Flow over a Venturi Flume

The flume gives a constriction in the channel width that would cause the drop of the
hydraulic grade line. This will then create a change in the water level that is correlated to the
flow rate. Measurement of discharges through the venturi flumes requires
two measurements, which are the upstream and the one at the throat
(narrowest cross-section). If the flumes are designed for the flow to pass
from sub-critical to supercritical state while passing through the flume, a
single measurement at the throat (which in this case becomes a critical
section) is sufficient for computation of discharge. The Venturi flumes
have two advantages as compared to the weir. Those advantages are,
first, the hydraulics head loss is smaller in flumes than in weirs. Second,
there is no dead zone in flumes where sediment and debris can
accumulate; such a dead zone exists upstream of the weirs.