Energy dissipation performance of the trapezoidal stepped spillway

Abstract

Stepped spillways are a more effective type of spillway in energy dissipation than conventional chute channels due to their geometric structure. Therefore, the dimensions of the energy breaker of stepped spillways decrease. It is an alternative especially for the downstream pool that cannot be built in sufficient length due to the terrain conditions. In this study, the energy dissipation performance of the trapezoidal stepped spillways was investigated numerically by using Flow3D software. Four different models and three different discharges were utilized for this aim. According to the results, the trapezoidal stepped spillway is more effective than classical stepped spillways in energy dissipation for the skimming flow regime. The depth of the trapezoidal step and the bottom base length of the trapezoid significantly affected the energy dissipation rate for the trapezoidal stepped spillway.