Author(s): A. V. Bal; F. Re; M. R. Lapetina; N. Badano

Linked Author(s): Nicolas Badano, Abelardo Vicente Bal Renau, Fernando Re

Keywords: Spillway; Hydraulic design; Hydrology; History

Abstract: The Gatun spillway in the Panama Canal is built on top of the sea-level canal project, which was excavated between 1881 and 1887 by the Universal Company of the Interoceanic Canal, of France. The project was changed in October 1887 to a lock canal project. The design of the Gatun Spillway was developed between 1909 and 1911by the Isthmian Canal Commission (ICC), an organization which reported directly to the United States Secretary of War, and which had the support of some of the best engineering minds working at the best universities, engineering companies and government institutions of the United States and Europe. A 1:32 scale physical model was used to aid in the spillway design. The spillway was completed in 1913 and the Panama Canal began operating on August 15th, 1914. This paper presents some engineering and historical aspects of the hydraulic design of the Gatun Spillway. The spillway design hydrograph and the methodology used to estimate the number of spillway gates required is contrasted to the current engineering practice. A detailed hydraulic engineering study was performed for the spillway between 2011 and 2013, in order to evaluate its hydraulic performance and to determine its discharge rating curve, using the OpenFoam CFD model and a physical model at a scale of 1:40. Pool level routing simulations were performed using a Probable Maximum Flood hydrograph developed for the3338 Km2 Panama Canal watershed, resulting in a complete assessment of spilling capacity for present and future Gatun Lake operation policies.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.14264/uql.2020.609

Year: 2020