Effect of the flow regime on the hydraulic features governing the operation of vortex drop shafts with spiral inlets.

If the operation of existing vortex drop shafts should be verified, then it is essential to know the hydraulic performance of these special structures under both subcritical and supercritical flow regimes. The purpose of the present research consisted of providing practical guidelines and recommendations for managing the hydraulic design and verification of subcritical and supercritical vortex drop shafts. The examination of various experimental results from physical model investigations allowed to show that the inlet channel and the spiral inlet behaved differently depending on the energy approach flow content.