3.

6 Hydraulics of the bottom intake (Tyrolean intake)

(more details on other type of weirs and itakes available at

[Link]
----0-1l--11-en-50---20-about---00-0-1-00-0--4----0-0-11-10-0utfZz-8-
00&cl=CL2.16&d=HASHc3c35c25e7e9e4b378744d.9.11&gc=1 )

In the case of a vertical approach to a Tyrolean intake (cf. Fig. 40), amounts of water
partially obstructed by the trash rack - fall into a collection canal which is intended to
evacuate the water laterally. With this, a water level similar to that shown in Fig. 40 is
formed above the trash rack.

Fig. 39: Lateral intake with repelling groin

The following weir formula is used for the design of a Tyrolean intake:

(in m³/s)
where (cf. also Fig. 40) Q = discharge to be diverted in m³/s, h = k · hlimit. = 2/3 k hE =
"initial water height'' in m, c = 0.6 b cos3/2 b

with a = inside width between trash rack bars in m, d = centre distance of the trash
rack bars in m, b = angle of inclination of the trash rack with respect to the horizontal
in °,  = discharge coefficient for the trash rack, b = width of the Tyrolean intake in
m, L = length of the trash rack in m.
The various coefficients can be taken from Fig. 40.

Fig. 40: Design of a bottom intake (Tyrolean weir)

   
0° 1.000 14° 0.879
2° 0.980 16° 0.865
4° 0.961 18° 0.851
6° 0.944 20° 0.837
8° 0.927 22° 0.825
10° 0.910 24° 0.812
12° 0.894 26° 0.800
values k
The oblique arrangement of the trash rack prevents it from being clogged by bed load
or floating matter and the intake from being obstructed. The Tyrolean intake is
particularly suitable as an intake structure in rivers transporting bed load. In order to
guarantee the diversion of the minimum amount of water when stones become
wedged in the trash rack, or branches and leaves remain on the trash rack at low water
levels, the trash rack should be

selected L = 1.2 · Lcalculated

The collection canal should be designed according to the following principles:

- The canal width should correspond approximately to the length L of the trash rack.
Exactly: B = L cos b, b = angle of inclination of the trash rack bars with respect to the
horizontal.
- The canal depth for the evacuation of the water should approximately correspond
to the canal width: t ~ B.
- The canal depth is to be so determined that a freeboard of approx. 0.25 · t (t =
water depth necessary for the evacuation of the water!) remains up to the upper
edge of the trash rack. If the water cannot be evacuated in accordance with the
above recommendations, either the gradient or the water depth t of the collection
canal must be increased.
- The amount of water for power generation is limited by the capacity of the canal
cross-section.

A calculation example is given in Annex 8 - as below.

Calculation example for a bottom intake (Tyrolean weir)

At right angles with a river (stream) a Tyrolean weir is to be built in order to divert an
amount of water for power generation QA = 0.85 m³/s. In this point the river width is
about 8 m; at times of low water, the minimum headwater depth (= initial water
height) is h0 = 0.5 m. The Tyrolean weir with the collection canal is to be dimensioned
in such a way that the diversion of the amount of water for power generation Q A =
0.85 m³/s is always ensured at times of low water.

Selected quantities (numerical example)

- contraction coefficient for trash rack  ~ 0.85 (round bars)

- internal width between bars a = 2 cm
- centre distance between bars d = 4 cm
- inclination of trash rack  = 8°

Hence the following values result for

- h = 2/3 k h0 = 2/3 0.927 0.5 = 0.31 m

- c = 0.6 a/b cos3/2 b = 0.6 2/4 cos3/2 8°

- c = 0.3

With these values the discharge through the trash rack first results as a function of the
width b and the length L of the trash rack:

With QA = 0.85 m³/s, the following is obtained:

0.85 = 0.419 b L

0.85 / 0.419 = b L

b L = 2.03 or L= 203 / b (m)

width of trash rack b (m) 2 4 6

length of bash reck L(m) 1.00 0.51 0.34
- Selected width of trash rack: b = 4 m
- To this width the length L of the trash rack corresponds:

L = 2.03/b = 2.03/4 = 0.51 m

- The selection of the width and the corresponding length- of the trash rack should be
governed by the following criteria:
adaptation of the Tyrolean weir to the local conditions,
selection of a sufficiently great trash rack length which determines the width of the
collection canal arranged below. If the length of the trash rack is selected too small
this collection canal for the evacuation of the water for power generation must be
constructed deeper and, as a result, less economically, as for constructional reasons, it
should have approximately the same width as the projection of the length of the trash
rack onto the horizontal ground area.
 Figure

During-operation, parts of the trash rack can be obstructed by wedged stones, leaves
or branches so that the evacuation of the minimum amount of water can no longer be
ensured. This is why the determined trash rack length L should be increased by 20%:

L = 1.2 · 0.51 = 0.61 m.

Dimensioning of the collection canal

Along the trash rack width b (= weir width), the amount of water for power generation
falling through the trash rack increases linearly and reaches its maximum in the end
cross section of the collection canal. For reasons of simplicity, this end cross-section
is used for the dimensioning of the canal:

- Selected quantities (numerical example):

canal width B = 0.65 m,

roughness kS = 50 (concrete),
slope I = 30‰

(The slope should at least be 30‰ in order to remove again from the collection canal
the solid matter entrained, by a high tractive force of the water. For this purpose, a
higher water velocity is necessary which chiefly depends upon the slope of the
collection canal.)

- Sought: water depth t

Discharge formula for channels (rectangular)

 (m³/s)

Introduction of the values:

0.85 = 5.6 t (0.65 t/(0.65 + 2 · t))2/3

Iterative solution of the equation by inserting different values for t:

solution: t = 0.46 m
freeboard: 0.25 · t = 0.12 m
total canal depth: 0.46 m + 0.12 m = 0.58 m
2.1 Requirements to be met by an intake structure

It is the task of an intake structure to divert from the channel at the tapping point the amounts of
water necessary for whatever purpose with or without water being stored. For this purpose an
intake structure for evacuating these amounts of water and possibly a structure for damming up
the river are necessary. The bottom intake (Tyrolean intake) described in section 2.3.3 which
combines intake and damming up in one structure is particularly important in this context.

The individual elements of the intake structure should always be so arranged on the channel that
the following basic requirements are met:

1. The arrangement or the construction of a weir and intake structure must be chosen or
carried out in such a way that the evacuation of the necessary amounts of diverted water is
ensured at any regime of the channel.
2. The peak discharges must be safely evacuated from the weir and from the intake structure
without damage being caused. To achieve this, hydrological data must be collected and
evaluated in sufficient quantity in order to enable the dimensions to be planned in accordance
with safety aspects (cf. sections 1 and 2.4).
3. A simple and moderately priced construction should be aimed at which allows maintenance-
free operation and simple repairs to be carried out (cf. section 23).
4. If possible, the diverted water should be free from solid matter in order to prevent the
diversion canal from being loaded with large amounts of bed load and/or suspended matter. To
achieve this, the site of the intake structures should be selected in accordance with the river
training rules explained in section 2.2.
5. It should be possible for the bed load and suspended matter, which is possibly deposited
upstream behind the weir, to be evacuated by the water remaining in the river or by
intermittent flushing. For this purpose, additional constructional measures should be taken (cf.
section 2.2).

From this it is clear that the choice of the tapping point on or in the channel is just as important
as the choice of intake structure. The decisions are mutually dependent. A simple construction
should be the main objective. Observance of natural physical laws (cf. section 2.2) is an
important prerequisite for the correct choice of site for the intake structure on the river bank,
since the intake of bed load can be reduced by making use of these laws or by force, i.e. massive
structures. Preference should always be given to the first solution.

Whether an intake is chosen with or without a river dam depends not only upon the cost of the
weir. The following aspects should also be taken into consideration:

- The topographical conditions upstream of the structure. Damming up results in a backflow in

the channel leading to a rise in the water level, which in turn may lead to flooding of the bank
areas far upstream of the structure.
- The geotechnical conditions of the bank zones (talus material or rock).
- Height of the bank above the river bottom.
- The ratio of the quantity of diverted water to the residual quantity of water in the river at low
discharge, with regard to existing rights of use of the downstream users.
- The channel width in the tapping point (dependence of the water level at times of low
discharge in the river; meandering at low discharge in wide rivers, etc.; cost of damming
structure, etc.).
- The routing of the diversion canal.
- The intake structure must not narrow the cross-section of flow of the channel; otherwise, at
peak discharges, the bottom erosion in the area of the intake structure in the river bed would
be increased, which in turn results in a change of the water level. A safe diversion of water at
low discharges is therefore no longer ensured.

2.2 Principles for the arrangement of the intake structure on the river

As has already been mentioned, with the discharge, each river entrains solid matter in the form of
suspended matter or as bed load (cf. also section 1.3).
The location of an intake structure must be so chosen that the largest possible portion of the bed
load remains in the river and is not taken in in the diversion canal with the diverted water. A
satisfactory arrangement of the intake structure does not remove the suspended matter; this is the
task of a sand trap arranged downstream.

To hold off the bed load the natural hydraulic behaviour of the river can be profited from or
technical measures taken:

1. Use of physical laws

In straight sections of river or stream, the water flows approximately in the cross-section of the
channel, parallel to the banks. When the bed load transport begins, the bed load is transported
accordingly on the bottom of the river.

In bends the direction of the bottom flow changes compared with the surface flow (Fig. 17a). A
spiral flow forms which transports the bed load to the inner side of the river. On all streams and
rivers it can be observed that gravel and sand banks form at the inside bend, i.e. the bed load is
diverted from the deflecting bank. It could be concluded from this that the most favourable site
for the construction of an intake structure is the deflecting bank. Fig. 17b shows for several
examples the percentage of the bed load feed into a branch (intake) according to the arrangement
of the intake structure or branch in the river section, a quantity of water to be diverted amounting
to 50% being taken as a basis. Further results of the investigations are given in [6].

2. Technical measures
As technical measures bed load-deflecting structures in the form of ground sills, flushing canals,
etc., in the flow area of the branch are a possibility.

A detailed discussion follows:

The following principles can be derived from the physical relationships:

(a) If at all possible, intake structures should be arranged on the outside bend.
(b) If it is necessary to construct the intake structure on a straight river section, a bent flow can
be forced in order to be able to profit from natural physical laws.
(c) According to the rules of river training, special measures for keeping off the bed load are
always necessary whenever more than 50% of the water is diverted from the river.
(d) In addition to the use of natural physical laws, technical measures are always necessary

- for intake structures where the water is not dammed up (case (c)),
- for intake structures where the water is dammed up, as the capacity of the silting space in
front of the fixed weir is limited and the entrance of bed load into the intake structure cannot
be prevented in the long term (cf. also Fig. 18).

Fig. 17a: Deposits in a river bend

The following guidelines for the construction of intake structures on various river
sections are derived from these principles. They also serve to illustrate the examples
previously discussed in a summarized form.

Intake structure on a straight river section

If the intake structure is arranged on a straight river section, the deflection of the flow
by the power canal results in the bed load being transported to the inside bend, i.e. in
the direction of the power canal. In order to prevent this, the flow of the river in front
of the intake structure must be deflected so that the bed load remains in the river. For
this purpose, groins (cf. Fig. 18) are arranged on the side of the river opposite the
intake structure. This forces such a bend of the flow that the intake structure is now
situated on the outside bend and the bed load is largely prevented from entering the
power canal.

Fig. 17b: Entry of bed load in lateral intakes without additional structures according to
[6]

Distribution of bed load in the main stream and branch under the condition of a
diversion of 50%
QA = QH = 0.5 QO
remaining of the bed load in the main stream, in entry of the bed load in the branch, in
% %
a 0 100
b 50 50
c 89 11
d 0 100
e 100 0
Intake structure on a bent river section
If intake structures are arranged on bends, the intake must always be situated on the
outside bend, as the bed load is transported to the inside and the arrangement of the
intake structure outside allows the bed load to be largely diverted from the intake.

The most favourable site for the intake structure is somewhat downstream of the apex
of the bend. The spiral flow is strongest here, causing most of the bed load to be
transported towards the inner bank.

If the bend in the river section is only slight (Fig. 19), the bending effect can be
increased by a groin as described above (cf. Fig. 18). A bend is slight when the angle
of the bend <30° (Fig. 19).

Fig. 18a: lateral intake without damming and repelling of bed load from intake by
technical measures
Fig. 18b: Lateral intake with damming and repelling of bed load from intake by
technical measures

Fig. 19: Angle of bend 

Slight bend at a < 30º
2.3 Types of intake structures and their elements

2.3.1 General

Types of intake structures are chiefly distinguished by the method used to divert water
from the river:

- lateral intake,
- bottom intake,
- overhead intake (intake of the water via inlets arranged in piers),

as well as encroachments on the river itself, i.e., for example, intake with and without damming
up of the river. In the following, the most common types of intakes and structures for small
installations will be described. The overhead intake which is suitable for low-head power plants
for energy production on large rivers will not be described here in detail. As regards smaller
intake structures for small irrigation projects, small hydro-power plants, etc., the description
will be limited here to the lateral intake with and without damming, and the bottom intake.

2.3.2 Lateral intake with damming up of the river

A lateral intake with water damming normally consists of two structures, the weir and
the intake. The individual elements of the structures can be seen in Fig. 20. The
individual structures and their elements have the following functions:

Weir

The weir is situated in the river and its function is to dam up the water level in order
to ensure a constant minimum depth of water upstream of the weir and to allow the
quantity of water for operational purposes (amount of service water) QA to be diverted
from the river irrespective of the regime.

Fig. 21 shows the elements of the fixed weir. It consists of

- the actual weir body or the weir sill,

- the structure for energy dissipation: race floor, stilling basin with positive end sill, if necessary,
- the scour protection in the tail water in the area of transition between the structure and the natural
river bottom.
Fig. 20: Elements of intake structure with damming. 1 retaining weir, 2 lateral intake, a forebay, b side
weir and flood relief canal, c intake sluice/weir, d sand trap or direct connection to diversion canal

Fig. 21: Elements of a fixed weir

For reasons of economy, only fixed weirs are suitable for intake structures on small and medium-
sized rivers for the tapping of relatively small amounts of water, as then maintenance is simple,
local construction materials can possibly be used, and repairs be carried out by local staff.
In Fig. 22 different types of weirs are shown which will be described in detail in the following:

- Wooden weirs

The timber dam in Fig. 22 is suitable for construction heights up to 1.80 m. The dam wall must
be sealed by staggered boards or by foil arranged inside. If the stream or river transports large
quantities of bed load and suspended matter, a gradual sealing by the solids deposited can be
expected. The race floor must be covered with thick planks or stones in order to prevent scours.

- Crib weirs

Crib weirs (Fig. 22) are suitable for greater impounding heads (up to 3 m) and have also proved
their worth for rivers and streams which transport large quantities of bed load and suspended
matter. They consist of wooden beams stacked at right angles and bolted, and filled with stones
or bed material from the river. The front dam wall must be as tight as possible so that the weir is
not destroyed by water flowing through it. To achieve this, staggered boards with foil between
them can be used. According to the type of subsoil, the weir should be anchored with stone bolts
(rock) or piles (subsoil into which piles can be driven). When the piles are driven close together,
the front row may serve as sheet piling to reduce under see page. Where piles cannot be driven
into the soil, the weir must be very long so as to obtain a long seepage line in order to reduce the
buoyant forces due to the uplift (cf. also section 2.5).
 Fig. 22: Different weir types of wood, masonry and concrete

- Stone or concrete weirs

Smaller impounding heads (< 1.50 m) can be reached with weirs of riprap and gravel
core. The surface must consist of closely set press stones which offer sufficient
resistance to the current. If the weir body is made of concrete, the weir surface should
be paved with heavy granite blocks in order to avoid damage to the weir. For streams
and rivers with coarse bed load, it is recommended that the downstream face of the
weir be paved with hard wooden blocks. This lining of the weir surface has proved its
worth, as in the case of too strong abrasion or damage, individual wooden blocks are
relatively easy to replace. The blocks are placed in the mortar bed with the grain of
the wood at right angles to the current. As wood placed in a dry state expands, this
surface lining is very strong.

Intake structure
 Fig. 23: Schematic potential arrangement of elements of an intake structure

According to the factors influencing the river and the amount of water to be diverted,
the intake structure consists of the following elements:
- For intakes of less than 50% of the discharge of a river, the subdivision is shown in
Fig. 23:

(1) Trash board to keep off floating matter.

(2) Coarse screen with a distance between the tears of 10 to 30 cm.
(3) Sill to keep off the bed load, construction height about half the height of the
arithmetic mean water level when the water is dammed by a weir.
(4) Emergency gate at the inlet. Simple stop valves are arranged as emergency gates
to allow the structures and elements situated in the tail water to be cleaned and
repaired. Stop logs are suitable for this purpose which are guided in a stop log
groove (recess on the left and right-hand side of the canal wall) and pressed by the
water pressure against a seal in the groove. Fig. 24 shows such a stop log gate. The
underside of each beam should also be provided with a seal so that the stop valve is
absolutely watertight.
(5) Control structure. The intake structure is designed for a certain amount of water
QA for a specific water level in the river. At higher water levels (periods of flood,
etc.), owing to hydraulic phenomena, amounts of water larger than the design
amount flow into the diversion canal. This is why a control structure for limiting the
amount of water is to be provided enabling the excess water to be directly fed back
into the river. A long side weir is a simple solution. However, a side weir allows only a
certain portion of the discharge to be diverted. To achieve an exact limitation of the
discharge in the canal to QA, several side weirs of different length and sill height
would have to be arranged one behind another, resulting in a very long structure. By
means of a control sluice in the canal downstream of the side weir, it is possible to
achieve a greater excess head at the side weir and ensure a higher discharge
capacity. A simple sliding sluice is suitable as control sluice (Fig. 25). Such a sluice is
operated manually by a crank or a spindle. The latter is then arranged on the
loadbearing system above the sliding sluice. When the sluices are designed and
constructed, it should be borne in mind that the sluice must be pressed down by the
higher sliding friction and the buoyancy during the lowering operation and possibly
cannot be lowered by its dead weight alone. For the transmission of force for the
lifting and lowering operations, the sluice is therefore equipped with racks which
ensure the adhesion. The sluice is brought into the desired position with the crank
and the spindle.
Fig. 24: Emergency gate

Fig. 25: Sliding sluice

Fig. 26: Example of an intake structure and flushing canal for bed load removal (QA >
0.5 · Q0) - basic sketch

- If more than 50% of the water is diverted from the stream or river, a bed load
transport towards the intake structure must be expected due to the stronger
deflection of the current in the direction of the intake structure. To prevent bed load
from entering the diversion canal, an arrangement of flushing canals as proposed in
Figs. 26 and 98 should be considered. These flushing canals must always have a
bottom slope of at least 5%. As shown in Fig. 25, in order to minimize or prevent the
entry of bed load in the forebay, it can be kept off by a first sill in front of the intake
structure. If bed load still passes over this sill into the forebay, these deposits are led
to the downstream side by intermittent flushing after a sluice in the flushing canal
has been opened.

Fig. 27 shows the arrangement of weir, flushing canal and sand trap with the direct
connection of a pressure pipe. This intake is suitable for the diversion of water
without a power canal. Before entering the sand trap the bed load is kept off by a sill
and led off to the downstream side by intermittent flushing after a sluice has been
opened in the flushing canal. The sand trap is flushed by opening a flushing sluice at
the end of the sand trap. Here, a spillway overflow in the form of a side weir can be
constructed in order to feed excess amounts of water (closing of the turbines, flood)
back into the river bed.
Fig. 27: Intake structure for a small hydroelectric power plant with sand trap and bed
load removal (flushing canal) - basic sketch

In Fig. 28 the bed load is kept off by a first sill in front of the flushing canal. Solid
matter that has been deposited in the flushing canal can be led off to the downstream
side by intermittent flushing after a sluice has been opened. The intake structure in the
form of a side weir prevents bed load from entering the power canal.
 Fig. 28: Intake structure with bed load removal (flushing canal) and spillway (side
weir) - basic sketch

If an excess amount of water enters the canal via the intake structure during a flood
event, this is fed back into the river via a spillway (side weir, possibly with sluice in
the canal to achieve a higher excess head) before it can enter the power canal.

2.3.3 Lateral intake without damming

In most cases lateral intake without damming is suitable only for the diversion of
small amounts of water.

The inflow into the intake structure which is arranged laterally (Fig. 18) is directly
dependent upon the water level in the river. According to the minimum regime of the
river, the inflow is thus limited in quantity. Another limiting factor is that in the
channel line the river bottom is normally situated at a lower level than the inlet bottom
on the bank, with the result that in the inlet area, the excess head is smaller than the
actual water depth of the river.

The limit up to which such intake structures are suitable is formed by an amount of
water to be diverted of 1 to 2 m³/s << Q.

These few remarks already show that this type of intake without damming is suitable
only in a few cases. In many cases it is nevertheless advantageous to dispense with
damming in order

- to avoid an encroachment on the discharge in the case of insufficient knowledge

being available of the hydrological phenomena,
- to avoid generating backwater to the upstream side and having to construct
expensive jetties,
- to avoid aggradation in front of the dam in the case of rivers transporting a great
quantity of bed load (often connected with a breakage of the weir body).

The disadvantages of leaving the river undammed can be compensated by

constructional measures. The water is fed into the inlet area with the aid of a
repelling groin to be constructed.
 Fig. 29: Simple intake structure without damming with repelling groin

A typical intake structure with repelling groin is shown in Fig. 29. The water is
diverted from a stream or river into the canal by a groin consisting of stones piled up
in the river (repelling groin).

At times of medium and lowest discharge, when the river does not transport bed load
or only small amounts of it, the diversion canal is not loaded by bed material. At times
of the highest discharge when the bed load transport increases, the piled up stones of
the repelling groin are entrained by the water, i.e. the groin is torn down so that the
bed load can be freely transported by the river without hindrance. As the amount of
diverted water is small in proportion to the amount of river water in the case of flood
(QA << HQ0), scarcely any bed load is transported into the inlet area. After the flood
has subsided at the end of the rainy season, the repelling groin should be restored in
order to ensure that water to be diverted is again introduced into the power canal at
times of low discharge.
 Fig. 30: Lateral intake without damming - basic sketch

Another method which has proved to be of practical value is to protect the intake
structure by rock escarpments. Fig. 30 shows a typical arrangement. Owing to the
small amount of diverted water in proportion to the discharge during the rainy season,
bed load is scarcely introduced into the area of the intake structure, the more so as the
intake structure is protected from the direct approach of water by the outcropping rock
nose. When the discharge is at its lowest, the river carries almost no bed load at all,
and the canal is therefore not loaded by bed material.

In periods of extreme drought, a repelling groin can be set up to ensure that the
desired amount of water can be diverted.

2.3.4 Bottom intake (Tyrolean intake)

The Tyrolean intake occupies a special position. The water to be diverted is taken in
through a collection canal built into the river bottom and covered with a screen (Fig.
31). The bars of the screen are laid in the direction of the current and inclined in the
direction of the tail water so that coarse bed load is kept out of the collection canal
and transported further downstream. Particles which are smaller than the inside width
between the screen bars are introduced into the collection canal together with the
water and these must later on be separated from the water for power generation by
suitable flushing devices. The bottom intake can be constructed at the same level as
the river bottom or in the form of a sill.

For the construction of the bottom intake attention must be paid to the following
points:

- massive formation of the concrete body as it is subject to strong abrasion forces,

- recommended angle of inclination b of the screen between 5° and 35°,
- stable formation of the screen bars,
- sufficient freeboard between water surface in the collection canal and upper edge
of the screen (at least 0.25 t = maximum water depth in the collection canal),
- sufficient slope in the collection canal to evacuate the solid matter which has
entered through the screen, presorting of this matter by the inside width between
the screen bars. In planning the dimensions of a Tyrolean intake it must be borne in
mind that the whole inflow is taken from the river until the capacity limit of the
screen is reached. If this maximum possible draw-off amount is greater than the
lowest discharge, the tail water is drained. If the inflow exceeds the screen's capacity
limit (e.g. during flood events), the amounts which are not diverted flow through the
screen into the tail water. This is why the maximum amount of water for power
generation to be evacuated can be more safely limited with a bottom intake than
with a lateral intake with fixed weirs.

In Fig. 31 the elements of the intake structure with a Tyrolean weir are shown.

Fig. 31: Tyrolean weir / bottom intake

 2.3.5 Selection criteria

In Table 4 (p. 53), the most important criteria for the selection of the lateral and
bottom intake are given. The decision for one of the two intake types with a different
arrangement of individual components should be taken bearing in mind the local
conditions which are particularly influenced by the river's morphology and
topography.

Selection criteria Lateral intake Bottom intake (Tyrolean

weir)
Intake for water Quite possible in connection with a Quite possible in
power utilization sand trap connection with a sand trap
Amount of water A favourable selection of the intake The bottom screen draws
to be taken in place will be a necessary off the river water up to the
prerequisite(outside bend, forcing of capacity limit of the screen.
an artificial bend by groins) if the
amount of diverted water is greater
than 50% of the amount of water
supplied.
Gradient of river:
- very great (I > Favourable; an as maintenance-free Very favourable; if the
10%) to great operation of the intake structure as intake structure is well
(10% > I > 1%) possible should be ensured. designed, the Tyrolean
gradient Weir can prove its worth
owing to maintenance-free
operation.
- mean gradient Favourable in connection with a Unfavourable; fine bed
(1% > I > 0.01%) hydraulically very efficient sand trap. load falls into the
collection canal and can
result in strong alluvial
deposits; difficult
arrangement of the flushing
installation.
- low gradient Favourable in connection with a Unfavourable.
(0.01% > I > hydraulically very efficient sand trap.
0.001%)
Ground-plan of
river:
- straight Possible in connection with additional Very favourable, as bottom
structures (groins for forcing a bent screen is uniformly loaded.
 flow).
- winding Very favourable when arranged on the Unfavourable, as bottom
outside bend. screen is not uniformly
loaded.
- branched Unfavourable; damming of the river Unfavourable.
recommended.
Solid matter transport of the river:
- Suspended
matter
concentration:
high Suitable in connection with a Less suitable.
hydraulically very efficient sand trap.
low Well suited. Well suited.
- Bed load
transport:
strong Suitable as long as a sufficient amount Well suited in the case of
of water remains in the river for coarse bed load; expensive
flushing and transport purposes, removal in the case of fine
bed load with flushing
devices.
weak Well suited. Well suited.

Table 4: Selection criteria for lateral and bottom intake