Sustainable systems engineering by CFD modeling of lateral intake flow with flexible gate operations to improve efficient water supply

Lateral intakes are very important for diverting a portion of the river flow and providing the proper flow depth. In cases where small dams are used to operate and control the river's water level for the intake and to meet downstream water needs, the opening and closing of the dam gates before the construction of the intake and during its operation are important. In the current study, the problem of reducing the water head in the intake basin of the Hemmat dam pumping station, especially in the seasons of low water and the accumulation of sediment in the intake inlet of the Hemmat dam located in the Khuzestan province of Iran, has been investigated. Focusing on different arrangements of opening and closing gates, using a spur dike and flow rates of 143, 100, 62, 32, and 12 m³/s to investigate velocity changes and the depth of flow at the water inlet, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were done. With the spur dike, the water intake efficiency is increased by 384% compared to the project's current state (operation without any flow control structure), and the hydraulic conditions resulting in sedimentation are eliminated. The flow depth of the water intake channel, with the spur dike, increases by 10% compared to the condition without it. It is worth mentioning that gate management also affects water supply efficiency. The results of the current study are a good example of the successful application of computer simulations for sustainable systems engineering.