Hydraulic performance characteristics and structure optimization method for the diffusion section of streamlined mobile flumes in U-shaped channels

The mobile flume has the advantages of not easy to be silted up and can be moved and reused in many places, etc. Compared with the fixed type, the streamlined shape of the measuring flume has good hydraulic performance, and the diffusion section of the flume has a great influence on the hydraulic performance, however, there is a lack of research on the design principle and method of the diffusion section at present. In order to study the influence of flume structure on hydraulic properties, and to provide theoretical guidance for the design of streamlined flume structure, This paper establishes a D40U-shaped channel simulation model, and then uses FLOW-3D to simulate the semi-elliptical with semi-elliptical, semi-elliptical with parabolic, semi-elliptical with arc, semi-elliptical with Myring curve, and fish-shaped flume under flow rates of 35, 45, and 55 L/s. Furthermore, the accuracy effect of numerical simulation is verified by prototype test, and then the design principle and method of diffusion section are discussed. Finally, based on the isight platform, the semi-elliptical with Myring curve and fish-shaped flume with better hydraulic performance are optimized. The results show that the relative error between the numerical simulation and the experimental water depth is 0.1%-1.3% and the relative errors of velocity in upstream, throat and downstream sections are 0.19%-6.63%, 0.06%-6.15% and 0.02%-6.22% at 45 L/s flow rate, respectively. The numerical simulation results have high accuracy. The Froude number in the upstream of the five flumes is less than 0.5, and the maximum backwater height is 5.71 cm, which meets the requirements of flow measurement accuracy and channel safety. Among them, the head loss and backwater height of the semi-elliptical with Myring curve flume are the lowest, the critical submergence degree of the semi-elliptical with semi-elliptical flume is the highest, and the Froude number is the smallest. The design principle of the diffusion section of the flume is: under the condition of slightly reducing the critical submergence degree, the first half of the diffusion section is designed as a curve with larger curvature to reduce the upstream backwater; the second half is designed as a curve with opposite curvature and smaller curvature to improve the flow state, smooth the water flow and reduce the head loss. After optimization, the curvature of the first half of the semi-ellipse with Myring curve and the fish-shape flume increases, and the curvature of the second half decreases, the backwater and Froude number are reduced, and the head loss is reduced by 5.5% and 6.3%, respectively. The study can provide theoretical guidance for the design and optimization of streamlined measuring tank structures.