Publication: A study of vortex dynamic efficiency in hydro-suction system by experimental and numerical investigation.
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Date
2025-11
Authors
Al-Hamadani Mohammed Hamid Rasool
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Abstract
Reservoir sedimentation is a growing global problem that threatens the long term availability of water resources. It reduces the important storage capacity of dams, which negatively affects key sectors like water supply, irrigation, and energy generation. The increasing age of dam infrastructure, coupled with the intensifying effects of climate change, further compound this critical issue. Sustainable reservoir management requires the performance of effective sediment removal strategies. Hydrosuction is a method that uses the energy from hydraulic head to remove accumulated sediment in the reservoir. An advantage of this method is low external power demand for system operation. However, one major limitation of the system its limited capability to sustain sediment particle suspension during the removal particles. The present study explores the ability of a fan blades to vortex generating mechanism as a means to enhance sediment removal efficiency. This novel approach is based on the principle that the induced vortex flow will complement the concentration of suspended sediment at the movement water. Laboratory experiments were conducted to assess sediment removed using a traditional Hydro-Suction System (HSS) and a modified Vortex Utilising Hydro-suction System (VUHS) with comparison of results. The results indicated that the VUHS achieved enhancements in performance indicators, with maximum scour hole diameter increasing by 91%, scour hole depth by 106%, and 770% to magnitude of sediment removal, relative to the HSS. To gain a comprehensive understanding of the device VUHS, a series of practical experiments using a physical model to water was employed Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). Concurrently, a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model of the modified Vortex Utilising Hydro-suction System (VUHS) was developed to simulate its operational behaviour. The CFD numerical model was validation against PIV data obtained from three operation cases: (I) suction flow at the intake, (II) injection flow through the vortex-inducing fan blades, and (III) the combined operation of suction and injection. The validation results demonstrated a strong agreement between the CFD simulations and the experimental measurements PIV, the residual and square of correlation coefficient between results ( 0.0016, 0.98) respectively. Furthermore, the analysis derived from PIV and CFD revealed that the maximum suction flow (Us) was achieved under the combined operation of injection and suction, which intensified the swirling motion, consequently generating a low-pressure region at the centre and leading to an increase in Us. Optimal performance for the VUHSS was observed within a suction to-injection discharge ratio (λ) range of 0.6 to 1.2. To develop the predictive capabilities for the suction velocity of the VUHSS, six Machine learning (ML) models ( M1-M6) were constructed. With the finding R2 to M2 (0.972) and M4 (0.984), visual
comparison confirmed that models M2 and M4 demonstrated the most robust predictive accuracy, exhibiting the closest models with the ideal velocity distribution and maintaining low error levels. This study's findings clarify how suction velocity is distributed and the relationship between vortex strength and suction magnitude. This understanding can improve the efficiency and overall performance of the hydrosuction sediment removal.