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Lecture 6: Synthetic unit hydrograph

 Synthetic Unit Hydrograph

In India, only a small number of streams are gauged (i.e., stream flows due
to single and multiple storms, are measured)

There are many drainage basins (catchments) for which no stream flow
records are available and unit hydrographs may be required for such basins

In such cases, hydrographs may be synthesized directly from other

catchments, which are hydrologically and meteorologically homogeneous,
or indirectly from other catchments through the application of empirical
relationship

Methods for synthesizing hydrographs for ungauged areas have been

developed from time to time by Bernard, Clark, McCarthy and Snyder. The
best known approach is due to Snyder (1938)

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Synthetic unit hydrograph

Snyders method
Snyder (1938) was the to develop a synthetic UH based on a study of
watersheds in the Appalachian Highlands. In basins ranging from 10
10,000 mi.2

Snyder relations are

tp = Ct(LLC)0.3
where
tp= basin lag (hr)
L= length of the main stream from the outlet to the divide (mi)
Lc = length along the main stream to a point nearest the watershed
centroid (mi)
Ct= Coefficient usually ranging from 1.8 to 2.2

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Synthetic unit hydrograph

Snyders method Contd

Qp = 640 CpA/tp
where
Qp = peak discharge of the UH (cfs)
A = Drainage area (mi2)
Cp = storage coefficient ranging from 0.4 to
0.8, where larger values of cp are associated
with smaller values of Ct
Tb = 3+tp/8
where Tb is the time base of hydrograph
Note: For small watershed the above eq.
should be replaced by multiplying tp by the
value varies from 3-5
The above 3 equations define points for a
UH produced by an excess rainfall of
duration D= tp/5.5 Snyders hydrograph parameter

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Synthetic unit hydrograph

Example Problem

Use Snyders method to develop a UH for the area of 100mi2 described below.
Sketch the appropriate shape. What duration rainfall does this correspond to?
Ct = 1.8, L= 18mi,
Cp = 0.6, Lc= 10mi

Calculate tp Calculate Qp
tp = Ct(LLC)0.3 Qp= 640(cp)(A)/tp
= 1.8(1810) 0.3 hr, = 640(0.6)(100)/8.6
= 8.6 hr
= 4465 cfs

Duration of rainfall
Since this is a small watershed,
D= tp/5.5 hr
Tb 4tp = 4(8.6)
= 8.6/5.5 hr
= 34.4 hr
= 1.6 hr
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Synthetic unit hydrograph

Example Problem Contd

5000

Qp W 75 = 440(QP/A)-1.08
W 50 = 770(QP/A)-1.08
4000 (widths are distributed 1/3 before Qp
and 2/3 after)

W 75
3000
Q (cfs)

W 50 Area drawn to represent 1

2000
in. of runoff over the
watershed

1000

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

Time (hr)

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Synthetic unit hydrograph

SCS (Soil Conservation Service) Unit Hydrograph

Unit = 1 inch of runoff (not rainfall) in 1

hour tp

Can be scaled to other depths and times

Based on unit hydrographs from many

watersheds

The earliest method assumed a

Qp
hydrograph as a simple triangle, with
rainfall duration D, time of rise TR (hr),
time of fall B. and peak flow Qp (cfs).
TR B

SCS triangular UH

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Synthetic unit hydrograph

SCS Unit Hydrograph Contd

The volume of direct runoff is

Q pTR Qp B 2vol
Vol = + or Qp =
2 2 TR + B
where B is given by

B = 1.67TR
Therefore runoff eq. becomes, for 1 in. of rainfall excess,

0.75vol 0.75(640) A(1.008)

Qp = = Qp =
TR TR
484 A
Qp =
TR
where
A= area of basin (sq mi)
TR = time of rise (hr)

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Synthetic unit hydrograph

SCS Unit Hydrograph Contd

Time of rise TR is given by

D
TR = + tp
2
where
D= rainfall duration (hr)
tp= lag time from centroid of rainfall to QP

Lag time is given by

0.7
1000
L
0.8
9 where
tp = CN L= length to divide (ft)
19000y 0.5 Y= average watershed slope (in present)
CN= curve number for various soil/land use

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Synthetic unit hydrograph

SCS Unit Hydrograph Contd

Runoff curve number for different land use (source: Woo-Sung et al.,1998)

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Synthetic unit hydrograph

Example Problem

Use the SCS method to develop a UH for the area of 10 mi2 described below.
Use rainfall duration of D = 2 hr
Ct = 1.8, L= 5mi,
Cp = 0.6, Lc= 2mi
The watershed consist CN = 78 and the average slope in the watershed is
100 ft/mi. Sketch the resulting SCS triangular hydrograph .

Solution 0.7
Find tp by the eq. 1000
L
0.8
9
tp = CN
19000y 0.5
Convert L= 5mi, or (5*5280 ft/mi) = 26400 ft.
Slope is 100 ft/mi, so y = (100ft/mi) (1mi/5280 ft)(100%) = 1.9%
Substituting these values in eq. of tp, we get tp = 3.36 hr

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Synthetic unit hydrograph

Example Problem Contd

Find TR using eq. D

TR = + tp
2
Given rainfall duration is 2 hr, TR = 4.36 hr, the rise of the hydrograph
Then find Qp using the eq, given A= 10 mi2
484 A
Qp = . Hence Qp = 1.110 cfs
TR
To complete the graph, it is also necessary to know the time of fall B. The
volume is known to be 1 in. of direct runoff over the watershed.
So, Vol. = (10mi2) (5280ft/mi)2 (ac/43560ft2) (1 in.) = 6400 ac-in
Hence from eq. Q pTR Qp B
Vol = +
2 2
B = 7.17 hr

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Synthetic unit hydrograph

Example Problem Contd

1200

1000

800
Q (cfs)

600

Qp= 1110 (cfs)

400

200

0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

TR=4.36 (hr) Time (hr) B=7.17 (hr)

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Exercise problems

1. The stream flows due to three successive storms of 2.9, 4.9 and 3.9 cm of 6
hours duration each on a basin are given below. The area of the basin is 118.8
km2 . Assuming a constant base flow of 20 cumec, derive a 6-hour unit
hydrograph for the basin. An average storm loss of 0.15 cm/hr can be assumed
(Hint :- Use UH convolution method)

Time (hr) 0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24 27 30 33

Flow 20 50 92 140 199 202 204 144 84 45 29 20

(cumec)

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Exercise problems Contd

2. The ordinates of a 4-hour unit hydrograph for a particular basin are given
below. Derive the ordinates of (i) the S-curve hydrograph, and (ii) the 2-hour
unit hydrograph, and plot them, area of the basin is 630 km2

Time (hr) Discharge (cumec)

Time (hr) Discharge (cumec)
0 0
14 70
2 25
16 30
4 100
18 20
6 160
20 6
8 190
22 1.5
10 170
24 0
12 110

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Exercise problems Contd

3. The following are the ordinates of the 9-hour unit hydrograph for the entire
catchment of the river Damodar up to Tenughat dam site: and the catchment
characteristics are , A = 4480 km2, L = 318 km, Lca = 198 km. Derive a 3-hour
unit hydrograph for the catchment area of river Damodar up to the head of
Tenughat reservoir, given the catchment characteristics as, A = 3780km2, L =
284 km, Lca = 184km. Use Snyders approach with necessary modifications for
the shape of the hydrograph.

Time (hr) 0 9 18 27 36 45 54 63 72 81 90

Flow 0 69 1000 210 118 74 46 26 13 4 0

(cumec)

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 Highlights in the Module

This module presents the concept of Rainfall-Runoff analysis, or the

conversion of precipitation to runoff or streamflow, which is a central
problem of engineering hydrology.

Gross rainfall must be adjusted for losses to infiltration, evaporation and

depression storage to obtain rainfall excess, which equals Direct Runoff
(DRO).

The concept of the Unit hydrograph allows for the conversion of rainfall
excess into a basin hydrograph, through lagging procedure called
hydrograph convolution.

The concept of synthetic hydrograph allows the construction of hydrograph,

where no streamflow data are available for the particular catchment.

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