Occlusion in bottom intakes with circular bars by flow with gravel-sized sediment. An experimental study

© 2018 by the authors. Obstruction of the racks in bottom intakes due to sediment wedged in the slit of the bars can significantly reduce diverted flow. Notwithstanding the design recommendations that are found in the literature, the problem of rack occlusion continues to occur in built structures. This work focuses on the clogging effects in the circular bars of a bottom rack system using gravels whose median diameter, d50, is close to the spacing between the bars. An experimental campaign including 24 tests, each repeated time times, with six different longitudinal slopes from 0 to 35% and four different specific incoming flow rates, q1, in the range of 0.115 to 0.198 m3/s/m, is presented. The results show the inefficiency of circular profiles in comparison with T-shaped bars. No important influence of rack slope is found that could help to reduce clogging. This works confirms the importance of the selection of bar profile to reduce maintenance labor. A comparison of results with previous works with gravel sediment in T-shaped bars is considered. A methodology to calculate the wetted rack length considering occlusion due to flow with sediment transport is proposed, and the results are compared with those in the bibliography.