Author(s): Laurent Schindfessel; Tom De Mulder; Stephan Creelle; Gerald A. Schohl

Linked Author(s): Laurent Schindfessel, Tom De Mulder, Stéphan Creëlle, Gerald Schohl

Keywords: Culvert; filling time; inertia; navigation lock; overtravel

Abstract: In culvert-based navigation lock filling–emptying systems, inertia effects have a significant influence on the filling–emptying time and cause a (damped) oscillation of the water surface in the lock chamber around its equalization level, referred to as the overtravel phenomenon. In this paper, the derivation of analytical formulae for the lock filling–emptying time and overtravel peak of systems consisting of a number of identical culverts is revisited. In comparison to earlier publications, the underlying assumptions are made explicit and the importance of accounting for the surface area ratio of lock chamber to upper reservoir in case of filling (or lower reservoir in case of emptying) is pointed out. Additionally, it is shown how the applicability of the analytical formulae can be extended to lock filling–emptying systems with more complex lay-outs by using an “equivalent culvert” approach. The validity of the analytical formulae is thoroughly assessed, first by comparing to an accurate numerical solution of the governing non-linear second-order differential equations, and second, by means of experiments in a physical model.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00221686.2014.939112

Year: 2015