Experimental Investigation of Discharge Coefficient in Mesh Panel Bottom Intakes

Bottom racks is a hydraulic structure which is placed in the bed of stream through which, part of flow in the main channel is diverted. These structures have very wide application in industry, irrigation, drainage and etc. Of course much attention had been paid to the study of such structures, but characteristics of flow through bottom racks are complex. The present study was directed to estimate the discharge coefficient of a new kind of bottom racks including both transverse and longitudinal bars that named "mesh panel racks" without considering any solids in the fluid. This kind of bottom intake has advantages from structural point of view and has less deformation under static and dynamic loads. Laboratory setup with three mesh panel intakes was built and the effects of various parameters such as racks slope, porosity and geometry were explored. A dimensional analysis using Buckingham theory showed the effective hydraulic and geometric factors that affect the discharge coefficient (Cd) of bottom racks. Then, a statistical approach to determine the discharge coefficient of a rack structure was developed with linear and nonlinear regression using SPSS software. The efficiency of the proposed technique is high enough that the associated error is limited to 10%. Finally, hydraulic performance of mesh panel intakes was compared with regular type of bottom intakes, which consist of longitudinal bars. For this purpose, diverted discharge through both type of intakes calculated in same situation.