EXPANDING STILLING BASIN

The Paper deals with abruptly expanding stilling basins. Based on a description of the main features of hydraulic jumps in expanding channels, a design method for this type of energy dissipator is proposed. The how conditions in the basin are improved with a central baffle sill. An extensive experimental investigation was carried out in order to define the most adequate sill geometry and location. The proposed design method may be considered as an alternative to the USBR Basin III design. From an economic point of view, the proposed dissipator provides both stilling action and expansion of the how. Owing to the presence of the baffle sill, the application of the described stilling basin is limited to flow conditions in which incipient cavitation should not be expected.