There are various hydraulic structures, the types and classification of which indicate a wide range of their use. Any of these structures are built on water resources - from rivers and lakes to seas or groundwater - and are necessary in order to combat the destructive power of the water element. Each of the systems has its own characteristics of construction and operation.
How are classified?
Hydraulic structures are understood to mean systems that make it possible to use water resources with advantage or to prevent the harmful effects of excess water on the environment. All modern systems (irrigation, catchment, land reclamation) are called "hydraulic structures." The types and classification of them, depending on the features of installation and operation, are as follows:
- sea, lake, river or ponds;
- ground or underground;
- served by the water sector;
- used by various industries.
Modern hydraulic structures are dams, dams, spillways, water receivers, and canals. In general, any systems that are installed on a water body.
Water resistant
Water-retaining hydraulic structures are structures that can be used to create a head or to provide a difference in water levels in front of and behind the dam. Experts say that the water regime in the backwater zone changes depending on the climatic conditions of the region. Water-bearing hydraulic structures are the most important for creating dam structures, as they have a large load due to water pressure. If suddenly the water support structure fails, the pressure head of the water will be difficult to control, and this can lead to sad consequences.
Plumbing
Water supply structures consist of water intakes, spillways, gutters and canals. These are hydraulic structures that serve to transfer water to specified points. Particular attention should be paid to water intake systems, which take water from a reservoir and supply it to hydropower, water supply or irrigation facilities. Their task is to ensure the passage of water into the conduit in the established volume, quantity and quality according to the schedule of water consumption. Depending on the location, the water intake can be:
- surface: water is taken at the level of the free surface;
- deep: water is taken below the level of the free surface;
- bottom: water is taken from the lowest section of the watercourse;
- longline: with such a construction, the intake is carried out from several levels of water - this depends on its level in the reservoir itself and on its quality at different depths.
Most often, water intake hydraulic structures are mounted on the rivers. The photo shows that such designs can be high and low.
Intakes for different reservoirs
Depending on the type of source, water intakes can be river, lake, sea, reservoir. Among river structures, the most popular are coastal, floating, and river ones, which can be combined with pumping stations or mounted separately:
- The coastal structure must be installed if the coast is steep. Such a design - water intake hydraulic structures consisting of concrete or reinforced concrete with a large diameter. The photo shows that the front wall goes ashore.
- Channel systems are installed on gentle banks and differ in the heading taken out into the riverbed.
- The floating structures are a pontoon or barge with pumps installed on them, through which water is taken from the river and piped to the shore.
- Bucket water intake systems take water from a pond located on the shore of a bucket.
Regulatory
Regulatory hydraulic structures - what is this? In another way they are called straightening structures, since they allow you to regulate the flow of rivers. This can be achieved through the construction of flow-guiding and limiting structures in the channel and along the banks of the reservoir. Thanks to such systems, the river flow is formed so that it moves at a relatively low speed and thereby maintains the fairway with predetermined minimum widths, depths and curvatures. These hydraulic structures are popular, the types and classification of which are as follows:
- capital structures that are part of general systems for regulating rivers and aimed at long-term use;
- light constructions, which are otherwise called temporary and are used mainly on rivers of small and medium volume.
The first structures consist of dams, enclosing shafts, dams and perfectly cope with the undermining and destructive action of water. Light regulatory structures are curtains, wattle from brushwood, which simply direct or divert the flow of the device.
Irrigation hydraulic structures
Species and classification involve dividing by the presence of dams - damless or dam. The first systems involve the creation of an artificial canal that departs from the river at a certain angle and takes part of the flow of the stream. So that sediments from the bottom do not fall into the irrigation canal, such a structure is located on concave sections of the coast. If the water flow is significant, then the construction of dam structures is required, which, in turn, can be superficial or deep.
Culvert
Culvert waterworks are linear objects representing spillways and gutters. These systems are either controlled or automatic. With the help of a spillway, excess water is discharged from the reservoir, and the spillway is a system in which water flows freely through the crest of a water support structure. Depending on the characteristics of the movement of water, such systems can be pressureless or pressureless.
Special purpose
Among the special-purpose hydraulic structures are: hydropower, irrigation, drainage structures, land reclamation systems and water transport facilities. Let's consider these constructions in more detail:
- Hydroelectric facilities are built-in, riverbed, dam or derivational. Such systems consist of water intake structures, pressure pipelines, turbines with generators, discharge pipelines and various types of valves. Hydroelectric power plants are needed to convert the energy of a water stream into electrical energy.
- Water transport: these systems consist of locks, ship elevators, port facilities that are mounted on rivers, canals with different water levels in them.
- Reclamation: these systems allow you to think through measures aimed at a radical improvement of land. As part of land reclamation, drainage and irrigation of territories are carried out. Using the drainage system, excess moisture is removed, and the irrigation system ensures timely watering of the territory. Drainage systems can be horizontal or vertical.
- Fish passage: these hydraulic structures ensure the passage of fish from the lower water level to the upper one mainly during its spawning migration. Such systems are of two types: the first involve independent passage of fish through special fish passageways, the second - through special fish passage locks and fish lifts.
- Sumps: they are special storage tanks where industrial waste and industrial waste are collected.
In some cases, general and special facilities are combined, for example, a spillway system is placed in a hydroelectric building. Such complex systems are called nodes of hydraulic structures.
What is the danger?
There is also a division of hydraulic structures according to their degree of danger: they can be low, medium, high or extremely high degree of danger. Most often, the main factors affecting the hazard of hydraulic structures are natural loads and impacts, non-compliance of the design solution with regulatory requirements, violation of the operating conditions of facilities or consequences and damage due to an accident. Any shortcomings and unpredictable impacts can lead to the destruction of structures, the breakthrough of the pressure front.