A multiphase model for the hydrodynamics and total dissolved gas in tailraces

Abstract Elevated supersaturation of total dissolved gas (TDG) has deleterious effects in aquatic organisms. To minimize the supersaturation of TDG at hydropower dams, spillway flow deflectors redirect spilled water horizontally forming a surface jet that prevents bubbles from plunging to depth in the stilling basin. A major issue regarding the prediction of the hydrodynamics and TDG in tailraces is the effect of the spillway bubbly surface jets on the flow field. Surface jets cause significant changes on the flow pattern since they attract water toward the jet region, a phenomenon called water entrainment. Bubbles create interfacial forces on the liquid, reduce the effective density and viscosity, and affect the liquid turbulence increasing the water entrainment. Most numerical studies on dams use standard single-phase models, which have demonstrated to fail to predict the hydrodynamics and TDG distribution. In this paper, an anisotropic two-phase flow model based on mechanistic principles capable of predicting water entrainment, gas volume fraction, bubble size and TDG concentration is presented. Good agreement between model results and field data is found in the tailrace of Wanapum Dam. The simulations capture the measured water entrainment and TDG distribution. The effect of the bubbles on the hydrodynamics and TDG distribution is analyzed.