Effect of Geometric Arrangement of the Baffles on the Energy Dissipation Rate of the Baffled Chutes

Baffled chutes are energy dissipation structures that are used in chutes and water conveyance and distribution structures. Energy dissipation in these structures occurs by the flow collision with the upstream side of the installed baffles on the chute. In the present study, the Flow-3D numerical model was used to simulate flow behavior on the baffled chutes. For this purpose, the numerical calculations were validated using the available experimental data upon introduction of the boundary conditions. Then, the effect of the distance between the baffle rows on the energy dissipation rate of the baffled chutes was studied. The results showed that for a fixed distance between the baffles according to the USBR recommendation, by increasing the distance between the baffle rows (decreased number of baffles), the flow collision to the baffles decreased and consequently, energy dissipation rate decreased. In addition, by continuous increase of the distance between the baffle rows on the chute, the energy dissipation rate on the chute increased (even with smaller number of baffles). In the present study, the effect of increasing the number of baffles on the chute width was studied by keeping a constant blockage. The results showed that by increasing the number of baffles on the chute width (for a constant blockage), the energy dissipation rate did not change significantly. However, the blockage magnitude in the chute width influenced the energy dissipation rate of the chute.