Experimental study on a new type of aerator in spillway with low Froude number and mild slope flow

Experimental study on aeration characteristics of various aeration devices was conducted in the spillway tunnel of the Pubugou hydropower project, Sichuan Province, China. It is shown by comparison that the new type of aeration device, namely, the aerator with a trapezoidal-shaped slot and a steep-slope section(ATSS), can avoid water accumulation in the cavity of the aeration device in the project, thus can effectively solve the backwater problems arising from this project and be used for a wide range of different water levels, without any drain facilities. Above the water level of 840 m, the water contained in the cavity can be eliminated completely, which means that the recommended new type of aerator can meet the aeration demands in the spillway of the project with low Froude number and may be of practical significance and of interest to other projects with similar types of aeration devices.