Blockage Probability Modeling of Large Wood at Reservoir Spillways With Piers

Large wood increases the morphological and hydraulic complexity of rivers, yet it may block and modify the flood discharge capacity of hydraulic structures. To assess the related risk, blockage probability estimation for hydraulic structures such as reservoir spillways is needed. This work presents unstudied parameters for blockage of large wood with a reservoir-type approach flow, where the inflow velocity has a negligible magnitude. Experiments were conducted in a channel with an ogee crested spillway equipped with piers, representing a commonly used hydraulic structure. Artificial stems were used to systematically evaluate the influence of stem length and stem draft on the blocking process. Different hydraulic conditions were evaluated by changing the water level in the reservoir. The head at the spillway crest with respect to stem draft was found to be a key parameter for blockage probability estimation at a spillway. Additionally, stem length was related to the bay width in the estimation of blockage. Larger heads tend to reduce the blocking probability of large wood, for a given stem draft, while increasing the relative stem length tends to increase the blocking probability. A logistic regression model is provided to estimate large wood blockage probability at ogee crested spillways with piers. Finally, recommendations for engineering practice are presented.