Numerical Investigation of the Effect of CEDEX Profile on the Hydraulic Parameters in the Stepped Spillway and the Performance of This Profile in Various Chute Slopes

Abstract

An important part in designing stepped spillways is making the spillway in order to direct the flow appropriately on the first step. In low discharges, the water flow moves over the spillway and arrives at the first step, and if the first step is high enough, the flow may leave the first step horizontally, skip some steps and land as a free jet of water on the lower steps, which might cause some damages to the structure. One of the solutions to this problem is to use CEDEX profile, transition steps between the ogee crest and the stepped chute. The present research carries out a numerical study of the effects of CEDEX profile on various hydraulic parameters and also the effects of the chute slope on the performance of this profile in preventing the flow jump. For this purpose, four models were created with different geometries and were studied in various discharges with FLOW-3D software. The results show that deploying CEDEX profile in the initial parts of the spillway leads to lower velocity and less risk of cavitation. Also, the results illustrate that CEDEX profile can shift the inception point of aeration to downstream. Furthermore, findings show that CEDEX profile, in the slope of less than 50°, can prevent flow jump in the first step. In steeper slopes, however, it fails to achieve the optimal performance.