DESIGN OF RIVER INTAKE TOWER

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 DESIGN CRITERIA
• The intake pipe connecting the intake well with the jack
well should be laid with a gentle slope (i.e. 1in 200) towards
jack well, provided jack well is at lower elevation.

• The diameter of the intake pipe should not be less than

45cm.

• The jack well should be located as close to river as possible.

• No bends in conduit, continuously falling/rising. Bends

increase head loss, lower water levels in jackwell, affects
cost of pumping
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 DESIGN CRITERIA (Contd..)
• Avoid undermining of foundation due to scour.
– During floods, vel. of water is high causing scouring of
deposited sediment
– River bed level goes down exposing foundation
– Foundation level should go below maximum scour
expected in high floods
• Provision for overturning pressure due to silt
deposition on one side of tower
– Wet Intake obstructs flow of river causing deposition
of sediment only on one side & scouring on other
side. Leads to differential earth pressure on
structure.

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 DESIGN CRITERIA (Contd..)
• The velocity of 0.6-0.9 m/s (max. 1.5 m/s) in
intake conduit (gravity) with lower velocity
through ports give satisfactory performance
(CPHEEO, Manual on Water Supply &
Treatment, 1999) – reason for use of bell-mouth
entry

• Coarse/Bar screen or Racks used before ports to

protect pump, valve, pipeline from damage or
clogging. Hand or mechanically cleaned types.

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 DESIGN CRITERIA (Contd..)
• The coarse screen is made up of vertical iron bars-
– Circular of 20mm diameter placed vertically at the rate of 30 –
50mm horizontal clear spacing and it should be fitted in an angle
iron frame, which may be fixed properly in the opening/port
– Alternatively, use square edged rectangular bars (details given
ahead from Water Supply and Wastewater Engineering, BSN
Raju, 1995)

• Velocity through bar screen varies between 0.12-0.22 m/s

and no less than 0.08 m/s.

• The height of screen opening should not be less than 0.5m.

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 DESIGN PROCEDURE
• Design flow = max. daily demand = 1.5 m3/s

• Velocity of incoming raw water through coarse

screen ≤ 0.08 m/s

• Use 13 mm wide square edge

bars, 4.8 m long, with 8 cm spacing
c/c. This provides clear spacing 6.7 cm
*Course screen: opening size (mm) ˃50, 75-150]
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Parameters are to be known from survey of site:

• R.L. of River bed

• R.L. of water surface
• R.L. of Lowest water level
• R.L. of Normal water level
• R.L. of High flood level
• Peak design discharge (Q)
• Manning’s coefficient (for intake pipe)

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 INTAKE TOWER
Gate Operator

Roof
Jack
well
Raw water
Intake conduit Access Bridge
1

River Ports
Ports/ 2
Gates
Raw Water Intake Tower 3
4
Note: Water to be withdrawn from single level
Gate elevations staggered: prevent weakening
of structure by large opening in one face

Refer: Water Works Engineering,

Qasim, Motley & Zhu, PHI, 2000 8
Sluice gate for Intake tower

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• Dimension of Intake Gate/Port:
Total Area = Design flow/vel. of flow
= 1.5 (m3/s) /0.08 (m/s) = 18.8 m2
Provide 2 square gates of width = (18.8/2) 1/2
≈3m
Size of one gate = 3 m × 3 m
Actual vel. through each gate = 1.5/ (3×3)×2 =
0.17/2 = 0.085 m/s

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• Spacing of gates
Highest gate = 2 m below NWL (Elev. 85 m)
RL of highest gate top = 83 m
81.5 m CL RL
RL of highest gate bottom = 80 m
Lowest gate = 3.5 m above footing (Elev. 60 m)
RL of base of lowest gate = 63.5 m 65 m CL RL
RL of top of lowest gate = 66.5 m
Available C/C distance between ports/gates = 81.5 – 65 = 16.5 m
Provide additional gates at 2 other levels equally spaced in
16.5 m (total 4 levels)
Spacing required = 16.5/ 3 (spaces) = 5.5 m/space (c/c)
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 INTAKE TOWER
Access Bridge
Elev. 95 m
81.5 – 76 = 5.5 m c/c spacing
Elev. 90 m MRL
Elev. 85 m NRL 3.3 m 70.5 – 65 = 5.5 m c/c spacing
West East Elev. 83 m Gate Opening
Elev. 81.5 m CL
Elev. 80 m
3x 3 m
Elev. 77.5 m Gate Opening
0.5 m 1m Elev. 76 m CL
Elev. 74.5 m
East West
Elev. 72 m Gate
Gates Elev. 70.5 m CL
Elev. 70 m LRL North South Elev. 69 m Opening
Elev. 66.5 m Gate Opening
Elev. 65 m CL
North South Elev. 63.5 m
Conduit
8m Elev. 60 m Base
10 m Spread Footing

15 m Width of tower = 2×3 + 0.5×2+1 = 8 m

Final dimension of well = 10×10 m
(including wall thickness of 1 m)
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• Coarse Screen Design
Rack
1. Assume each bar 13mm Bars

wide, 4.8 m long

2. Spacing 8 cm c/c
Screen

Gate

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3. Clear opening between bars • Total screen width = width
of all opening + width of all
= 8 – (1.3/2 +1.3/2) = 6.7 cm bars
• width of all opening = no.
Assume width of screen = 3.6 m of opening × clear opening
No. of openings = 360 cm/ 8 cm (space c/c)
= 45
No. of bars = 45 – 1 = 44
Clear spacing:
15 - 75 mm (mechanical cleaning)
25 - 50 mm (manual cleaning)
Bar width: 5 – 15 mm

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• Velocity through bar screen
Area of screen = 3.6 × 4.8 = 17.3 m2
Area of bars = 44 × 0.013 × 4.8 = 2.75 m2
Open area = 17.3 – 2.75 = 14.53 m2 (4.8 m ×
3.028 m)
Velocity of raw water = (1.5/2) / 14.53 = 0.05
m/s < 8 cm/s ok

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• Head loss calculation
1. Coarse screen
𝑣𝑜2 −𝑣𝑢2 1
hL = × = 0.0728 (𝑣𝑜2 − 𝑣𝑢2)
2𝑔 0.7
vo = vel. through screen opening
vu = vel. upstream of screen m/s (assumes as
zero)
0.05 2 −(0)2 1
So, hL = × = 0.0002 m
2×9.81 0.7

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2. Intake ports
Flow/port = 1.5/2 = 0.75 m3/s
Use orifice equation:
𝑣2 1 (0.75)2
hL = × 2 = = 0.0088 m
2𝑔 CD 2×9.81× 0.6 2× 3 2

CD = Coeff. of discharge (0.6-0.9)

Area to calculate vel. is the effective submerged
area
Effective area = total port opening
Total head loss = 0.0002+0.0088 = 0.009 m

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 Pumping unit
Elev. 95 m

Elev. 90 m MRL
Elev. 85 m NRL
Elev. Elev. 89.5 m
89.5 m
Discharge

Elev. 70 m LRL
Min. Wet
well WL
69.5 m
9.5 m
Conduit
Elev. 60 m

PUMPING STATION
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• Design of Fine Screen (protects pump)
Provide two fine screens, each with 9.5 mm
opening (min. 6 mm)
Max. vel. through screen = 0.2 m/s
Screen efficiency factor (SEF) = 0.56 [depends
on material of screen, size of opening]
Flow/SEF = Wet area
Depth of water (given) = 9.5 m

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Design flow through one screen = 1.5/2 = 0.75
m3/s under normal condition
0.75 m3/s
Width of screen = = 0.62 m
9.5 𝑚 ×0.2 𝑚/𝑠×0.56
[Width of screen × SEF = Width of clear opening]
0.75 m3/s
Vel. through screen = = 0.18 m/s
9.5 𝑚 ×0.6 𝑚/𝑠×0.56
Provide 1.3 m width of screen channel/rack to allow for
guide rack, max. width of screen taken as 0.8-0.9 m

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• Head loss calculation (contt.)
3. Fine screen
Assume worst case with only one screen taking full
discharge with other out of service
1 𝑄2
hL = × A = effective open submerged area
2𝑔 CD2𝐴2
CD for clean rack (depends on screen opening) = 0.6
1 (1.5)2
So, hL = × = 0.012 m
2×9.81 (0.6) ×(9.5 𝑚 ×0.9×0.56)2
2

• Total head loss = 0.0002 m + 0.0008 m + 0.012 m

= 0.013 m

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• Stability calculation
Worst condition- Tower empty & MWL 90 m
Ht. of tower = 95- 60 = 35 m
Depth of water = 90 – 60 = 30 m
Provide footing 15 × 15 × 2.5 m
1. Uplifting forces
Vol. of water displaced by tower (+ footing)
= 10 × 10 × 30 + 15 × 15 × 2.5 = 3563 m3

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• Wt. of water displaced = 1000 kg/m3 × 3563
= 3.56 × 106 kg
Wt. of structure ˃ 3.56 × 106 kg
Wt. of structure with unit wt. of concrete 2308 kg/m3
Wt. of walls = [(10 × 10 × 35) – (8 × 8 × 35)] × 2308 = 2.91
× 106 kg
Wt. of footing = (15 × 15 × 2.5) × 2308 = 1.3 × 106 kg
Total wt. of structure = 2.91 × 106 + 1.3 × 106 = 4.2 × 106
kg
F.S. = 4.2 × 106 / 3.56 × 106 = 1.2 Ok (1.5-2 working
range)

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END

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