Author(s): Gerald Muller

Linked Author(s): Gerald Muller

Keywords: Plunge pools: aerated flow; Energy dissipation; Thermodynamics;

Abstract: Plunge pools underneath dams serve to dissipate the energy of the dam’s overflow. Observations indicate that the energy dissipation at full scale is significantly higher than at model scale. The impinging jets also erode the bed of plunge pools. In several dams this effect appears to be near independent of the depth of the pool. In this article, a simple model to explain the reach of the jet into the plunge pool is presented. Compressible flow of air-water mixtures is introduced to explain the energy dissipation. The results indicate that the compression-related energy dissipation can contribute significantly to the total energy dissipation of plunge pools at full scale. Due to the non-linear compressibility of air, these effects are disproportionally smaller at model scale.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3850/38WC092019-0264

Year: 2019