Three-dimensional numerical study for determining the optimum diversion angle of bifurcating channels

Abstract

Water diversion to bifurcating canals has been attracting interest from water engineering researchers for decades. It can be described by the size of the separation zone in the intake channel and the quantity of flow rate into the bifurcating channel based on the diversion angle. The present study is an attempt to determine the optimum diversion angle of bifurcating channels that can achieve the minimum separation zone size in the intake channel and maximum discharge in the bifurcating channel. The study’s objectives were achieved by using the theoretical three-dimensional (3D) ANSYS 16 software to investigate the diverted flow into bifurcating channels with different diversion angles (90, 75, 60, 45, 30, and 15-degrees). Theoretical expected flow characteristics have been validated by experimental work. According to the findings, the ANSYS 16 software is a good tool for calculating bifurcating channel flow patterns. The final results proved that the 15-degree diversion angle has the optimum impact on the diverted flow. In addition, it achieves a maximum flow rate in the bifurcating channel (about 8.1 L/s), which represents nearly 49.4% of the main channel flow. It also provides a negligible separation zone with respect to the other diversion angles of the bifurcating channel. As a result, the efficiency of distributing, transporting, and controlling the limited amount of water available will improve.