Assessing the Reliability of Cavitation on Chute Spillway by Using Form and Monte Carlo Simulation Method

The most important factor in the design of Chute Spillways is to control the occurrence of cavitation which is due to high velocity and negative pressure of flow. Cavitation occurs when the pressure of the fluid reaches its vapor pressure. In this condition, the fluid is evaporated and bubble is produced inside the liquid. When these bubbles arrive at a region of fluid flow with high pressure, bubbles explode and cause serious damage to structure (Iranian Water Research Institute, 2011). In Iran, the cavitation phenomenon has caused serious damage to the Karun I dam's spillway. The present study, considering the extracted results from laboratory model of chute spillway of Darian dam's spillway, investigates the probability of occurrence of cavitation and examines the reliability of this issue using FORM and Monte Carlo Simulation Method (MCSM). This model is made at a scale of 1:50 in Iranian Water Research Institute. This embankment dam is located in Paveh, Kermanshah province, Iran. The spillway channel width is 68 meters which reaches 42 meters in convergent chute. The slope length of this chute is 300.66 meters, with an angle of 14 degrees. In this laboratory model, in order to cope with the phenomenon of cavitation along the chute, two aerators in the form of deflector were used at the intervals of 211 and 270 at the beginning of chute. In order to study and control the occurrence of cavitation, it is necessary to provide information such as average velocity and pressure applied on the floor in different parts of the structure. Therefore, the flow velocity and the dynamic pressure were measured over it.