Design of an Experimental Setup for Free Surface Vortex at Intakes (Including a Review on the Constructed Laboratory Models)

In this study, the laboratory design and construction including: hydraulic, structure and water circulation system of a model for free surface vortex studies at intakes are described in details. Design parameters are considered based on the intake diameter (D) and Froude number (Fr). In order to avoid the scale effects due to the effect of viscosity (υ) and surface tension (σ) in vortex modelling, most criteria are extracted and considered from the previous experimental studies. In structural design of the reservoir and other its components, both stability and construction costs were considered. In order to provide proper visual observation, lighting and imaging; as far as possible, the walls and floor of the reservoir were made of 10mm thick glass. The water circulation system including energy dissipater balls, separator wall, horizontal and vertical intake, butterfly valve, pipe, bend, multiple branch pipe, expansions and contractions, inverter, pump and electromotor, allows formation of vortices at different flow rates and depths and also can keep the water surface at a certain depth. Finally, by considering all design parameters, a rectangular tank with width of 1300mm, length of 2000mm and height of 1500mm was constructed.