Hydraulic assessment of different types of piano key weirs

Piano Key Weir (PKW) is a non-linear weir with a small foundation footprint that allows large discharges through a narrow channel. The presence of overhangs classifies it into A, B, C, and D. For different PKW types, this study aims to assess the discharge, hydraulic characteristics (flow regimes, water surface profile, and nappes interference), and energy dispersion. This study employs the FLOW-3D software and validated by comparing experimental types A and D PKW with numerical simulations. Experimental and simulation results agreed well, with lower MAPE values for both types. After that, eight simulations for each PKW type were run, with headwater ratios (Ht/P) from 0.13 to 0.85 (Ht: total upstream head above crest, P: PKW height). Regarding discharge performance, type-B was superior to all other PKW types at lower heads (Ht/P ≤0.40) due to longer upstream overhangs. While at higher heads (Ht/P > 0.40), type-A became the highest PKW type. Since PKWs disperse energy more effectively than linear weirs, they acquire new performance as energy dissipators. Type-C had the highest energy dispersion rate, followed by type-A, type-D, and type-B. Finally, an empirical equation was provided to predict energy dispersion rates over PKW types as a function of discharge coefficient.