HU-IoT; OPH Worked Examples on Critical Flow for Civil Engineering 3rd Year Students

Example 1: A rectangular channel 2.50m wide has a specific energy of 1.50m when carrying a
discharge of 6.48 m3/sec. Calculate the alternate depths and corresponding Froude numbers.
Solution:

Example 2: The 500 triangular channel has a flow rate of Q = 16 m3/sec. Compute a) yc, b) Vc,
and c) Sc if n = 0.018.

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HU-IoT; OPH Worked Examples on Critical Flow for Civil Engineering 3rd Year Students

Solution: This is an easy cross-section because all geometric quantities can be written directly in
terms of depth y.

Example 3: A flow of 5.0 m3/sec is passing at a depth of 1.50m through a rectangular channel of
width 2.50m. What is the specific energy of the flow? What is the value of the alternate depth to
the existing depth?
Solution:

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HU-IoT; OPH Worked Examples on Critical Flow for Civil Engineering 3rd Year Students

The specific energy diagram can be plotted for discharges Q = Qi= constant (i = 1, 2, 3…) as in
Fig. below. As the discharges increase, the specific energy curves move right since the specific
energy increases with the discharge.

Figure 1. Specific energy for varying discharges

Example 4: Calculate the critical depth and the corresponding specific energy for a discharge of
5.0 m3/sec in the following channels.
a) Rectangular channel, B = 2.0 m.
b) Triangular channel, m = 0.5.
c) Trapezoidal channel, B = 2.0 m, m = 1.5.

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HU-IoT; OPH Worked Examples on Critical Flow for Civil Engineering 3rd Year Students

Solution:

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HU-IoT; OPH Worked Examples on Critical Flow for Civil Engineering 3rd Year Students

Example 5: Calculate the bottom width of a channel required to carry a discharge of 15.0 m3/sec
as a critical flow at a depth of 1.20 m, if the channel cross-section is, a) Rectangular, and b)
Trapezoidal with side slope of 1.5 horizontal: 1 vertical.
Solution:

Example 6: Find the critical water depth for a specific energy head of E1= 1.5 m in the following
channels:
a) Rectangular channel, B = 2.0 m.
b) Triangular channel, m = 1.5.
c) Trapezoidal channel, B = 2.0 m and m = 1.0.
Solution:
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 HU-IoT; OPH Worked Examples on Critical Flow for Civil Engineering 3rd Year Students

Example 7: A rectangular channel has a width of 2.0 m and carries a discharge of 4.80m3/sec with
a depth of 1.60 m. At a certain cross-section a small, smooth hump with a flat top and a height 0.10
m is proposed to be built. Calculate the likely change in the water surface. Neglect the energy loss.
Solution: Let the suffixes 1 and 2 refer to the upstream and downstream sections respectively

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HU-IoT; OPH Worked Examples on Critical Flow for Civil Engineering 3rd Year Students

The upstream flow is subcritical and the hump will cause a drop in the water surface elevation.
The specific energy;
At section 1,
E1= 1.60+0.115=1.715m
At section 2,

Example 8: In Example 7, if the height of the hump is 0.50 m, estimate the water surface elevation
on the hump and at a section upstream of the hump.
Solution:

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 HU-IoT; OPH Worked Examples on Critical Flow for Civil Engineering 3rd Year Students

Example 9: A rectangular channel 2.50 m wide carries 6.0 m3/sec of flow at a depth of 0.50 m.
Calculate the height of a flat-topped hump required to be placed at a section to cause critical flow.
The energy loss due to the obstruction by the hump can be taken as 0.1 times the upstream velocity
head.
Solution:

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 HU-IoT; OPH Worked Examples on Critical Flow for Civil Engineering 3rd Year Students

Since the critical flow is desired at section 2,

By the energy equation between sections 1 and 2,

Where EL= Energy loss, ΔZ= Height of the hump.

Example 10: Water flow in a wide channel approaches a 10cm high hump at 1.50m/sec velocity
and a depth of 1m. Estimate a) The water depth y2over the hump and b) The hump height that will
cause the crest flow to be critical.
Solution:
a) Froude number at the upstream of the hump is,

For subcritical approach flow, if ΔZ is not too large, a depression is expected in the water level
over the hump and a higher subcritical Froude number at the crest. With ΔZ = 0.10m, the specific
energy levels are,

The physical situation is shown on a specific energy plot in Fig. below. With y1 in meters.

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 HU-IoT; OPH Worked Examples on Critical Flow for Civil Engineering 3rd Year Students

There are three real roots: y = 0.859 m, 0.451m, and -0.296m. The third (negative) solution is
physically impossible. The second (smaller) solution is the supercritical condition for E2and is not
possible for this subcritical hump. The first solution is the searched solution.
y2(subcritical) = 0.859 m
The water surface level has dropped by,

Downstream flow over hump is subcritical. These flow conditions are shown in the figure
b) For critical flow in a wide channel,

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 HU-IoT; OPH Worked Examples on Critical Flow for Civil Engineering 3rd Year Students

Therefore, the maximum height for frictionless flow over this hump is,

For this hump, the surface level at the critical flow has dropped by,

Example 11: A rectangular channel is 3.50 m wide conveys a discharge of 15.0 m3/sec at a depth
of 2.0 m. It is proposed to reduce the width of the channel at a hydraulic structure. Assuming the
transition to be horizontal and the flow to be frictionless determine the water surface elevations
upstream and downstream of the constriction when the constricted width isa) 2.50 m and b) 2.20
m.
Solution:
Let suffixes 1 and 2 denote sections upstream and downstream of the transition respectively.

The upstream flow is subcritical and the transition will cause a drop in the water surface.

Let B2min= minimum width at section 2 which does not cause choking.

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 HU-IoT; OPH Worked Examples on Critical Flow for Civil Engineering 3rd Year Students

a) When B2= 2.50 m

B2= 2.50 m < B2min= 2.63m and hence choking conditions prevail. The depth at section 2 = y2=
yc2. The upstream depth y1 will increase to y1`.

At the upstream section 1:

Solving by trial and error and selecting positive subcritical flow depth root,
y1′= 2.10m
b) When B2= 2.20m;
As B2< B2min choking conditions prevail.
Depth at section 2 = y2= yc2.

At upstream section 1, new upstream depth = y1`,

Solving by trial and error, the appropriate depth to give

subcritical flow is,
y1`=2.35m

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 HU-IoT; OPH Worked Examples on Critical Flow for Civil Engineering 3rd Year Students

Example 12: A discharge of 16.0 m3/sec flows with a depth of 2.0 m in a rectangular channel 4.0m
wide. At a downstream section the width is reduced to 3.50 m and the channel bed is raised by ΔZ.
Analyze the water surface elevations in the transitions when
a) ΔZ = 0.20 m and b) ΔZ = 0.35 m.
Solution:
Let the suffixes 1 and 2 refer to the upstream and downstream sections respectively. At the
upstream section,

The upstream flow is subcritical and the transition will cause a drop in the water surface elevation.

For the transition cross-section 2,

a) When ΔZ = 0.20 m,
E2= Available specific energy at section 2

Hence the depth y2> yc2 and the upstream depth will remain unchanged at section 1, y1.

Solving by trial and error, y2=1.58m

Hence when ΔZ = 0.20 m, y1= 2.00m and y2= 1.58m. The drop in water surface is,
Δ h =2.00-1.58-0.20=0.22m

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HU-IoT; OPH Worked Examples on Critical Flow for Civil Engineering 3rd Year Students

b) When ΔZ = 0.35 m,
E2= Available specific energy at section 2

Hence the contraction will be working under the choked conditions. The upstream depth must rise
to create a higher to energy. The depth of flow at section 2 will be critical with,
y2= yc2= 1.29m
If the new depth is y1’,

By trial and error, y1`=2.10m

The upstream depth will therefore rise by 0.10 m due to the choked condition at the constriction.
Hence, when ΔZ = 0.35 m,
y1’ = 2.10 m and y2= yc2= 1.29 m

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