Civil Engineering Hydraulics

Open Channel Flow

Calvin: Trick or treat!

Adult: Where’s your costume? What are you supposed to be?

Calvin: I’m yet another resource-consuming kid in an overpopulated planet, raised

to an alarming extent by Madison Avenue and Hollywood, poised with my cynical
and alienated peers to take over the world when you’re old and weak. Am I scary,
or what?

Channel Terminology

¢  No matter what the shape of the open

channel, we use the same terminology in
working with the characteristics of the
channel
¢  We will start with a rectangular channel

2 Open Channel Flow

1
 Channel Terminology

3 Open Channel Flow

Channel Terminology

¢  Hydraulic Radius (Rh)

¢  The ratio of the cross sectional area to the
wetted perimeter

¢  Mean depth (zm)

¢  The ratio of the cross sectional area to the
top width (bt)

4 Open Channel Flow

2
 Channel Terminology

¢  Section factor (Z)

¢  Product of the cross sectional area and the
square root of the mean depth

Z = A zm

5 Open Channel Flow

Channel Terminology

¢  Centroid Depth (zc)

¢  Depth from the water surface to the
centroid of the cross sectional area

6 Open Channel Flow

3
 Channel Terminology

For the section shown, calculate the hydraulic radius, the centroid depth, the
section factor, and the mean depth. The rightmost dimension should be b.

7 Open Channel Flow

Froude Number

¢  In
full pipe flow, the dimensionless ratio of
the Reynolds number was used to describe
the flow characteristics.

8 Open Channel Flow

4
 Froude Number

¢  Inopen channel flow, another

dimensionless ratio known as the Froude
number is used.
¢  The Froude number is a dimensionless
number defined as the ratio of a
characteristic velocity to a gravitational
wave velocity.

9 Open Channel Flow

Froude Number

¢  Itmay also be defined as the ratio of a

body's inertia to gravitational forces.
¢  In fluid mechanics, the Froude number is
used to consider the resistance of an
object moving through water or of water
moving through an object.

10 Open Channel Flow

5
 Froude Number

¢  For
rectangular cross-sections with uniform
depth d, the Froude number can be
simplified to:

v v
Fr = =
gz m gd

11 Open Channel Flow

Froude Number

¢  For Fr < 1 the flow is called a subcritical

flow, further for Fr > 1 the flow is
characterized as supercritical flow.
¢  When Fr ≈ 1 the flow is denoted as critical
flow.

12 Open Channel Flow

6
 Sluice Gate

¢  Sluice gates are used to control flow

typically out of an impounded body of
water
¢  The depth of water upstream of the gate is
typically much deeper than the water
downstream.

13 Open Channel Flow

Sluice Gate

14 Open Channel Flow

7
 Sluice Gate

¢  The cross sectional area upstream is

Aupstream=(bt)(z1)
¢  The cross sectional area downstream is
Adownstream=(bt)(z2)
¢  For conservation of mass (continuity) the
flow upstream must be equal to the flow
downstream so Qupstream = Qdownstream

15 Open Channel Flow

Sluice Gate

¢  From this continuity

Qupstream = Qdownstream
vupstream Aupstream = vdownstream Adownstream
vupstreambt z1 = vdownstreambt z2

16 Open Channel Flow

8
 Sluice Gate

¢  We can also consider the energy on both

sides of the gate neglecting any losses due
to friction
p1 v12 p2 v22
+ +zg= + + z2 g
ρ 2 1 ρ 2
I have adopted the subscripts of the text
where 1 denotes upstream and
2 denotes downstream.
17 Open Channel Flow

Sluice Gate

¢  Ourreference plane is the bottom of the

channel and the points are on the surface
of the flows
p1 v12 p2 v22
+ +zg= + + z2 g
ρ 2 1 ρ 2
I have adopted the subscripts of the text
where 1 denotes upstream and
2 denotes downstream.
18 Open Channel Flow

9
 Sluice Gate

¢  This
means that the pressure at points 1
and 2 are both atmospheric and can be
removed from the expression

v12 v22
+ z1 g = + z2 g
2 2

19 Open Channel Flow

Sluice Gate

¢  If
we make the assumption that the
downstream velocity is significantly greater
than the upstream velocity in the direction
of the flow, we can neglect the upstream
velocity and the expression reduces to
v22
z1 g = + z2 g
2
v22
z1 = + z2
20 Open Channel Flow 2g

10
 Sluice Gate
v22
z1 = + z2
2g
¢  Using the downstream area Q
and the volumetric flow rate to v2 =
bt z2
calculate the velocity ⎛ Q ⎞
2

downstream ⎜ ⎟
bt z2 ⎠
z1 = ⎝ + z2
¢  Notice that z2 has a power of 2g
2. Q2
z1 = + z2
¢  This would indicate that there 2 gbt2 z22
are two solutions for z2.

21 Open Channel Flow

Problem 7.2

¢  Arectangular channel 8 ft wide conveys

water at 300 ft3/s. A partially raised sluice
gate in the channel restricts the flow.
Determine the downstream height of the
flow if the upstream height is 6ft.

Q2
z1 = 2 2
+ z2
2 gbt z2
22 Open Channel Flow

11
 Problem 7.2

23 Open Channel Flow

Problem 7.2

24 Open Channel Flow

12
 Problem 7.4

¢  A
rectangular channel 2.3m wide conveys
water at a volumetric flow rate of 30 m2/s.
A partially raised sluice gate in the channel
restricts the flow so that the downstream
water height is 0.68m. Determine the
upstream water height.
Q2
z1 = 2 2
+ z2
2 gbt z2
25 Open Channel Flow

Problem 7.4

¢  A rectangular channel 2.3m wide conveys

water at a volumetric flow rate of 30 m2/s.
A partially raised sluice gate in the channel
restricts the flow so that the downstream
water height is 0.68m. Determine the
upstream water height.
¢  z1 = 19.439 m

26 Open Channel Flow

13
 Venturi Flume

27 Open Channel Flow

Venturi Flume

¢  Usuallya section manufactured to a

specification that can be inserted into an
open channel allowing the measurement of
volumetric flow rate by measuring the depth
of flow at two points in the flume.

28 Open Channel Flow

14
 Venturi Flume

¢  Consider the Bernoulli expression at points

1 and 2 on the surface of the sections.
¢  Notice that the channel is narrowed at 2 so
it will have a different top width than the
section at 1
p1v12 p2 v22
+ +zg= + + z2 g
ρ 2 1 ρ 2

29 Open Channel Flow

Venturi Flume

¢  Once again, our reference plane is the

base of the channel and the points we are
considering are at the top of the water
¢  So again, we can eliminate pressure from
the expression

v12 v22
+ z1 g = + z2 g
2 2
30 Open Channel Flow

15
 Venturi Flume

¢  And substituting for the velocities

v12 v22
+ z1 g = + z2 g
2 2
2 2
⎛Q⎞ ⎛Q⎞
⎜ ⎟ ⎜ ⎟
⎝ A ⎠1 + z g = ⎝ A ⎠ 2 + z g
1 2
2 2
2 2
⎛ Q ⎞ ⎛ Q ⎞
⎜⎜ ⎟⎟ ⎜⎜ ⎟⎟
⎝ z1bt1 ⎠ + z g = ⎝ z2bt2 ⎠ +z g
1 2
2 2
31 Open Channel Flow

Venturi Flume

¢  Isolating and solving for Q ⎛ Q ⎞

2
⎛ Q
2
⎞
⎜⎜ ⎟⎟ ⎜⎜ ⎟⎟
⎝ z1bt1 ⎠ + z g = ⎝ z2bt2 ⎠ +z g
1 2
2 2
2 2
⎛ Q ⎞ ⎛ Q ⎞
⎜⎜ ⎟⎟ ⎜⎜ ⎟⎟
⎝ z1bt1 ⎠ − ⎝ z2bt2 ⎠ =z g−z g
2 1
2 2
2 2
⎛ Q ⎞ ⎛ Q ⎞
⎜⎜ ⎟⎟ − ⎜⎜ ⎟⎟ = 2 ( z2 g − z1 g )
⎝ z1bt1 ⎠ ⎝ z2bt2 ⎠
⎛⎛ 1 2
⎞ ⎛ 1 ⎞
2
⎞
Q2 ⎜ ⎜ ⎟⎟ − ⎜⎜ ⎟⎟ ⎟ = 2 ( z2 g − z1 g )
⎜ ⎜⎝ z1bt1 ⎠ ⎝ z2bt2 ⎠ ⎟
⎝ ⎠
2 ( z2 g − z1 g )
Q=
⎛⎛ 1 2
⎞ ⎛ 1 ⎞
2
⎞
⎜⎜ ⎟⎟ − ⎜⎜ ⎟⎟ ⎟
⎜ ⎜⎝ z1bt1 ⎠ ⎝ z2bt2 ⎠ ⎟
⎝ ⎠
32 Open Channel Flow

16
 Problem 7.10

¢  A
venturi flume is placed in a rectangular
channel that conveys water at 250 cfs. The
upstream channel width is 12 ft, and the
minimum width in the flume is 10 ft. The
upstream water depth is 8 ft. What is the
expected water depth at the minimum
width?

33 Open Channel Flow

Homework 22-1

¢  A rectangular channel 0.5 m wide conveys

water. A partially raised sluice gate in the
channel restricts the flow such that the
upstream height is 1 m and the downstream
height is 0.3 m.
¢  Determine the volume flow rate under the
gate.

34 Open Channel Flow

17
 Homework 22-2

¢  A venturi flume is placed in a rectangular

channel. The upstream channel width is 3
m, and the minimum area section is of width
2 m. The upstream water height is 2 m; the
height at the throat is 1 m.
¢  Determine the volume flow rate through the
channel.

35 Open Channel Flow

Homework 22-3

¢  An open-channel-flow apparatus in a hydraulics

laboratory is rectangular in cross section and 16
in. wide. A venturi flume is to be placed in the
channel to give the volume flow rate. The water
height upstream of the flume is 18 in., and at the
minimum width it is desired to make the depth
about 14 in. Determine the minimum width of the
venturi flume for a volume flow rate of 7 ft3/s.

36 Open Channel Flow

18