Numerical investigation of flow field characteristics over vertical drops with sudden contraction for different contraction ratios

Vertical drops are widely implemented in hydraulic structures such as irrigation canals, wastewater collection systems, and stepped spillways to dissipate flow kinetic energy while enhancing aeration and promoting dissolved oxygen levels. Depending on local topography, these structures serve to redu...

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Main Authors: Hossein Shahin, Afshin Eghbalzadeh, Mitra Javan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Razi University 2025-06-01
Series:Journal of Applied Research in Water and Wastewater
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arww.razi.ac.ir/article_3753_29e54efeece16f918cea9ea0fe15ed61.pdf
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author Hossein Shahin
Afshin Eghbalzadeh
Mitra Javan
author_facet Hossein Shahin
Afshin Eghbalzadeh
Mitra Javan
author_sort Hossein Shahin
collection DOAJ
description Vertical drops are widely implemented in hydraulic structures such as irrigation canals, wastewater collection systems, and stepped spillways to dissipate flow kinetic energy while enhancing aeration and promoting dissolved oxygen levels. Depending on local topography, these structures serve to reduce the kinetic energy of falling water and to regulate the flow velocity within canals and irrigation networks. In this study, a three-dimensional numerical simulation was performed to investigate the flow pattern over a vertical drop featuring a sudden contraction under various contraction ratios. The simulation employed the RNG k-ε turbulence model in conjunction with the volume of fluid (VOF) method to capture free surface dynamics. The computational model was validated against experimental data, yielding acceptable levels of accuracy based on average percentage error (APE) and root mean square error (RMSE) metrics. Moreover, results indicate that a reduction in the contraction ratio leads to an increase in the falling jet thickness and hydraulic jump height, accompanied by a decrease in the water jet length. These changes promote enhanced energy dissipation, which is critical for reducing the kinetic energy of the flow in hydraulic structures such as irrigation canals, wastewater collection systems, and spillways. The findings suggest that optimizing the contraction ratio is an effective design parameter for improving energy dissipation efficiency and overall hydraulic performance.
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spelling doaj-art-2adfc704c2e044c8b5a819053ee907e62025-08-20T03:01:41ZengRazi UniversityJournal of Applied Research in Water and Wastewater2476-62832025-06-01121586310.22126/arww.2025.11775.13563753Numerical investigation of flow field characteristics over vertical drops with sudden contraction for different contraction ratiosHossein Shahin0Afshin Eghbalzadeh1Mitra Javan2Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran.Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran.Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran.Vertical drops are widely implemented in hydraulic structures such as irrigation canals, wastewater collection systems, and stepped spillways to dissipate flow kinetic energy while enhancing aeration and promoting dissolved oxygen levels. Depending on local topography, these structures serve to reduce the kinetic energy of falling water and to regulate the flow velocity within canals and irrigation networks. In this study, a three-dimensional numerical simulation was performed to investigate the flow pattern over a vertical drop featuring a sudden contraction under various contraction ratios. The simulation employed the RNG k-ε turbulence model in conjunction with the volume of fluid (VOF) method to capture free surface dynamics. The computational model was validated against experimental data, yielding acceptable levels of accuracy based on average percentage error (APE) and root mean square error (RMSE) metrics. Moreover, results indicate that a reduction in the contraction ratio leads to an increase in the falling jet thickness and hydraulic jump height, accompanied by a decrease in the water jet length. These changes promote enhanced energy dissipation, which is critical for reducing the kinetic energy of the flow in hydraulic structures such as irrigation canals, wastewater collection systems, and spillways. The findings suggest that optimizing the contraction ratio is an effective design parameter for improving energy dissipation efficiency and overall hydraulic performance.https://arww.razi.ac.ir/article_3753_29e54efeece16f918cea9ea0fe15ed61.pdfvertical dropcontraction ratiofalling jetfree surfacesudden contraction
spellingShingle Hossein Shahin
Afshin Eghbalzadeh
Mitra Javan
Numerical investigation of flow field characteristics over vertical drops with sudden contraction for different contraction ratios
Journal of Applied Research in Water and Wastewater
vertical drop
contraction ratio
falling jet
free surface
sudden contraction
title Numerical investigation of flow field characteristics over vertical drops with sudden contraction for different contraction ratios
title_full Numerical investigation of flow field characteristics over vertical drops with sudden contraction for different contraction ratios
title_fullStr Numerical investigation of flow field characteristics over vertical drops with sudden contraction for different contraction ratios
title_full_unstemmed Numerical investigation of flow field characteristics over vertical drops with sudden contraction for different contraction ratios
title_short Numerical investigation of flow field characteristics over vertical drops with sudden contraction for different contraction ratios
title_sort numerical investigation of flow field characteristics over vertical drops with sudden contraction for different contraction ratios
topic vertical drop
contraction ratio
falling jet
free surface
sudden contraction
url https://arww.razi.ac.ir/article_3753_29e54efeece16f918cea9ea0fe15ed61.pdf
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AT afshineghbalzadeh numericalinvestigationofflowfieldcharacteristicsoververticaldropswithsuddencontractionfordifferentcontractionratios
AT mitrajavan numericalinvestigationofflowfieldcharacteristicsoververticaldropswithsuddencontractionfordifferentcontractionratios