Flow Control Gates

Design and Manufacturing

As a flow control equipment manufacturer, Mes Makina provides design, engineering and manufacturing of all types of flow control gates: Penstock (Sluice gate, Weir gate, Slide gate), Bulkheads & Stoplogs, Radial gates (Tainter gate), Crest gates, and Flap gates.

Penstock

Penstocks are flat gates that control the flow in a channel by adjusting their vertical position. They are also known as Sluice gates, Weir gates and Slide gates.

Penstocks are composed of five main parts: Frame, Gate, Seal, Drive shaft, and Actuator.

Frame supports the gate against pressure load and creates the axis of vertical movement. Gates are designed to take pressure from front or back depending on the project. Drive shaft can be rising or non-rising type. Watertightness is accomplished by ‘P’ and ‘double lip’ EPDM seals.

Leakage rates of the seals (for 1m seal length) are approximately: 0.02lt/s for on-seat pressure, 0.04lt/s for off-seat pressure, under 6m water height. These values depend on the deflection of the gate under pressure, which can be engineered according to customer needs.

Actuation is selected based on the required loads. Manual hand wheels, geared hand wheels, or geared motor units can be incorporated.

Floodgates

Floodgates are utilized in dams and canals for flow control. Size of these gates can be much larger compared to Penstocks. Floodgates can be separated into four main categories: Bulkheads & Stoplogs, Radial gates, Crest gates and Flap gates.

Bulkheads & Stoplogs

Bulkheads are flat, single-piece gates to block the flow. Stoplogs are manufactured in pieces to allow height adjustment.

Radial Gates

Radial gates are curved structures, rotating around their hinge axis. Also known as Tainter gates, they are being used in dams and spillways for controlling the flow rate where vertical gates become impractical. Radial gates have higher strength/weight ratio compared to Flat gates.

Actuation can be accomplished with hydraulic actuators or geared motor units connected to wire ropes. While lifting the gate from above creates less strain on the structure, the trade off is the space occupied by the operating machinery located above the gate.

Crest Gates

Crest gates are flat gates that are hinged from the bottom. They are mostly actuated with hydraulic cylinders to precisely adjust the spillway water level.

Flap gates

Flap gates are flat structures, hinged on top. They are open with a slight angle to allow for flow in one direction, but the gate is automatically closed when pressure is applied from the front. One-way flood control is achieved with this type of passive design.