Understanding urban flood flow repartition mechanisms within street network remains challenging. This paper presents an experimental dataset of water depth and velocity profiles in the Icube experimental rig. The spatial variability of discharge along a street is highlighted. Comparing the water depth gradient orientation and the flow repartition promotes for complex repartition mechanisms at small scales. Comparable unit-discharge values are observed in both large and narrow streets. Interestingly, the intensity of the discharge deviation at the crossroad scale is related with the asymmetry of the velocity profile entering a crossroad. Moreover, discharges at the crossroad and the subdistrict scales show that downscaling of the flow repartition relationship is difficult. At real scale, results show that inflow velocity profile asymmetry may persist on a distance of several street widths downstream of a crossroad. Such distances are insufficient to consider disconnected crossroads as done in the literature to establish discharge repartition relationships.

Three laboratory-scale Archimedes screw generators were tested for their power production. They were tested at different inclination angles corresponding to their lengths in order to maintain a constant head for each screw. Experimentation was used to develop initial insight into the effect of inclination angle on Archimedes screw power production. Computational fluid dynamic simulations were then compared to the experimental data and evaluated for their accuracy. The model was found to be acceptable and was then used to extend the data set to a total of seven inclination angles across the range of $\beta =10°$ –40°. It was found that Archimedes screw generators with shallower inclination angles produced more power. It was also noted that shallower inclination angles correspond to longer screws and, thus, more civil infrastructure costs. The authors suggest that the ideal inclination angle for an Archimedes screw generator installation is between $\beta =20°$ and 25° based on this laboratory-scale testing.

The Hydrostatic Pressure Wheel is an innovative solution to regulate flow discharges and waters heights in open channel networks. Indeed, they can maintain a water depth while producing energy for supplying sensors and a regulation system. To prove the feasibility of this solution, a complete model of water depth–discharge–rotational speed relationship has been elaborated. The latter takes into account the different energy losses present in the turbine. Experimental measurements achieved in IMFT laboratory allowed to calibrate the coefficients of head losses relevant for a large range of operating conditions. Once the model had been validated, an extrapolation to a real case showed the possibility of maintaining upstream water level but also of being able to produce sufficient energy for supplying in energy isolated sites. The solution thus makes it possible to satisfy primary energy needs while respecting the principles of frugal innovation: simplicity, robustness, reduced environmental impact.

Archimedes screws are an ancient pumping technology that has more recently found use as a technology for hydropower generation. Currently, the literature is lacking reliable data, performance predicting models, and design guidelines. Most performance models presented in the literature are theoretical or were developed and evaluated using laboratory-scale data. This paper presents novel experimental and numerical simulation data to the literature from screw generators with a wide range of sizes (laboratory to full-scale powerplant scale) and orientations. The data suggest that the components of power production (pressure-driven and viscous/friction) scale differently depending on system size, configuration, and operating conditions. So, for the robust validation of models and the development of reliable design guidance, data from a wide range of sizes and configurations are crucial. The paper presents data collected from laboratory experiments, field measurements from operating powerplants, and data from numerical simulations. The numerical simulations were evaluated for accuracy with experimental data, then used to collect performance data from a wide range of screw geometries and scales. The length-scale (diameter), number of blades, fill height of water, inclination angle, and surface roughness were all varied. The data gathered in these experiments were analyzed and used to develop back-of-the-envelope estimations for the effect of each parameter on overall system performance; the relationships are intended to serve as a useful reference for designers, though they should not be used in lieu of a design model. The length-scale and number of blades were related to power in a way that could be reasonably approximated with a constant value. The fill height, inclination angle, and surface roughness were related to power in a way that could be approximated reasonably with first-order polynomial fits. Altogether, this paper presents much-needed, novel data to the literature; the data are integral for future model development and evaluation.