Determining the Flow Resistance of Racks and the Resulting Flow Dynamics in the Channel by Using the Saint-Venant Equations

Abstract

Racks retain debris in wastewater treatment plants and shield sensitive machinery in numerous engineering applications. In open-channel flows, racks impound the upstream water level by posing local obstacles in the flow. Based on experimental investigations, empirical approaches usually predict the flow resistance by relying on Bernoulli’s energy principle. Since this principle does not correctly consider downstream conditions such as submerged flows, we present a more accurate workflow to determine the flow resistance based on the Saint-Venant equations. We will demonstrate how the loss coefficient and the hydraulic head loss are determined more reliably without adding complexity to the engineering realisation. In contrast to relying solely on two cross-sections with Bernoulli’s energy principle, applying the Saint-Venant equations enables determining the flow depth profile and the flow velocity in the entire channel. This workflow additionally allows predicting the channel’s hydraulic capacity and freeboard in arbitrary applications.