An Experimental Study of the Influence of Open Channel Hydraulic Parameters and Soil Gradation on Jet Pump Sand Removal`s Efficiency

Removing deposits is one of the most important maintenance activities that applied to irrigation canal. This research aims to study experimentally the effect of different flow conditions such as discharge and water depth on removing sand by using jet pump. To achieve this goal, an experimental program was set up and a small prototype of jet pump was tested under different conditions. The flow discharge, water depth and sand type were related to sand remove by the jet pump. Forty five runs were applied on the physical model built in the hydraulic lab of the Channel Maintenance Research Institute, National Water Research Center, Egypt. It was found that both of water depth and discharge of open channel had no direct effect on jet pump efficiency. The efficiency of jet pump was mainly affected by soil gradation. Finally, it is recommended to use jet pump in limited maintenance work where the soil is loose.