Open Channel Flow

Siti Kamariah Md Sa’at

PPK Bioproses, UniMAP
 Introduction

❖“Occur when free water surface in the channel is

at atmosphere pressure”
❖Example of open channel:
▪ Rivers and streams
▪ Drainage
▪ Ditches
▪ Irrigation canal
 Application

❖Interest to hydraulic engineers

▪ location of free surface
▪ velocity distribution
▪ discharge - stage (depth) relationships
▪ optimal channel design
 Types of channels

1. Man made
• Channel designed and made by human
• Examples: earth or concrete lined drainage and
irrigation
• Prismatic channel (no change in geometry with
distance)
2. Natural
• Examples: River and streams
• Changes with spatial and temporal (non prismatic
channel)
 FLOW IN OPEN CHANNEL

TEMPORAL (Time)

STEADY FLOW UNSTEADY FLOW

UNIFORM FLOW NON-UNIFORM FLOW

RAPIDLY VARIED FLOW

SPATIAL (Space)

GRADUALLY VARIED FLOW

 Types of flow

❖Based on temporal (Time, t) and Spatial

(Space,x)
❖Time Criteria
▪ Steady flow (dy/dt = 0). Water depth at one point
same all the time. (Flow constant with time)
▪ Unsteady flow (dy/dt ≠ 0). Water depth changes all
the time. (Flow variation with time)
❖Space criteria
▪ Uniform flow (dy/dx = 0). Water depth same along
the whole length of flow.
▪ Non-uniform flow (dy/dx ≠ 0). Water depth changes
either rapidly or gradually flow
 Steady and Non-Steady Flow
Flow Rate

Steady

Unsteady

Time
Uniform and Non-Uniform Flow
V1 = V2

A1 = A2

V1 V2
V1
A1 A2 A1 V2
A2

Uniform Flow Non-Uniform Flow

 States of flow

❖Flow vary with following forces:

▪ Viscous
▪ Inertia
▪ Gravity
❖Defines by Reynolds number (Re) and Froude
numbers (Fr)
 Reynolds Number

❖Refer textbook page 324:

 Reynolds Number

❖To determine:
▪ Laminar flow : Re < 500 (viscous > inertia)
▪ Transitional flow : 500 < Re < 1300
▪ Turbulent flow : Re > 1300 (inertia > viscous)
 Froude Number

❖Refer textbook page 683.

 Froude Number

❖The Froude Number, Fr describes the following

states of flow:
❖Fr < 1 : flow is subcritical
❖Fr = 1 : flow is critical ( inertia < gravity)
❖Fr > 1 : flow is supercritical ( inertia > gravity)
 Froude Number

❖A flow is called critical if the flow velocity is equal

to the velocity of a gravity wave having small
amplitude.
❖The flow is called subcritical flow, if the flow
velocity is less than the critical velocity
❖The flow is called supercritical flow if the flow
velocity is greater than the critical velocity.
 4

Critical Flow 3

y
2

❖ Characteristics 0 1 2 3 4
E
▪ Unstable surface
▪ Series of standing waves Difficult to measure depth
❖ Occurrence
▪ Broad crested weir (and other weirs)
▪ Channel Controls (rapid changes in cross-section)
▪ Over falls
▪ Changes in channel slope from mild to steep
❖ Used for flow measurements
▪ Unique relationship between depth and discharge
___________________________________________
 Parameters of Open Channels

❖Wetted Perimeter (P) :The Length of contact

between Liquid and sides and base of
Channel
❖Hydraulic Mean Depth or Hydraulic Radius
(R): If cross sectional area is A, then R = A/P
 Parameters of Open Channels

❖Depth of flow section (d) : depth of flow normal

to the direction of flow.
❖Flow depth (y)
❖Top width (T) : the width of channel section at
the free surface.
❖Hydraulic depth (D) : D = A/T
❖Base slope (So) : So = tan θ
 Parameters of Open Channels

❖ Freeboard: Vertical distance between the highest

water level anticipated in the design and the top of
the retaining banks. It is a safety factor to prevent
the overtopping of structures.

❖ Side Slope (Z): The ratio of the horizontal to vertical

distance of the sides of the channel. Z = e/d = e’/D
 Table 1: Maximum Canal Side Slopes (Z)

Sand, Soft Clay 3: 1 (Horizontal: Vertical)

Sandy Clay, Silt Loam, 2:1

Sandy Loam
Fine Clay, Clay Loam 1.5:1

Heavy Clay 1:1

Stiff Clay with Concrete 0.5 to 1:1

Lining
Lined Canals 1.5:1
M.Hanif Chaudry, Open Channel Flow 2nd Edition, Springer, 2008
 Continuity Equation

3a
Inflow 3 A
Change in Storage
3b

Outflow
1 A 2
Section AA

Inflow – Outflow = Change in Storage

 General Flow Equation

Q = vA Equation 1

Area of the
cross-section
Avg. velocity
of flow at a (m2)
Flow rate
(m3/s) cross-section
(m/s)
Uniform flow in Open
Channel
 Uniform flow in Open Channel

Energy lines
i

Water Surface
Sw

Flow
yo

So

For uniform flow (in prismatic channel), i = Sw = So

yo= normal depth for uniform flow only
 Resistance Equation

1. Chezy Equation
❖ By Antoine Chezy (France), 1768
2. Manning Equation
❖ By Robert Manning (Irish), 1889
 Chezy Equation

❖Introduced by the French engineer Antoine Chezy

in 1768 while designing a canal for the water-
supply system of Paris
v = C Ri
❖ Because i = So, so

v = C RS o

Q = AC RS o
 Chezy Equation

❖ where C = Chezy coefficient

= L1/2/T (Unit m1/2/s)

m m
60 < C < 150
s s

where 60 is for rough and 150 is for smooth

 Manning Equation
❖ Most popular in for open channels around the world

C = R1/6 / n
1 (SI units!)
V = R S 2/3 1/2
h o
Dimensions of n? T /L
n 1/3

1.49
V = R 2/3 S1/2

(English system)
h o
n n = Manning
roughness coefficient
Q = VA Bottom slope = T/L1/3 (Unit s/m1/3)

1
Q = ARh2 / 3 S o1 / 2 very sensitive to n
n
Manning roughness coefficient, n

n = 0 .031d 1 / 6 d in ft
d = median size of bed material

n = 0 .038 d 1 / 6 d in m
 Example:

❖Trapezoidal channel:
▪ Bottom width = 3.0 m
▪ Side slope = 1: 1.5
▪ Base slope = 0.0016
▪ Manning coefficient = 0.013
❖Determine Q if yo = 2.6m.
 Determination of yo

❖ If Q, So and n given or known and you need to

estimate yo, direct calculation cannot give you
answer. So there are another method can be
use:
1. Try and error
2. Graphical
3. Curves chart
 Example

❖ A rectangular channel with n = 0.017 with width

6 meter, base slope 0.0016 and to carry10 m3/s
flowrate.
Determine yo with:
1. Try and error
2. Graphical
3. Curves chart