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Sluice




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A sluice is a water channel that is controlled at its head by a gate. A ''sluice gate'' is traditionally a wooden or metal plate which slides in grooves in the sides of the channel. Sluice gates are commonly used to control water levels and flow rates in River s and Canal s.


OPERATION

Raising a sluice gate allows water to flow under it. (The term ''sluice gate'' refers to any gate that operates by allowing water to flow under it.) When a sluice gate is fully lowered, water sometimes spills over the top, in which case the gate operates as a Weir .

Usually a mechanism drives the sluice gate up or down. This may be a simple, hand-operated, worm drive or Rack And Pinion Drive , or it may be electrically or Hydraulically powered.

The gates of a Lock may work in a way similar to the way a sluice gate works, but traditional canal lock gates are hinged to swing like double doors.


FLOW CALCULATION

The sluice flow rate formula is:
:Q = AC\sqrt{2gh}
where:
  • ''Q'' is the flow

  • ''A'' is the area of the sluice

  • ''g'' is the acceleration due to Gravity on the Earth's surface (approx. 9.81 m/s²)

  • ''h'' is the head across sluice

  • ''C'' is the discharge coefficient (typically 0.61 for small depth ratios)



TYPES OF SLUICE GATES


  • flap sluice gate - a fully automatic type, which is controlled by the pressure head across it. It is a gate hinged at the top. When pressure is from one side, the gate is kept closed. A pressure from the other side opens the sluice when a threshold pressure is surpassed.


  • vertical rising sluice gate - a plate sliding in the vertical direction, controlled by machinery.


  • radial sluice gate - a structure, where a small part of a cylindrical surface serves as the gate, supported by radial constructions going through the cylinder's radius, continuing through to a counterweight.


  • rising sector sluice gate - also a part of a cylindrical surface, which rests at the bottom of the channel and rises by rotating around its centre.


  • needle sluice - a sluice formed by a number of thin needles held against a solid frame through water pressure as in a Needle Dam .



SEE ALSO