CE0021
MODULE #6
FLOW IN OPEN CHANNELS
• CONTINUITY PRINCIPLE
Open Channels
Open Channel
➢ Open Channels
➢ Uniform Flow
Open Channel
➢ An open channel contains fluid that has a free
surface. That is, the liquid surface is exposed
to the atmosphere.
➢ The primary driving force of flow is gravity
Open Channel
➢ Examples of open channels include
-rivers and streams
-gutters
-canals
-dams
Open Channel
S
hL
V1 2/2g
d1 V22/2g
So
ho θ
d2
Flow Measurement
The equation used for flow measurement in open
channels is called the Chezy’s Formula;
v=C Rs
Q = A x C Rs
Where:
R – Hydraulic Radius
S – slope of the energy grade line
C- Chezy’s Coefficient
Chezy’s Coefficient
1) Darcy-Weisbach
C= 8 g /f
Where:
g – gravitational acceleration
f – friction factor
C- Chezy’s Coefficient
Chezy’s Coefficient
2) Kutter and Ganguillet Formula
1 0.00155
+23+
C= n s (SI Units)
n 0.00155
1+ 23+
R S
Where:
n – roughness coefficient
R – hydraulic radius
s – slope of energy grade line
C- Chezy’s Coefficient
Chezy’s Coefficient
3) Manning’s Formula
1 1/6 Where:
C= R
n n – roughness coefficient
1 2/3 1/2 R – hydraulic radius
V= R S s – slope of energy grade line
n
C- Chezy’s Coefficient
(SI Units)
Chezy’s Coefficient
4) Bazin Formula
Where:
87 m – Bazin coefficient
C= m
1+ R – hydraulic radius
√R s
(SI Units)
Chezy’s Coefficient
5) Powell Equation
C ε Where:
C = −42log ( + ) Re – Reynold’s Number
Re R
ε – Roughness in meters
(SI Units)
Classification of Open Channel Flow
a) Steady and Unsteady Open Channel Flow
b) Uniform and Non-Uniform Open Channel Flow
c) Uniform Steady Flow
d) Non-Uniform Steady Flows dy Flow
If the flow depth or discharge at a cross-section of an
open channel flow is not changing with time, then the
flow is steady flow.
Flood flows in rivers and rapidly varying surges in
canals are some examples of unsteady flows.
Unsteady flows are considerably more difficult to
analyze than steady flows.
If the flow depth along the channel is not changing at
every cross-section for a taken time, then the flow is
uniform flow.
If the flow depth changes at every cross-section along
the flow direction for a taken time, then it is non-uniform
flow.
A prismatic channel carrying a certain discharge with a
constant velocity is an example of uniform flow.
Classification of Open Channel Flow
➢ Uniform Flow (S = So)
-defined as the flow where the depth of flow
at a given location does not change with time
➢ Non-uniform Flow (S ≠ So)
-occurs when the flow depth at a given
location changes
Types of Flow
a) Viscosity Force Effect
b) Gravity Force Effect
Viscosity effect in a fluid flow is examined by
Reynolds number. As it was given in Chapter 1,
Reynolds number was the ratio of the inertia force to the
viscosity force.
Reynold’s Number
R is the Hydraulic Radius of the open channel flow cross-section which can be taken
as the flow depth y for wide channels.
Moody Charts can be used to find out the f friction coefficient by taking D=4R.
Universal head loss equation for open channel flows can be derived as,
The ratio of inertia force to gravity force is
Froude Number.
Froude Number
Hydraulic Slope
Note: Chezy coefficient has a dimension and it is not a constant value. When using the Chezy equation to calculate the mean
velocity, one should be careful since it takes different values for different unit systems.
The simplest relation and the most widely used equation for the mean velocity calculation is
the Manning equation which has been derived by Robert Manning (1890) by analyzing the
experimental data obtained from his own experiments and from those of others. His
equation is,
Manning’s Roughness
Hydraulic Radius
𝐴
𝑅=
𝑃𝑤𝑒𝑡
𝐴 = 𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎
𝑃 = 𝑤𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟
Uniform Flow
Uniform Flow s=so
S
hL
V1 2/2g
V22/2g
d1
So d2
ho θ
Boundary Shear Stress
- Average shear stress, τo, acting over a wetted surface.
τo = γRs Where:
τo – boundary shear stress
R – hydraulic radius
s – slope of the energy grade line
Geometry of Uniform Flow
Rise ho
So= =
Run Lcosθ
For very small values of θ, cosθ becomes 1.0.
ho
So=
L
Uniform Flow
Where:
d – depth of flow
V2/2g – velocity head
s – slope of energy grade line
so – slope of channel bed
ho – difference in elevation in the channel bed
hL – head loss
L – length of channel bed
Energy Equation
Since velocity and depth of flow are constant, the
Bernoulli’s energy equation can be further simplified.
v12 P1 v 22 P2
+ho+ - hL = +
2g γ 2g γ
hL = ho
hL = soL = sL
Specific Energy, H
-Height of the hydraulic grade line above the channel
bed.
v2
H= + d
2g
Normal Depth, dn
-The depth at which uniform flow will occur in an open
channel.
-Can be determined by setting s = so
Problem 1
Water flows uniformly in a rectangular concrete
open channel that is 10m wide at a depth of 3m.
The channel slope is 0.0025. Using roughness
coefficient of 0.013, find the velocity, flow rate and
boundary shear stress.
Problem 2
An earth canal carries water at a depth of 1.8m. The
canal is 6m wide on the bottom and has side slope
1.5 to 1V. S = 0.0002. Using the value of n=0.025,
compute the
a) Discharge by manning’s formula
b) The value of n using Kutter’s formula
c) The value of m using Bazin Formula
Problem 3
A 600mm radius sewer pipe is laid on a slope of
0.001 and has a roughness coefficient n = 0.012, was
found to be 7/8 full. Determine the discharge
through the pipe.
Supplementary Problem
• A flood occurs in a main channel having a trapezoidal section(side
slope 2H:1V) with base 12m. The flood spills out of over a horizontal
plane on one side of the main channel at a depth of 1m. The width of
the flood plane is 120m (side slope 1H:1V). What is the total
discharge of the channels if slope for both channels is 0.0002 and
roughness coefficients for main channel and the flood plane is 0.025
and 0.040, respectively.
Problem 4
A rectangular channel, 15m wide is to carry water at the rate
of 22 m3/s. If the channel slope is 0.00025, determine the
normal depth of flow. Use roughness coefficient = 0.013.