Melvin Price Locks and Dam Auxiliary Lock and Rotary Lock Culvert Valve Mississippi River, Alton, Illinois

Tests were conducted on 130-scale model of the Melvin Price Auxiliary Lock on the Mississippi River at Alton, Illinois, and on 112-scale models of rotary valves proposed for use as the filling and emptying valves. The lock model was built to study the effect of the rotary valves on the filling and emptying characteristics, the adequacy of the vertical slide gates to be used as a backup system, and the effects of flow rate through the adjacent spillway bays on the lock discharge outlets during emptying operations. The filling and emptying system consisted of intake manifolds upstream from the upper miter gate sill, longitudinal culverts, rotary valves, sidewall ports, and discharge outlets in the valve monolith. Unsatisfactory flow conditions were observed during spillway discharges in the vicinity of the lock discharge outlet caused by a discontinuity along the lock wall between the spillway pier and the discharge outlet. A wall was installed that streamlined the discontinuity and provided satisfactory flow conditions during spillway releases.