RUNOFF

By

Bireswar Majumdar Department of Power Engineering Jadavpur University, Kolkata

What is runoff? Runoff is the drainage or flowing off of the precipitation from catchment area through a surface channel. It represents the output from the catchment in a given unit time.

Runoff is a very complex phenomenon of various inter relationship factors. The total quantity of water that can be expected from a stream in a given period of time (say a year) is called the yield of the river it also represents the annual runoff volume.

Based on the time delay between the precipitation and the runoff, the runoff is classified into two categories: Direct runoff it is the part of the runoff which enters the stream immediately after the precipitation. It consists of surface runoff, prompt interflow and precipitation on the channel surface. Direct runoff sometimes called as direct storm runoff and storm runoff. Base flow It is the delayed flow that reaches a stream essentially as ground flow Factors affecting the runoff Precipitation characteristics Meteorological characteristics Catchment characteristics Storage characteristics

Precipitation losses = Direct runoff + storage Precipitation Abstraction = Direct runoff + storage = Precipitation excess Abstraction is the moisture lost which is not lost totally If storage is negligible (not always) then Precipitation excess = Stream flow direct runoff Stream flow direct runoff is the flow through a stream channel/river throughout the year. It is measured using continuity equation where average velocity of the stream flow is estimated using either Chezys equation ( v = C Rh S 0 ) or Mannings equation ( v = 1 R 3 S 2 h 0 n
2 1

Problem
The following table gives values of measured discharge at a stream-gauging site in a year. Upstream of the gauging site a weir built across the stream diverts 3.0 and 0.5 Mm3 (million m3) of water per month for irrigation and for use in an industry respectively. The return flows from irrigation is estimated at 0.8 Mm3 and from the industry at 0.3 Mm3 reaching the stream upstream of the gauging site. Estimate the base flow. If the catchment area is 120 km2 and the average rainfall is 185 cm, determine the runoff-rainfall ratio.
Month

10

11

12

Gauged flow (Mm3)

2.0

1.5

0.8

0.6

2.1

8.0

18.0

22.0

14.0

9.0

7.0

3.0

Solution In a month base runoff flow Rv = Vs+ Vd Vr

where Vs = volume of flow measured

Vd = volume diverted out of the stream Vr = volume returned to the stream

Vr = 0.8 + 0.3 = 1.10 Mm3

Vd = 3.0 + 0.5 = 3.5 Mm3

Volume (Mm3)
Month Vs Vd Vr Rv 1 2.0 3.5 1.1 4.4 2 0.6 3.5 1.1 3.9 3 0.8 3.5 1.1 3.2 4 0.6 3.5 1.1 3.0 5 2.1 3.5 1.1 4.5 6 8.0 3.5 1.1 10.4 7 18.0 3.5 1.1 20.4 8 22.0 3.5 1.1 24.4 9 14.0 3.5 1.1 16.4 10 9.0 3.5 1.1 11.4 11 7.0 3.5 1.1 9.4 12 3.0 3.5 1.1 5.4

Total Rv = 116.8 Mm3 Annual base flow = annular runoff = 116.8 Mm3 Area of the catchment = 120 km2 = 1.2 x 108 m2 Annual runoff

1.168 108 m 3 = = 0.973 m = 97.3 cm 1.2 108 m 2

Rainfall = 185 cm Runoff/rainfall = 97.3/185 = 0.526

Hydrograph A hydrograph is a graph that shows how a river discharge varies over time in a river system. It the graph of discharge rate (Q) vs. time (t). It therefore shows a trend in the river.

Rising limb - The part of the hydrograph up to the point of peak discharge. Falling limb - The part of the hydrograph after the peak discharge. Peak discharge - The highest point on the hydrograph when there is the greatest amount of water in the river. Lag time - Period of time between peak rainfall and peak discharge

Rippls mass curve (Flow-mass curve) The runoff mass curve is another method of the graphical representation of the stream flow. It is the plot of the cumulative discharge volume (V) against time plotted in a chronological order. Thus
V = Q dt
t0 t

and hence flow-mass curve is an integral curve (summation curve) of the hydrograph. Slope of line BC represents the average rate of flow that can be maintained between the time tB and tC if a reservoir of adequate storage is available. If first and last points are joined by a straight line then its slope will give the rate of flow for the Line parallel to the entire period. demand line BC at E The difference in the ordinates between the demand line BC and a line parallel to it at E and tangent of the mass curve is the volume of water needed as storage to meet the demand from the time the reservoir was full.

Calculation of storage volume

Vertical distance between two tangents at peak and valley is the storage required to maintain the flow. ** 1 cumec-day is the accumulated flow in 24 hours i.e. in day when flow rate is 1m3/s = 1x3600x24 = 8.64x104 m3/day

Problems 1. Mean flow of a stream throughout the year is given below

Month

Jl

Au

Mean flow (cumecmonth)

110

90

70

50

30

25

65

220

300

190

115

110

a) What should be the minimum storage capacity for power generation at a uniform discharge of 85m3/s? (Ans: 190 cumec-month) b) If reservoir capacity is fixed at 270 cumec-month, what uniform rates of withdrawal is possible? Assume an average month = 365/12 = 30.4 days. (Ans: 100 cumec) Ref. Dandekar and Sharma

2. If demand rate is 40m3/s, calculate maximum storage required for the following steam flow
Month

Jl

Au

Mean flow (m3/s)

60

45

35

15

50

80

105

90

80

70

Hints Prepare a table as below Month Mean flow (m3/s) Monthly flow (cumec-day) Accumulated volume (cumec-day)

Draw the curve and the demand line. Find vertical distance between demand line and the tangent (Ans: 2100 m3/s day = 181.4 Mm3) Ref: Subramanya

Rainfall Runoff correlation It depends on catchment areas and climate. A straight line regression between runoff (R) and rainfall (P) is considered (after plotting R vs P and drawing a mean straight line using least square method) R = aP + b By least square method

a=

N ( PR ) ( P )( R ) N

a,b are constants/coefficients

R a P b=
N
The coefficient of correlation

( P ) ( P )
2

N is the number of observation of set R and P

r=

[{N ( P ) ( P ) } {N ( R ) ( R) }]
2 2 2 2

N ( PR ) ( P )( R )

The values of r lies between 0 and +1as R can have only +ve correlation with P. For good correlation 0.6<r<1.0. Further it should be noted that R0. For large catchment area R = Pm, where and m are constant. Taking log on both sides

ln R = m ln P + ln
m and ln determined from the straight line curve as done for small catchment area

Problem Develop correlation equation between P and R for the following data Month 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 P 5 35 40 30 15 10 5 31 36 R 0.5 10.0 13.8 8.2 3.1 3.2 0.1 12.0 16.0 Month 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 P 30 10 8 2 22 30 25 8 6 Ref: Subramanya R 8.0 2.3 1.6 0.0 6.5 9.4 7.6 1.5 0.5

Ans: R = 0.38P 1.55, r = 0.964

Measurement of stream flow/runoff Direct measurement (a) Area-velocity method (b) dilution technique (c) electromagnetic method (d) Ultrasonic method Indirect measurement (a) Hydraulic structures weirs, flumes, etc. (b) slope area method

*** Details will be discussed in Testing of Hydro Plants at Site