On each of the lock gates, a valve allows flow from the upstream sluice to the downstream sluice, guiding the fish through the lock. Sometimes, however, the flow through the gate causes it to vibrate, creating a risk of damaging the entire structure.
The aim of this study is therefore to model the flow through a sluice gate in different configurations of upstream and downstream water level and different openings.
OptiFluides addresses the problem of flow-induced vibration of these gates, in order to understand the origin of the phenomenon and then propose technical solutions to eliminate it.
In this case, the implementation of a U-RANS CFD model enabled us to capture the phenomena of flow flutter downstream of the gate, resulting in strong fluctuations in the pressure forces on the gate. Available experimental data validated the model. Through numerical simulation, this in-depth analysis of the frequency content of the force torsor on the valve highlights the causes of the vibrations and proposes modifications to limit them.
