-
crested weir. The effect of surface roughness on flow rate can be calculated by applying the principles of
open channel flow.