HYDRAULIC DESIGN OF SEWER

Dr. Animesh Debnath

Assistant Professor
Department of Civil Engineering
National Institute of Technology Agartala
INDIA
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 Introduction
In Separate Sewerage System,
The sewer pipes are designed to carry maximum quantity of sanitary
sewage likely to be produced from the area contributing to the particular
sewer and are laid below the ground.
The storm water drains (S.W. drains) are the separately constructed.
Rectangular drains may be covered or kept open and are designed to carry
the maximum drainage discharge (i.e. the storm run-off).

• Combined Sewer Systems are designed to carry the sewage as well

as the drainage discharge together.

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 Water Supply Pipes Vs. Sewer Pipes
Water Supply Pipes
The water supply pipes carry pure water
without containing any of solid
particles, either organic or inorganic in
nature.
The water supply pipes carry water
under pressure, and hence, within
certain limits, they may be carried up
and down the hills and the valleys.
For most of the period water supply
pipes remain full.
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Sewer Pipes
The sewage does contain suspended
particles and the heavier of these
particles may settle down at the bottom
of the sewers. Thus when flow velocity
reduces, it results in clogging of the
sewers.
The sewer pipes carry sewage as gravity
conduits and they must therefore, be
laid at a continuous gradient in the
downward direction up to the outfall
point, from where the sewage will be
lifted up, treated and disposed of.
Most of the period sewer is partially
filled with sewage
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 Determination of velocity of flow by empirical formula

Chezy’s formula V  C r.s

Where, r = hydraulic mean depth in meter
V= velocity of flow in m/sec
s=slope of sewer =(fall of sewer/length)
C=Chezy constant

The value of constant “C” can be determined by Kutter’s formula

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 Kutter’s Formula
According to this formula , the value of ‘C’ to be used in Chezy’s formula is
given by

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 Manning’s Formula

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 Problem 1

 Determine the velocity of flow (by Chezy’s and Mannings

formula) in a circular sewer of diameter 150 cm, laid on a slope of 1
in 750 while flowing full. The sewer is made in cast iron and is not
very old.
Given coefficient of roughness (n) is 0.013 for cast iron pipes

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 Provision of freeboard in Sewers and Stromwater
drains
Generally, the sewer pipes of sizes less than 0.4 m dia are
designed as running half full at maximum discharge.
Sewer pipes greater than 0.4 m in diameter are designed as
running 2/3rd or 3/4th full at maximum discharge.

The extra space thus left above the designed full supply line will
act as freeboard to counteract against the factors such as

(i) Low estimates of the average and maximum flows

(ii)Large scale infiltration of storm water
(iii)Unforeseen increase in population or water consumption and
consequent increase in sewage production

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 Free board of storm water drains
Strom water drains are not provided with so much margin above
the full supply line (FSL), because the overflowing of drain is not
so much harmful.
As the overflowing of sewers is highly polluted as compared to
the storm water.

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 Maximum and minimum velocity to be generated in
sewers

Flow velocities in sewers should be such that neither the

suspended materials in sewage silted up nor the sewage pipe
materials get scoured out.

The minimum velocity at which no solids gets deposited in the

invert of the sewer is known as self cleaning velocity.

For removing the impurities mostly present in sewage, it is

necessary that a minimum velocity of about 0.45 m/sec and
average velocity of about 0.9 m/sec needs to develop in sewers

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 Maximum velocities
 The smooth interior
surface of a sewer pipe
gets scoured due to the
continuous abrasion
caused by the
suspended solids
present in sewage
 This scouring and wear
& tear of sewer pipes
not only reduce its life
span but also reduce
their carrying capacity.

•In order to avoid these complications, it is therefore necessary to

limit the maximum velocity that will be produced in the sewer
pipe at any time.
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 Effects of flow variation on velocity in a sewer

The sewage discharge flowing through a sewer does not remain

constant all the time, but varies considerably from time to time.

Due to this variation in discharge, depth of flow varies and the

hydraulic mean depth also varies.

As a result flow velocity get affected from time to time.

Hence designer should check the following points while
designing a sewer line

1. Minimum velocity of 0.45 m/sec at the time of minimum (hourly) flow )

assumed as 1/3rd of average daily flow)
2. Velocity of 0.9 m/sec is developed at least at the time of maximum flow
and preferably during the average flow period also.
3. At the time of maximum flow, the velocity generated should not exceed
the scouring velocity of sewer materials
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 Hydraulic characteristics of circular sewer sections
running full or partially full

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 • Equality of tractive force
intensity implies equality
of cleaning.
i.e. Ƭ = T
• The subscript s denotes
self-cleansing equal to
that obtained in the full
section.

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 It is found that when roughness
is also considered, the velocities
equal to or more than those
produced in sections flowing
full, will be produced so long as
the sewer sections flow above
80% of depth, as against half
the depth i.e. 50% when
roughness is not considered.

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 • In this fig. qs/Q, vs/V, ss/S
for different value of d/D
are plotted.
• It is confirmed from these
figures that the minimum
gradients are enough, so
long as circular sewers flow
more than half full.

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 Problem No - 1

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 Problem No - 2

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 Problem No - 3

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 Problem No - 4

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 Circular shaped sewer
Circular section is generally preferred to all other shapes because of
the following advantages:

• They can be manufactured most easily and conveniently

• A circular sewer provides the maximum area for a given perimeter,

and providing maximum hydraulic mean depth when running full or
half full and is therefore the most efficient section at these flow
conditions.

• Circular section utilizes the minimum quantities of materials and is

therefore the cheapest and most economical.

• A circular section, being uniform in curvature all round, offers less

opportunities for sludge deposit.
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 Circular shaped sewer
• But all these advantages of circular sections are obtained
only when the sections runs at least half full

• When depth in a circular sewer goes less than half full, the
velocity and discharge reduce considerably.

• Lesser the discharge, poorer the performance

• Hence, Circular sections are best suited, when discharge

does not vary too much and that’s why best suited for
separate systems.

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 Egg shaped sewers

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 Egg shaped sewers
• In combined system, the variation of discharge is enormous,
because the storm water is generally 20 to 25 times of that
sewage discharge, for which Egg shaped sewer is a very good
alternative.

• For low discharges, to maintain hydraulic depth nearly uniform

and give 2 to 15% higher velocities than provided by
hydraulically equivalent circular sections carrying the same
low discharges, are therefore, preferred for combined sewers.

• Two sewers of different shapes are said to be hydraulically

equivalent when they discharge at the same rate, while flowing
full, on the same grade.

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Disadvantages of Egg shaped sewers over Circular sewers :
• They are more difficult to construct.
• Since the smaller base has to support the weight of the upper
broader section, they are less stable.
• They require more material and are, therefore, more costly.

Numerical on Egg shaped Sewer

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 End of the chapter

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