Filling and Emptying System, Walter Bouldin Lock, and Lock Culvert Valve for Coosa River Waterway, Alabama. Hydraulic Model Investigation

摘要

Five navigation locks, 84 ft wide by 600 ft long (useable length), are proposed for a series of five existing dams owned by the Alabama Power Company from Montgomery to Gadsden, Ala., on the Coosa River. The Walter Bouldin Lock and Dam will be the southernmost navigation structure on the Coosa River. The five navigation locks with lifts ranging from 130 ft (Walter Bouldin Lock) to 49 ft (H. Neely Henry Lock) will consist of intake manifolds located on the chamber side of each wall immediately upstream of the upper miter gate sill, 12- by 12-ft filling and emptying culverts, an over-and-under crossover culvert, a system of longitudinal floor culverts within the lock chamber, and a discharge diffuser system that will empty into the lower approach. All the locks on the Coosa River Waterway will be standarized, thus allowing parts for operation and maintenance to be interchangeable. The purpose of the lock model was to develop the optimum bottom longitudinal filling and emptying system for the Walter Bouldin Lock. Because of the high lift (130 ft) involved, a model study was needed to ensure the adequacy of the various elements of the system; to ensure that no undesirable hydraulic conditions exist; and to ensure that the proposed system will provide a safe means for filling and emptying the lock. The purpose of the lock culvert model study was to determine the adequacy in the hydraulic design of the valve that will be used in a series of five locks with lifts ranging from 43 to 130 ft.