Flow Network Analysis Under a Dam
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ScribdTranslationsFlow Network Analysis Under a Dam
Translated by
ScribdTranslationsSolved practice.
Flow network under a dam
Approach
The dam of the drawing is settled on materials with a hydraulic conductivity of 0.3 m/day.
Under these materials, there is an impermeable substrate.
It is requested:
a) Draw the flow network under the dam
b) Calculate the flow per meter of dam (one meter perpendicular to the drawing)
c) Draw a piezometric tube open at any point of the fourth line
equipotential. Calculate how far the water would rise.
Drawing of the flow network
Three flow lines have been drawn, but that is subjective (denser net, solution more
necessary, but more difficult, or impossible, to do by hand.
Dh = 6 m
The base of the dam and the lower impermeable formation act as flow lines, by
Therefore, the equipotential lines must be cut perpendicularly.
We must assume that a drop coming from infinity (to the left of the drawing) circulates sticking to the bottom and
finally rises outside the drawing on the right. This makes us consider that in addition to all the squares
There are also two 'open squares' drawn, one on the left and one on the right of the drawn net.
On the contrary, the water on both sides of the dam is an equipotential line: it is obvious that
All points in the bottom of a lake have the same potential. Therefore, the flow lines
they are born and end perpendicularly,
Although it seems to meet the standards (square gaps, perpendicular cuts) we have
drawn circles inscribed in some gaps, noting that some may be acceptable (in
green, dotted), but most of them are not square (the red ones, interior without
points).
F. Javier Sánchez San Román -- Dept. Geology -- Univ. Salamanca (Spain) [Link] Page 1
Dh = 6 m
It is very difficult to manually draw (as is the case) a perfect flow network, but to show
Qualitatively, the flow and for the calculation we will do now, the precision is sufficient.
b) Calculation of the flow under the dam
We will apply Darcy's Law to a 1-meter section of the dam. We will calculate the flow rate.
for one of the four current tubes, for example the one shown dotted in the figure.
a
Dx
And inside this tube we will apply Darcy's Law to the section of one of the surfaces.
equipotential surfaces, whose width at that equipotential would be.
Let's consider that isolated tube and note that the sections are equal to:
Section =a· 1
The distance between that equipotential and the
next is xy the potential difference
among them will be: 1 meter
6 meters a
h 0.4 meters
15 intervals Dx
Indeed, we count the number of stages or intervals (which is equal to the number of equipotentials + 1), and if
loses 6 meters over the entire route, which consists of 15 stages, losing 6/15 in each one.
Therefore, thehydraulic gradientbetween the two equipotential surfaces drawn in the
h/ x = 0.4 x
the last figure will be
F. Javier Sánchez San Román -- Dept. Geology -- Univ. Salamanca (Spain) [Link] Page 2
Finally, we apply Darcy's Law:
Q = K · Section · ( h/ x)
0, 4
Q = 0.3 m/day · (a· 1)m2· = 0.12 m3/day
x
Aunque desconocemos los valores de aand from x, are canceled, since they are equal when being the
red square.
Finally, we multiply by the number of tubes:
Q total = Q per tube · number of tubes = 0.12 · 4 =0.48 m3/day
This would be the flow rate per meter, it would be necessary to multiply by the length in meters of the
press.
c) Water level at a point
If we opened a piezometric tube on the fourth equipotential line, the water would rise to
a height of 1.6 meters below the initial level (left side of the figures). Let's see for
what:
1.6 m
Dh = 6 m
We have already seen in the previous section that between two consecutive equipotential lines the loss
of energy corresponds to 0.4 meters1
Therefore, in four intervals he will have lost:
0,40 • 4 = 1.6 meters
1
The energy (hydraulic potential) is equal to the height of the water column times g (acceleration due to gravity)
F. Javier Sánchez San Román -- Department of Geology -- University of Salamanca (Spain) [Link] Page 3