Lecture 6

Jump as energy dissipation

Control of jump.

Jump as energy dissipation

The high energy loss that occurs in a hydraulic jump has led to its adoption as a part of
high energy dissipater system below a hydraulic structure.
Three types of energy dissipaters [Hager, 1992] have been commonly used: stilling
basins, flip buckets, and roller buckets. Each dissipater has certain advantages and
disadvantages and may be selected for a particular project depending upon the site
characteristic.

Stilling Basin
The downstream portion of the hydraulic structure where the energy dissipation is
deliberately allowed to occur so that the outgoing stream can be safely conducted to the
channel below is known as a stilling basin.
The hydraulic jump is used for energy dissipation in a stilling basin. Typically, this basin
may be used for heads less than 50 m. At higher heads, cavitations becomes a problem.
A concrete apron is provided for the length of the jump and the invert level of the apron
is set such that the downstream water level provides the necessary sequent depth for the
flow depth and the Froude number at the entrance to the jump.
Long apron lengths and low apron levels are needed for such a stilling basin. Low apron
levels require large amount of excavation and concrete. Therefore, other devices and
accessories may be provided to stabilize the jump, to reduce the length of the jump, and
to permit the apron at a higher elevation. These devices include chute blocks, baffle
blocks, and end sills.
Stilling basins are so designed that not only a good jump with high-energy dissipation
characteristics is formed within the basin but it is so stable. For economic considerations,
the basin must be as small as practicable.
Designing a stilling basin for a given hydraulic structure involves consideration of
parameters peculiar to the location of the structure in addition to the mechanics of flow.

This feature makes the engineering design rely rather heavily on the experience of the
designer.

Figure 4.17: USBR Stilling Basin

Figure 4.18: Stilling Basin (After Peterka [1958])

 The chute blocks separate the flow entering the basin and lift up part of the jet. This
produces more eddies increasing energy dissipation, the jump length is decreased, and the
tendency of the jump to sweep out of the basin is reduced.
The baffle blocks stabilize the jump and dissipate energy due to impact. The sill mainly
stabilizes the jump and inhibits the tendency of the jump to sweep out.
Flip Buckets
The flip bucket energy dissipater is suitable for sites where the tail water depth is low
(which would require a large amount of excavation if a hydraulic jump dissipater were
used) and the rock in the downstream area is good and resistant to erosion.

The flip bucket, also called ski-jump dissipater, throws the jet at a sufficient distance
away from the spillway where a large scour hole may be produced. Initially, the jet
impact causes the channel bottom to scour and erode. The scour hole is then enlarged by
a ball-mill motion of the eroded rock pieces in the scour hole.

A small amount of the energy of the jet is dissipated by the internal turbulence and the
shearing action of the surrounding air as it travels in the air. However, most of the energy
of the jet is dissipated in the plunge pool.

Figure 4.19: Flip Bucket

Roller Bucket

 A roller bucket may be used for energy dissipation if the downstream depth is
significantly greater than that required for the formation of a hydraulic jump.
The dissipation is caused mainly by two rollers: counter clockwise roller near the water
surface above the bucket and a roller on the channel bottom downstream of the bucket.
The movement of these rollers along with the intermixing of the incoming flows results
in the dissipation of energy.

Two types of roller buckets solid and slotted have been developed through hydraulic
model studies and used successfully on several projects.

In a solid bucket, the ground roller may bring material towards the bucket and deposit it
in the bucket during periods of unsymmetrical operation.

In a slotted bucket, part of the flow passes through the slots, spreads laterally, and is
distributed over a greater area. Therefore, the flow concentration is less than that in a
solid bucket.

Figure 4.20: Roller Bucket

Control of Jump
The hydraulic jump can be controlled or affected by sills of various designs, such as
sharp crested weir, broad crested weir and abrupt rise and drop in channel floor.
The function of the sill is to ensure the formation of a jump and to control its position
under all probable operating conditions.

 Typically, the flow near these appurtenances is rapidly varied and the velocity
distribution is not uniform. Therefore, it becomes difficult to apply the momentum
equation in order to analyze accurately the formation of jump.
Therefore, laboratory experiments are done to develop empirical relationships for
universal applications and model studies are conducted for specific projects.
Interesting experiments have shown that the forces acting on the sill in a jump decrease
rapidly to a minimum as the downstream end of the jump is moved upstream to a position
approximately over the sill.
The forces then increase slowly to a constant value as the jump is moved farther
upstream. This change in force on the sill is probably due to a change in the velocity
distribution from one end of the jump to other, since non uniform distribution of velocity
is characteristic of such rapidly varied flow.
As a result, the momentum in the non uniform distribution section is greatly increased.
Theoretically speaking, the control of hydraulic jump by sills can be analyzed by the
momentum theory. Because of lack of accurate knowledge of the velocity distribution,
however the theoretical analysis cannot predict the quantitative result very closely.
Dimensional analysis shows that the relation between the Froude number F of
approaching flow, height of sill, h, approaching depth y1, the depth y2 upstream from sill,
the distance X from the toe of the jump to the sill, and the downstream depth y2 may be
expressed as

= (F,

, )

This function can be determined quantitatively by model studies.

The exact position of the jump, as controlled by the sill, however, cannot be determined
analytically. In model study, this position can be represented by ratio between X and y2.
The ratio is taken as constant in each test, having a magnitude sufficient to ensure a
complete jump. In design, the length of stilling basin should be made at least equal to X.
For economic reasons, the length of the basin may be designed for less than X, if the high
bottom velocities at the end of the basin have reached a value considered safe for the
downstream channel condition.

Control of jump by means of a sharp-crested weir

Forster and Skrinde [1950] from their laboratory experiments developed the relationship
between different variables for jump control by using a sharp-crested weir. This diagram,
may be used to determine the effectiveness of the weir for jump formation provided the
weir is not submerged
For the known value of the approach Froude number, Fr1 the distance X between the toe
of the jump and the weir may be determined from this figure. For different X/y2 ratios, the
values may be interpolated between the curves.

Figure 4.21: - Control of hydraulic jump by sharp-crested weir (After Forster and Skrinde [1950])

Control of jump by means of a abrupt rise

Forster and Skrinde [1950] based on laboratory experiments and theoretical analysis gave
the digram for the control of jump by means of an abrupt rise. The jump was formed at a
distance, x = 5(h + y3) upstream of the rise. This diagram may be used to predict the
performance of an abrupt rise if the values of V1, y1, y2, y3, and h are known.
An abrupt rise increases the drowning effect if a point lies above the line y2 = y3. The
region between y2 = y3 and y3 = yc lines is further divided by the h/y1 curves. A point

lying on these curves between these two lines represents the condition when the jump is
formed at x = 5(h + y3). A point above the h/y1 curve shows a condition in which the
jump is forced upstream and may be drowned. The condition where the rise is too low
and the jump is forced downstream and may eventually be washed out is represented by
points below the h/y1 curves.
Points below the y3 = yc line represent supercritical flow downstream of the rise. In this
condition, the rise acts as a weir.

Figure 4.22: - Control of hydraulic jump by abrupt rise (After Forster and Skrinde [1950])