Optimum air-demand ratio for maximum aeration efficiency in high-head gated circular conduits.

Oxygen is an important component of water quality and its ability to sustain life. Water aeration is the process of introducing air into a body of water to increase its oxygen saturation. Water aeration can be accomplished in a variety of ways, for instance, closed-conduit aeration. High-speed flow in a closed conduit involves air-water mixture flow. The air flow results from the subatmospheric pressure downstream of the gate. The air entrained by the high-speed flow is supplied by the air vent. The air entrained into the flow in the form of a large number of bubbles accelerates oxygen transfer and hence also increases aeration efficiency. In the present work, the optimum air-demand ratio for maximum aeration efficiency in high-head gated circular conduits was studied experimentally. Results showed that aeration efficiency increased with the air-demand ratio to a certain point and then aeration efficiency did not change with a further increase of the air-demand ratio. Thus, there was an optimum value for the air-demand ratio, depending on the Froude number, which provides maximum aeration efficiency. Furthermore, a design formula for aeration efficiency was presented relating aeration efficiency to the air-demand ratio and Froude number.

Experimental investigations of aeration efficiency in high-head gated circular conduits.

The primary purpose of water aeration is to increase the oxygen saturation of the water. This can be achieved by using hydraulic structures because of substantial air bubble entrainment at these structures. Closed conduit aeration is a particular instance of this. While there has been a great deal of research on air-demand ratio within closed conduit, very little research has specifically addressed aeration efficiency of closed conduit. In the present work an experimental study was conducted to investigate the aeration efficiency of high-head gated circular conduits. Results showed that high-head gated circular conduits were effective for oxygen transfer. The effects of Froude number and ratio of the water cross-sectional flow area to the conduit cross-sectional area on aeration efficiency were particularly significant, whereas the effect of conduit length was only moderate. Further, a design formula for the aeration efficiency was presented relating the aeration efficiency to ratio of water cross-sectional flow area to conduit cross-sectional area and Froude number. The obtained results will be useful in future modeling processes and aid the practicing engineer in predicting aeration efficiency for design purposes.