Experimental Study on the Placement of the Angle and the Distance of Parallel Skimming Walls to Reduce Inlet Sediment in a Lateral Intake

Parallel skimming walls are regarded as one of the more efficient methods for controlling inlet sediment to a lateral intake. The present study attempts to experimentally scrutinize the impact of the angles of parallel skimming walls (θ), the corresponding distance (b), and the discharge variations of the main channel of the inlet sediment for the control of an intake. First, the impacts of parallel skimming walls incorporating three angles (θ = 0°, 15°, 30°), located in the front section of the intake and the distance between the walls (b=10 cm, 20 cm, 30 cm), were studied. A dimensional analysis showed the dimensionless extraction ratios and the relation between the variables in a laboratory. The results indicate that parallel skimming walls lead to average decreases of 69%, 41% and 26% in the amount of inlet sediment to the intake, for walls with angles of 0°, 15° and 30°, respectively. With regard to the distance between the walls, average decreases of 58%, 70% and 86% were observed for walls with placement distances of b/H=2.5, b/H=5 and b/ H=7.5, respectively.