Design and simulation of an automatic washout sluice gate system for Bududa-Nabweya gravity flow Scheme water intake.

Abstract

Washout sluice gate is a point at which water exists to a space enclosed by walls. It is widely being used for controlling discharge and flow depth. in irrigation channels, large sewers, and in hydraulic structures like water intakes. Due to delays in manual opening and closing of the gate sediment is left to raise to the height of the weir where its washed to the intake pipes that are used for distributing water from the intake to the treatment plant. This leads to too much sediment loading which is a point source pollutant in the treatment plant, high rate of corrosion and bursting of the pipes as the intake where the gate is located is on one of the hills of mountain Elgon national park a gazette and highly place, the person responsible for operating. It is expected to walk on foot for 2.5km work. An automated washout sluice gate(WSG) system was designed using Solid works software and its simulation was carried out using Arduino software. It all starts after sediment accumulating in these sedimentation chamber to 0.29m. thickness, the ultrasonic sensor senses it when the distance between it and sediment is zero and its ends an impulse to the micro-controller to start the servo motor through its shaft and bevel gears to rotate at 50 rpm in an anti-clockwise direction for 47seconds hence opening-the gate to height of O.61 m. The motor stops to rotate for 1 second to allow sediment to be washed out then it again Starts to rotate for 47 seconds, to close the gate in a clockwise direction. Bevel gears are used to reduce and transfer the horizontal motion to vertical of the motor. Messages. are-sent to" three different people using GSM when the WSG is being opened and when dosed, this is to enable monitoring of the performance of the system at a distance, Solar power is the source of power to be used for the system.