Computational Flow Model of a Reverse Tainter Valve
Abstract
Reverse tainter valves are the most common valve type found on navigation locks constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Pickett and Neilson 1988 and Headquarters, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 1975). Virtually all locks constructed in the United States since 1940 have had reverse tainter valves (Davis 1989). Reverse tainter valves differ from radial gates found on spillways in that the trunnions are upstream of the skin plate and the convex surface of the skin plate faces downstream and seals against the downstream end of the valve well. A typical reverse tainter valve layout is shown in Figure 1. This reverse orientation prevents large volumes of air from being drawn into the culvert at the valve well, thereby preventing dangerous surges in the lock chamber. The geometric and hydraulic parameters describing a reverse tainter valve are shown in Figure 1. Lock culvert flow is controlled by rotating the valve about the trunnion axis. The valve position is listed commonly as the ratio b/B, where b is the distance from the valve lip to the culvert floor and B is the culvert height upstream and downstream of the valve. The average velocity in the culvert upstream of the valve is denoted as V, and V2 is the velocity of the valve jet at its most contracted section. The minimum height of the jet is related to the valve opening by the contraction coefficient, Cc.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2011
- Accession Number
- ADA602144
Entities
People
- E. A. Hammack
- Richard L. Stockstill
Organizations
- Engineer Research and Development Center