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Spillway Stilling Basins for Maxwell and Opekiska Locks and Dams Monongahela River, Pennsylvania and West Virginia

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Spillway Stilling Basins for Maxwell and Opekiska Locks and Dams Monongahela River, Pennsylvania and West Virginia SPILLWAY STILLING BASINS FOR MAXWELL AND OPEKISKA LOCKS AND DAMS MONONGAHELA RIVER, PENNSYLVANIA AND WEST VIRGINIA Hydraulic Model Investigation TECHNICAL REPORT NO. 2-579 October 1961 :4 , SPILLWAY STILLING BASINS FOR MAXWELL AND OPEKISKA LOCKS AND DAMS MONONGAHELA RIVER, PENNSYLVANIA AND WEST VIRGINIA Hydraulic Model Investigation TECHNICAL REPORT NO. 2-579 October 1961 U. S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station CORPS OF ENGINEERS Vicksburg, Mississippi ARMY-MRC VICKSBURG, MISS. PREFACE The model study reported herein was authorized by the Division Engi- neer, U. S. Army Engineer Division, Ohio River, 19 March 1959, at the re- quest of the U. S. Army Engineer District, Pittsburgh, and was accomplished in the Hydraulics Division of the U. S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station during the period May to July 1959. The investigation was con- ducted under the general supervision of Mr. E. P. Fortson, Jr., Chief of the Hydraulics Division, and Mr. F. R. Brown, Chief of the Hydrodynamics Branch, and under the direct supervision of Mr. T. E. Murphy, Chief of the Structures Section. The engineer in immediate charge of the model was Mr. E. S. Melsheimer, assisted by Mr. N. V. Cowan. This report was pre- pared by Messrs. Melsheimer and Murphy. Col. Edmund H. Lang, CE, and Col. Alex G. Sutton, Jr., CE, were Directors of the Waterways Experiment Station during the conduct of this study, and preparation and publication of this report. Mr. J. B. Tiffany was Technical Director. iii CONTENTS PART I: INTRODUCTION a. ...... " . ".. f.. ". f. .. 2 The Prototype s .. f ., . ." .. f . ." .. 21 Purpose ofMoLTests " "...... ."f. 2 PART II: TEST RESULT1S ... " . .. 4 Gate Calibration . ".... f., f . * f* *14 Tailwater Limits Curves . * . , ,..." .. + Stilingginn eetsts.......f... ""."f,. f 4 PART III: DISCUSSION . ". $ PHOTOGRAPHS 1-5 PLATES 1-12. V SUMMARY Model investigations of the spillway stilling basins for Maxwell and Opekiska Locks and Dams were conducted in a 1:25-scale section model. Tests involved determination of types of basin action and maximum bottom velocities in the exit channel for five stilling basin designs. A suffi- cient range of tailwater conditions was tested to make the resulting data applicable to each project. Natural tailwater at Maxwell Dam is adequate for formation of a hydraulic jump under assumed minimum conditions, and satisfactory perfor- mance was obtained in all of the stilling basins tested. Most favorable bottom velocities of 6.5 and 4.5 fps at minimum and maximum tailwater, respectively, resulted with the type 2 basin, which consisted of a 26-ft- long horizontal apron surmounted by a single row of 4-ft-high baffle piers and terminated by a 4-ft-high dentated end sill. At Opekiska Dam natural tailwater is inadequate for formation of a hydraulic jump under assumed minimum conditions. It was found that a 16.8- ft-long horizontal apron terminated by a 4-ft-high dentated end sill (the type 4 basin) will perform adequately with all four gates operating in 1-ft increments, and will result in maximum bottom velocities of 8.3 and 7.0 fps at minimum and maximum tailwater, respectively. However, if one gate is inoperative (assumed minimum tailwater conditions), the other three gates must be operated in increments of not more than 0.5 ft. vii PITTSBURGH -IA LEGEND LOCK & DAM EXISTING LOCKTYG & DAM RT IVEFUTURE Clarksburg SRESERVOIR SCALE IN MILES S 0 5 10 as 20 Fig. 1. Vicinity map SPILLWAY STILLING BASINS FOR MAXWELL AND OPEKISKA LOCKS AND DAMS MONONGAHELA RIVER, PENNSYLVANIA AND WEST VIRGINIA Hydraulic Model Investigation PART I: INTRODUCTION The Prototypes 1. Maxwell and Opekiska Locks and Dams are proposed navigation structures which will be located 61 and 115 miles, respectively, above the mouth of the Monongahela River at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (fig. 1). The locks and dams are units in a general plan for modernization of navigation facilities on the Monongahela River and will replace four outdated locks and dams (numbers 5, 6, 14, and 15). Twin locks will be constructed at both projects. The Maxwell Locks will be 84 by 720 ft, and the Opekiska Locks 84 by 600 ft. The spillway for Maxwell Dam (plate 1) will consist of a concrete gate sill at elevation 737* surmounted by five tainter gates, each 84 ft long by 27 ft high. Concrete piers 10 ft wide will take the gate thrust and support individual gate hoists and a structural steel serv- ice bridge. The Opekiska spillway (plate 1) will consist of a concrete sill at elevation 831 surmounted by four tainter gates, each 84 ft long by 27 ft high. Concrete piers 10 ft wide will support the gates. The end gates at each project will be of the doubleleaf radial type to permit skim- ming of flow from the surface of the pool over the gate. Under normal operating conditions a head of 26 ft over the gate sill will obtain at each of the spillways. 2. Stilling basins consisting of horizontal concrete aprons extend- ing to the ends of the gate piers at elevations 732 and 826 at Maxwell and Opekiska, respectively (5 ft below the elevations of the gate sills), will be provided. The horizontal apron at Maxwell Dam will be 26.0 ft long, whereas the one at Opekiska Dam will be only 16.8 ft long. This difference in apron length resulted from the requirement for a gate radius of 49 ft at * All elevations are in feet above mean sea level. Maxwell Dam to permit the gate to be raised above maximum expected flood heights, whereas a radius of 39 ft suffices for this purpose at Opekiska Dam. Purpose of Model Tests 3. Firm rock in the streambeds downstream from each project is of good quality and will resist tendency toward damaging scour from spillway discharges. Thus, stilling basins are not required to provide fully devel- oped hydraulic jumps. However, a limited series of model tests was desired to develop the most efficient stilling basins of the type proposed. The Model 4. To accomplish the purpose stated above, a section model was con- structed to a linear scale ratio of 1:25. It reproduced 200 ft of approach channel, a 25-ft-wide section of the Maxwell gate and gate sill, the still- ing basin, and 300 ft of exit area (fig. 2). The model was contained in a glass-sided flume which permitted visual and photographic observations of Fig. 2. 1:25-scale section model of spillway and stilling basin 3 subsurface basin actions. The approach and exit channels were molded in cement mortar. The gate and gate sill were constructed of sheet metal, and the stilling basin and basin elements were modeled in wood. Water used in operation of the model was supplied by pumps, and discharge was measured by venturi meters. The tailwater elevation in the downstream end of the model was controlled by a vertical-rise tailgate. Water-surface elevations were measured by means of point gages. 4 PART II: TEST RESULTS 5. Tests were conducted in a generalized manner so as to make the resulting data applicable to each of the projects. All data were obtained with the upper pool 26 ft above the gate sill, representing normal pool elevations of 763 and 857 at Maxwell and Opekiska, respectively. Tests consisted of determination of discharges, types of basin action, and maxi- mum bottom velocities in the exit area with the spillway gate at openings of 1 to 10 ft and the tailwater varied over a wide range. Gate Calibration 6. Calibration curves for gate openings of 1 to 10 ft are plotted in plates 2 and 3. These sets of curves were derived from a single set of data, but discharges are plotted against actual elevations at each project to avoid confusion. Tailwater Limits Curves 7. Plotted in plate 4 are a tailwater rating curve and tailwater limits curves for Maxwell Dam. These tailwater limits curves were derived from calibration curves (plate 2) and the tailwater rating curve. It was assumed that the spillway gates would be operated in increments of 1 ft and that operation would be required with all gates operating and with one gate inoperative in a closed position. Thus, the minimum tailwater curve represents the tailwater which will obtain below the first gate moved to a higher position immediately after this gate is raised, four gates assumed operating; and the maximum tailwater curve represents the tailwater below the first gate moved to a lower position immediately after the gate is lowered, five gates assumed operating. Similar curves for Opekiska Dam with three and four gates assumed operating are plotted in plate 5. Stilling Basin Tests 8. Fig. 3 shows the four types of stilling basin action observed during the test program. Spray action Forced jump Hydraulic jump Submerged jump Fig. 3. Typical basin actions 6 Type 1 basin 9. The type 1 stilling basin (plate 6) was proposed for use at Maxwell Dam. It consisted of a horizontal apron 26 ft long surmounted by a single row of 6-ft-high baffle piers and terminated by a 3-ft-high vertical-faced end sill. 10. Performance data for the type 1 stilling basin are plotted in plate 7. Minimum tailwater conditions for Maxwell Dam resulted in hydrau- lic jump action and maximum bottom velocities of about 7 fps, whereas maximum tailwater conditions resulted in submerged jump action and maximum bottom velocities of about 4 fps. 11. Minimum tailwater conditions for Opekiska Dam resulted in forced jump action with maximum bottom velocities of about 9 fps at gate openings of 2, 4, and 6 ft and spray action at gate openings of 8 and 10 ft.
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