IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
3. Canal Regulation Structures: Water and Sediment Control
3.1. Introduction
✓ The structures constructed in order to control and regulate the discharge, full supply level or depth, and
velocity of flow in a channel are known as regulation works.
✓ Such structures are necessary for the efficient working and safety of the channel.
✓ The various regulation works may be classified as:
1. Canal falls or drops,
2. Canal regulators - ((Distributary) head regulator and Cross regulator),
3. Canal escapes, and
4. Canal outlets
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
3.2. Canal Falls or Drops
✓ A structure constructed across a channel to permit lowering down of its water level and dissipate the
surplus energy possessed by the falling water which may otherwise scour the bed and banks of the
channel.
✓ When the natural slope of the ground over which channel is to be constructed is greater than the designed
bed slope of the channel, the difference in the slopes is adjusted by providing vertical falls or drops in the
bed of the channel at suitable intervals.
✓ The location of the fall is decided according to various
considerations:
o A fall may be provided at a location where the F.S.L. of the
channel outstrips the ground level but before the bed of the
channel comes into filling;
o A fall should be so located that as far as possible there is no
loss of command area of the channel;
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
✓The location of the fall may be affected by the possibility of combining it with a regulator or a
bridge or some other structures.
o Such combination often results in economy.
✓A relative economy of providing large number of small falls Vs small number of big falls should
be worked out.
o The provision of small number of big falls results in unbalanced earthwork, but there is
always some saving in the cost of the fall structure.
3.3. Selection of Type of Fall/Drop
✓ In selecting a type of fall most suitable for a particular site, the main consideration is
o The height of the drop and the discharge passing over the fall or in other words, the amount of
energy to be dissipated downstream of the fall.
▪ The type which dissipates this energy most satisfactorily is to be preferred.
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
✓Where bed material is easily erodible, a baffle type fall, may
prove economical in the long run from the maintenance point of
view.
✓Where the bed material is hard enough to withstand scour action,
the type of design that is just enough to dissipate the surplus energy
should be adopted.
✓Drops that are usually provided with a low crest wall are
subdivided into the following types:
(i) the vertical drop,
(ii) the inclined drop, and
(iii) the piped drop.
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
3.4. Design of Falls
❑ Vertical Drop Structures
(a) Common (straight) drop Drop Number – Dr = q2 g d 3
Basin Length - LB / d = 4.3Dr + L j / d
0.27
Pool depth under nappe – Y p d = Dr
0.22
y1 d = 0.54 Dr0.425
Sequent depths -
y 2 d = 1.66 Dr0.27
LB q = discharge per meter width,
d = height of the drop crest above the basin floor,
Aerated free-falling nappe (modular flow) hits Lj = the length of the jump.
the downstream basin floor, and with turbulent A small upward step, h (around 0.5 < h/y1 < 4), at the end of
circulation in the pool beneath the nappe the basin floor is desirable in order to localize the hydraulic
contributing to energy dissipation jump formation
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
(b) USBR Impact Block Type Basin
✓ Provides good energy dissipation under low heads, and is suitable if the tailwater level (TWL) is greater than
the sequent depth, y2.
Basin length → LB = Ld + 2.55 y c
Location of impact block → Ld + 0.8 y c
Minimum TW depth → y 2 2.15 y c
Impact block height → 0.8 yc
Width and spacing of impact block →0.4 yc
End sill height →0.4 yc
Minimum side wall height →y2 + 0.85 yc
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
( C ) Sarda-Type Fall (India) A raised-crest fall with vertical impact, consisting of
✓a crest wall,
✓ upstream and downstream wing walls,
✓an impervious floor and a cistern, and
✓downstream bank and bed protection works
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
✓The crest level must be so fixed that it does not create appreciable changes in upstream water levels
(due to backwater or drawdown effects).
✓The crest length is normally kept equal to the bed width of the canal; however, an increase in length by
an amount equal to the flow depth takes into account any future increase in discharge (bed width + depth).
✓ Fluming may be provided to reduce the cost of construction of the fall.
✓A canal is not usually flumed beyond 50%.
✓Whenever the canal is flumed, both upstream (contracting) and downstream (expanding) transitions
have to be provided.
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
Plan view of sarda fall transitions – Cylindrical inlet and Linear outlet
Note: Lc and Le refer to contraction and expansion lengths.
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
✓Two types of crests are used; the rectangular one for discharges up to 10 m3/s and the trapezoidal one for
larger discharges
Discharge formula: With free overfall conditions
- For rectangular crest wall
(H B ) 6
3 1
Q = 1.835 LH 2
-For trapezoidal crest wall
(H B ) 6
3 1
Q = 1.99 LH 2
L is the length of the crest wall
1. Design of crest wall (or crest)
- For the rectangular crest,
Top width (m), B = 0.55d 2 Base width (m), B1 = (H + d ) / S s
1
Crest level: For free overfall condition,
Ss is the relative density of the crest material
Crest Level = u/s F.S.L. – H
- For trapezoidal crest,
If D1 is upstream full supply depth and P is the
Top width (m), B = 0.55(H + d ) 1 2
height of the crest wall above the upstream bed, then The base width is determined based on 1 on 3 upstream and 1
on 8 downstream face slopes
P = D1 – H
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
2. Design of cistern
✓A depressed cistern is provided having length and depth below d/s bed given by
- Length (m), Lc = 5(EH dr )
1
(EH dr ) 3
2
1
2 - Depth dc =
4
✓ Neglecting the small velocity of approach head, E may be replaced by H
3. Design of impervious floor
✓Minimum length of impervious floor downstream of the crest, Lbd = 2(D1 + 1.2 ) + H dr
✓Cutoff and curtain walls
❖Upstream cutoff or curtain wall
o Minimum depth = D1/3
❖Downstream cutoff or curtain wall
o Minimum depth = D2/2
4. Downstream Protection: The downstream protection consists of the following
➢Bed protection
➢Downstream wings
➢Side protection
➢Energy dissipaters
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
(d) YMGT-type drop (Japan)
✓ This type of drop is generally used in flumed
sections suitable for small canals, field channels,
etc., with discharge up to 1 m3/s
d c = 1 2(E c H dr )
1
Depth of cistern 2
Length of cistern Lc = 2.5 Ld
where Ld = Ld1 + Ld2 and
Ld 1 E c = 1.155(P E c ) + 0.33
1
2
Sill height, P varies from 0.06 m to 0.14 m
Ld 2 = (D2 + d c ) cot with the specific discharge q between 0.2 and
cot = y c Ld 1 1 m3/s/m;
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
(e) Rectangular weir drop with raised crest (France)
✓ Simple structure suitable for vertical drops up to 7 m (for channel bed width of 0.2 – 1 m with flow depths
(at FSL) of 0.1 – 0.7 m).
1) For the design of crest
- Discharge Q = CL(2 g ) 12 H 2
3
Where C = 0.36 for the vertical upstream face of the crest wall and
0.40 for the rounded upstream face (5-10 cm radius).
- The crest length, L = LB – 0.10 m for a trapezoidal channel and B1
(the bed width) for rectangular channel.
2) For design of the cistern, Hdr = Drop (m) = u/s FSL – d/s FSL
Volume of the basin (m3), V = QH dr / 150
Width of basin, WB = V LB (D2 + d c )
Where the depth of the basin, dc ≈ 0.1 – 0.3 m.
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
❑ Inclined drops (or chutes)
(a)Common chute or Glacis Fall
This type of drop has a sloping downstream face (between 1:4 and
1:6, called glacis) followed by any conventional type low-head
stilling basin; e.g. SAF or USBR type III.
Fig. Sloping glacis type fall with USBR type III stilling basin
(b) Rapid fall type inclined drop (India)
✓This type of fall is cheap in areas where stone is easily available,
and is used for small discharges of up to 0.75 m3/s with falls of up to 1.5 m.
✓It consists of a glacis sloping between 1 in 10 and 1 in 20.
✓Such a long glacis assists in the formation of a hydraulic jump.
(c ) Stepped or cascade type fall
This consists of stone-pitched floors between a series of weir blocks which
act as check dams and are used in canals of small discharges; e.g., the tail of
a main canal escape.
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
❑ Piped drops
✓A piped drop is the most economical structure compared with an inclined drop for small discharges of up
to 50 l/s.
✓It is usually equipped with a check gate at its upstream end, and a screen (debris barrier) is installed to
prevent the fouling of the entrance.
(a) Well drop structure
✓ The well drop structure consists of a rectangular well
and a pipeline (almost horizontal) followed by a
downstream apron.
✓ Most of the energy is dissipated in the well, and this
type of drop is suitable for low discharges (up to 50
l/s) and high drop (2 – 3 m), and is used in tail
escapes of small channels.
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
3.5. Canal Regulators
✓Regulators (distributary head regulator and cross regulators) are required on a channel to regulate and
control the supply of water.
✓A distributary head regulator controls the supply of the off-taking channel.
✓Cross regulator controls the supply of the parent channel.
The distributary head regulator serves the following main purposes:
✓It regulates the supply of water from the parent channel to the off-taking channel;
✓It controls the entry of silt into the off-taking channel;
✓It can serve as a meter for the measurement of discharge;
✓It is used for shutting off the supply into the off-taking channel when water is not needed, or for
maintenance purposes
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
❖ The main purpose of the cross regulator is to raise the water level in the parent channel on the upstream so
that the off-taking channel can take its full supply.
❖ Other purposes include;
1) to close the supply on the parent channel on its downstream;
2) to accommodate a bridge for communication purposes;
3) cross regulators are useful for effective regulation of
the entire canal system.
✓ In a good canal system, a large number of cross regulators are usually provided.
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
❖ Alignment of off-taking channels
✓ The alignment should be such that the off-taking channel is able to draw its supply without any
undesirable effect.
✓ The common types of alignments adopted in practice are shown below
✓ The best alignment of the off-taking channel is when it makes zero angle with the parent channel
initially and then separates out
gradually along the transition curve (Fig. a).
✓ The transition curve should be properly
designed to avoid accumulation of silt
and to ensure equitable distribution of silt.
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
✓If transition curves are not provided, the alignment shown in Figure (b) may be adopted.
✓In this case, the off-taking channel as well as the parent channel on the downstream make an angle with
the parent channel on upstream of the off-taking point.
✓If it is essential to keep the parent channel straight, the edge of the channel rather than the centerline
should be considered while deciding the angle of off-take (Figure c).
✓An angle of 600 to 800 is generally quite suitable.
✓Figure (d) shows an unbalanced off-take, which should be avoided as far as possible.
✓This usually results in the formation of a silt jetty.
✓Moreover, the deviated current of water may scour the bed along the deviated line to make up the loss of
silt due to jetty formation.
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
3.6. Design of Cross Regulator and Distributary Head Regulator
❖ Design of crest
✓The crest level of the cross regulator is kept at the upstream bed level of the parent channel.
✓The bed level of the distributary head regulator is kept at 0.3 to 1 m higher than the crest level
of the cross regulator.
✓The downstream glacis should have a slope of 2:1 or flatter.
✓In a cross regulator, there is no upstream glacis - the crest is kept flush with upstream floor.
✓In a distributary head regulator, the slope of upstream glacis is kept as 1:1.
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
❖ Waterway: The waterway can be worked out by using the drowned weir formula given as
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
❖ Conditions of flow for design: The design is done for the worst of the following two conditions:
1) Full supply discharge is passing down both the channels with all gates of cross regulator and
head regulator fully open;
2) The discharge in the parent channel is low but the off-taking channel is running full, and its FSL
is maintained by the partial opening of the gates of the cross regulator.
✓In the first condition, q and HL are fixed; while in the second case q reduces and HL increases, depending
up on the low flow in the channel.
✓The first condition of flow generally governs the design, but in certain cases, the second flow condition
may become more critical.
✓If the low flow records of the parent channel is not given or known, the design can be done for the first
flow condition.
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
❖ Downstream Floor Level or Cistern Level: For the above two flow conditions, q and HL are worked out. The
Ef2 is found from Figure below (Blench Curve).
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
✓ Knowing Ef2; Ef1 can also be calculated by using Ef1 – Ef2 = HL
✓ The corresponding values of y1 and y2 for the known values of Ef1 and Ef2 can be directly read from the
‘Energy of Flow Curves’ given by Montague
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
Energy of flow curves –
Montague curves
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
✓The level at which jump would form, i.e. the level of d/s floor, is given by
D/s Floor level = d/s TEL – Ef2
✓Neglecting approach velocity head,
d/s TEL = d/s FSL
✓Therefore,
Level of d/s floor = d/s FSL - Ef2
➢ If the d/s floor for the worst condition works out to be higher than the d/s bed level of the channel, the floor
is provided at the bed level itself.
❖ Length of d/s floor: It is worked out by calculating 5 (y2 – y1).
✓If this length comes out to be small in comparison to 2/3 of the total floor length (worked out by exit gradient
considerations, i.e. b = α . d), then the length of the d/s floor is kept equal to 2/3 of the total floor length.
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
❖ Cut-Offs
✓ Upstream cut-off: The minimum depth of u/s cut-off below the floor level
where yu is the depth of water in the u/s channel.
✓ Downstream cut-off: The minimum depth of d/s cut-ff below floor level,
where yd is the depth of water in the channel downstream.
❖ Total Floor Length
✓The total floor length, b, is worked out from safe exit gradient considerations.
✓The total floor length is then suitably distributed upstream and downstream.
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
❖ Uplift Pressure and Floor Thickness
✓The thickness of the d/s floor required, are worked out after determination of uplift pressures by Khosla’s
Theory.
✓The maximum unbalanced heads at key points are worked out for maximum static head.
✓The pressure at toe of glacis is also worked out for dynamic condition.
✓Then, the floor thicknesses are designed for the worst case.
✓A nominal thickness of 0.3 to 0.5 m is provided on u/s side.
❖ Protection Works
The protection works are designed for a scour depth (D) equal to
➢ (yu/3 + 0.6 m) - on the u/s,
➢ (yd/2 + 0.6 m) - on the d/s.
The block protection and inverted filter are provided in a length approximately equal to 1.5 D.
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
❑ Canal Escapes
✓An escape is a side channel constructed to remove surplus water from an irrigation channel (main canal,
branch canal, or distributary, etc) into a natural drain.
➢The water in the irrigation channel may become surplus due to some mistakes, or difficulty in regulation
at the head; or due to excessive rainfall in upper reaches.
➢Sometimes, the cultivators may find that the demand of water is over and may close their outlets
suddenly.
✓In such circumstances,
➢the canal supplies shall become surplus, and this excess may overflow the banks unless escaped.
➢the supplies shall be reduced or stopped from the head works, but the effect of this reduction is felt only
after a certain time.
➢Therefore, in order to avoid damage, some immediate action is required, and this is achieved by means
of an escape, generally called a surplus water escape.
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
✓It can be stated that escapes are the safety valves of canals and must be provided at regular intervals
depending upon the importance of the channel and availability of a suitable drainage for the disposal of the
escaped water.
✓The minimum capacity of the escape is generally kept as half of the channel capacity at the point of the
escape.
❑Types of Canal Escapes
▪Weir type
✓ In this type, the crest of the weir wall is kept at RL equal to
canal FSL
✓ When the water level rises above FSL, it gets escaped.
▪ Regulator type (Sluice type)
✓ In this type, the sill of the escape is kept at canal bed level and
the flow is controlled by gates
✓ These types of escapes are preferred, as they give better control
and can be used for completely emptying the canal
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
✓The weir type escape may be provided at the tail end of the canal and is useful in maintaining the
required FSL in tail reaches of the canal.
✓This escape is therefore called Tail escape.
✓The regulator type may be constructed for the purpose of scouring of excess bed silt deposited in head
reaches, from time to time.
✓In that case, it is known as scouring escape.
✓In such a case, the sill of the regulator is generally kept at about 0.3 m below the canal bed level at the
escape site.
✓The regulator type escape can be designed like a head regulator without any raised crest.
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
❑Canal Outlets or Modules
Reading Assignment:
Read details about the different types Canal Outlets/Modules.
1. What are canal outlets?
2. Requirements to be fulfilled by canal outlets
3. Types of canal outlets
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
3.7. Sediment Control and Exclusion Devices
✓ The various means of controlling sediment into the canal and ejecting that enters the canal may be
categorized as follows:
1) Sediment preventive measures
✓ Entry of sediment into the channel can be discouraged by adopting certain preventive measures
which are generally incorporated in the layout of head works itself. These include:
a) River approach conditions,
b) Alignment of head regulators,
c) Length of divide walls,
d) Relative crest levels of undersluices and the head regulator, and
e) River regulation
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
2. Sediment control devices
✓ Devices deflecting upper layers of flow from the main channel into the canal, which may be
classified as;
a) Guide vanes
b) Skimming platforms, and
c) Vortex tubes
3. Sediment exclusion devices
✓ The following devices are included in this category:
a) Sediment excluder
b) Sediment ejector
c) Settling basin
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
✓Sediment excluders are constructed in the river pocket adjacent to the head
regulator in order to exclude the coarse sediment by removing the bottom layers of
river water.
✓Sediment ejectors are constructed in the head reach of the canal to eject the silt
which may enter the canal in spite of the sediment control measures taken and
sediment exclusion devices provided.
✓Settling basins are found to be quite effective in case of low dams which work on
the principle that at low velocity the sediment is deposited in the basin and clear
water drawn into the canal.
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
❑ Sediment control devices
✓ Guide vanes in the form of submerged bars may divert the bed load away from the head regulator. The
various types of guide vanes are:
❖King’s silt vanes
✓ Vertical diaphragm walls which are parallel to one another.
✓ These vanes are constructed at the bed of the parent channel
and are curved in plan.
✓ They start in line with the water current in the parent channel
and terminate at an angle with it
✓ The vanes are of low height so that they can divert only the
bottom layers of water loaded with heavy sediment away from
the distributary head regulator.
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
❖ Design Criteria
✓Radius: The radius of the vanes should preferably be greater than 12 m, but in no case less than 7.5 m.
✓Vanes: - The vanes are oriented such that they deflect the bottom layers of the water at an angle of 270
(2:1) or so from the direction of flow.
- The vanes should extend by a distance of 0.6 to 1.5 m beyond the line OQ drawn at an angle of 2:1
from the end of the off-take
- On the upstream side, the vanes should extend about 0.6 m or more beyond the line OP drawn
normal to the direction of flow in the parent channel.
✓Height of vanes: For efficient working, the height of vanes is usually kept ¼ to 1/3 of the water depth in
the parent channel.
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
✓Thickness of vanes: The thickness of the vanes shall be 0.125 m if the height of vanes is less than 0.5 m,
and 0.250 m for greater heights.
✓Spacing of vanes: The spacing between vanes is 1.50 times the height of vanes.
✓Bed and side pitching: The bed of the parent channel covered by vane is pitched at bed and sides for a
distance of 15 to 30 m on the upstream of the vanes so that it becomes smooth, and the suspended sediment
fall near the canal bed Width of
off-taking
Dimensions channel,
Minimum Dimensions (m) Dimensions for strong effect (m)
of W (m)
King’s Vane X Y R X Y R
2 1.30 1.20 9.00 1.80 1.30 12.50
4 1.70 1.80 10.00 2.40 2.20 14.50
6 1.80 2.20 10.70 2.80 3.20 15.00
8 1.83 2.50 10.70 3.10 4.20 15.50
10 1.83 2.80 11.00 3.40 5.20 16.50
12 1.83 3.00 12.00 3.60 6.10 20.00
14 1.83 3.40 14.00 3.70 7.00 25.00
16 1.83 3.70 16.00 3.70 8.00 34.00
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
❖ Gibb’s Groyne Walls
✓ The Gibb's groyne wall is used in cases where the off-taking canal, on account of its gradient, has the same
silt carrying capacity as the parent canal.
✓ The Gibb's groyne ensures more or less proportional silt distribution to the off-taking canal.
✓ The device is a curved vertical wall constructed in the parent canal.
✓Its height from the canal bed is equal to the full supply
depth plus free board.
✓It starts from the downstream end of the off-take abutment
and continues upstream to either the opposite point of the
off-take end or ¾th of the off-take width
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
❖Curved wing with silt vanes
✓When the effect of a curved wing (Gibb's groyne) alone is not satisfactory to control the entry of silt into
the off-take canal, King's vanes may be added to enhance the performance of the curved wing.
✓The curved wing in this case is terminated at the 2 : 1 line of the longest vane.
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
❖Silt platforms
✓A silt platform consists of a horizontal slab, usually of reinforced concrete supported on piers at a
suitable level to exclude bottom water heavily loaded with silt or debris.
✓The device is suitable only in deep parent canals.
✓There are two variations of this device:
a) a simple platform;
b) a platform with a curved extension of the downstream wing wall.
➢Simple platform
Level of platform
✓The height of the tunnels should be 0. 6 m to 0.9 m so that the debris may pass through the tunnels
without choking them.
✓As much as possible the bottom water should be excluded and there should be enough top water to
fill the off-take.
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
➢ Width of platform
✓The platform should be wide enough to take enough water over it to fill the off-take with 25% to
spare.
✓The downstream edge of the platform should be at an angle of 600 to the centerline of the parent
canal and as well to the upstream edge.
✓The upstream edge of the platform at the edge of the parent canal may be 1.5 m upstream of the
upstream edge of the off-take.
✓Mean side velocity (near the off-take) of the upper water flow in the parent canal should be equal to
that in the off-take canal.
✓The pier supporting the slab should be sloped at 1V: 3H at its upstream end
✓The sloping part should begin 0. 3 m away from the edge of the platform.
✓The floor under the tunnels and the side should be pitched. The length of the pitched floor may range
from 15 m to 30 m.
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
➢ Silt platform with a guide wall
✓ A guide wall is sometimes added to improve the flow pattern.
✓ The curved wing wall is built over the silt platform.
✓ The design principle for arriving at the level of the platform is the same as explained above for the
silt platform.
✓ There should be enough water passing over the platform, at the lowest supply in the parent canal to
enable the off-take to run full with 10% to spare.
✓ The d/s edge of the platform is generally curved to the centerline of the parent canal and the u/s edge
is terminated at the u/s edge of the off-take.
✓ The design of the piers remains the same as for the silt platform.
✓ The u/s edge of the curved wing wall is sloped at 1:1.
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
❖Vortex tube
✓It consists of an open top tube placed
across the bottom of the canal, either normal
to it or at an angle greater than 300.
✓To control the flow out of the tube, the d/s
end is regulated by gate.
✓The upper portion of the tube is removed
to trap the sediment.
✓As water passes over the tube, a shearing
action across the open portion sets up a
vortex motion within the tube, which has
sufficient velocity to prevent sediment
deposition in the tube
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
➢Design characteristics
✓The Froude number of the flow across the canal section containing the tube should approximate to
0.8.
✓Where the flow varies widely, design flow should be selected that will exist for a greater portion of
time.
✓The flow removed usually ranges from 5% to 15% of the total discharge.
✓The width of opening should usually be in the range of 0. 15 m to 0. 3 m
✓The ratio of length of tube to width of opening L(tube) : B(tube) should not exceed 20 with the
maximum length of tube being approximately 4. 5 m.
✓The required area of the tube can be approximated by the formula
✓ When the bed load is excessive, two parallel vortex tubes may be installed
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
❖Sediment Excluders
✓The silt excluder is a device constructed in a river bed just upstream of the regulator to exclude silt
from the water (source) entering the canal.
✓It is so designed that the top and bottom layers of flow are separated with the least possible
disturbance, the top sediment-free water being led towards the canal while the bottom sediment-laden
water is discharged downstream of the diversion structure through undersluices.
✓The device consists of a number of tunnels in the floor of the deep pocket of the river, isolated by a
divide wall.
✓The sill level of the regulator is kept the same as that of the top level of the roof slab of the tunnels.
✓The capacity of the tunnels is usually kept at about 20% of the canal discharge, and they are
designed to maintain minimum velocity of 2 – 3 m/s (to avoid deposition in tunnels).
IDEN 6041: DESIGN OF DIVERSION & IRRIGATION STRUCTURES
