Experimental evaluation of the energy dissipation efficiency of the vortex flow section of drop shafts

In urban wastewater collection and drainage networks, vortex structures are recruited to transfer fluid between two conduits with significant level differences. During the drop shaft, in addition to preventing the fluid from falling due to vortex flow formation, a significant amount of the fluid energy is dissipated due to wall friction of vertical shaft. In the present study, by constructing a physical model with a scale of 1:10 made of Plexiglas, the energy dissipation efficiency in the vertical shaft has been investigated. In this way, the performance of dimensional analysis indicates that the flow Froude number (Fr) and the ratio of drop total height to shaft diameter (L⁄D) are parameters affecting the efficiency of flow energy dissipation in the vertical shaft (η(s)). This research considers four levels of Fr factor (1.77, 2.01, 2.18, and 2.32) and three levels of L⁄D factor (10, 13, and 16). Additionally, four replications for 12 possible combinations allow us to carry out 48 experiments and the full factorial method. The results demonstrated that the energy dissipation efficiency in the vertical shaft changes varies from 10.80 to 62.29%. Moreover, η(s) values decrease with an increase in Fr whereas the efficiency increases with increasing L⁄D ratio. Furthermore, the regression analysis gave a second-order polynomial equation which is a function of Fr and L⁄D to accurately estimate the flow energy dissipation efficiency in the vertical shaft.