Effect of Dimensions of Vertical Meshed Plates on Critical Submergence in Bell-Mouth Vertical Intakes

Formation of the vortex at the entrance of a dam intake reduces its capacity. One of the common methods for preventing the air entry and reducing the power of the vortex is the use of meshed plates. In this research the effect of dimensions of the meshed plates on the critical submergence in an experimental model of bell-mouth vertical intake has been studied. The results showed that, using the vertical meshed plates could reduce the critical submergence up to 35%. At the end, an equation using Froude number and dimensions of the meshed plates was proposed that could predict the relative submergence, accurately.