RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FOR

THE DESIGN OF LATERAL SPILLWAYS

MINIMIZING THE IMPACT ON THEIR
ENVIRONMENT AND COST DURING
THE EXECUTION CONTROL

Acronym or abbreviated name

Implementation period
Sector or activity

Lateral Spillways
February 2007 - March 2009
Hydraulics

Project management

Jos Ramn Pena Lasso

Rafael Pascual Pastor

Budget

974.555

Objectives

Design and dimensioning of Lateral Spillways using a mathematical model,

capable to reproduce the behaviour of water without any further conditions
and hypothesis just the geometry of the building Works and the
characteristics of the fluid, allowing an optimal design of spillways.

Keywords

Hydraulics, Dams, Spillways or Weis, Sustainability, Environmental impact

Project partially funded by the Ministerio de Industria, Turismo y Comercio

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PROJECT JUSTIFICATION
There are formulations that generate the same results when it comes to designing spillways
operated by frontal discharges from large areas that drain to areas sufficiently far apart, but are
not applicable to the design of lateral spillways by their oblique position with regard to the flow
of water because they discharge from a small area or drains toward next area. In the case of these
overflows, there are many variables to take into account to implement a formula for its
calculation and dimensioning.
Specifically, the problem arise from the wide disparity of results sometimes using one or other
formulations, and even using one since the high volatility that presents the results based on the
assumptions taken in some of its variables, In many cases, offer a range of values without having
to choose more practical approaches to obtain the desired result, or the more or less conservative
depending on the operation you would like to obtain.
In general, the solution which is chosen is usually conservative to try to ensure that even in the
worst case, the lateral spillway works.
In extreme cases, and building works of great magnitude, could happen, regardless of the
calculations performed to test a scale model of the proposed building work. Solution fairly
accurate, but it is slow and expensive to simulate and predict the behaviour that the lateral
spillway will have tested for different flow rates tested.

JOB DESCRIPTION
The solution for designing and sizing lateral spillways, not only saves the problem of the
uncertainties of current methods, but also shows the final result of it with the ultimate goal of
having a way to make an optimum design.
This tool has been created for use in developing or improving products and processes with fluid
flow and among other aspects, with a very powerful technology capable of solving the hydro
system of equations simultaneously, allowing to obtain accurate results in a secure manner.
The solution optimizes the design of lateral spillways made:
The functionality required of the work of the spillway and its behaviour within the
whole of the building works in which it is composed.
The maximum security environment affected by discharges.
The lowest environmental impact of its operations, its construction and its operation as
well as the best and fastest recovery of the land affected.
The largest economy in the works with the other objectives as well as increased energy
savings in the construction phase.
With the model implemented in this project that facilitates and simplifies the design of lateral
spillways and increases the reliability security and harmony with their environment.
The project is developed according to phases which are detailed below:
State of the art and analysis of what exists.
Physical experimentation verified by testing the mathematical model and criteria for
sizing.
Inductive reasoning based on physical experimentation.
Verification of the mathematical model.
Numerical Experimentation.
Inductive reasoning based on numerical experimentation.
Verification of the criteria for sizing

Project partially funded by the Ministerio de Industria, Turismo y Comercio

n 1624