College of Engineering

Civil Engineering Department

LABORATORY REPORT

The experiment number:

The experiment title:

Date of experiment:
Due date of the report:

Student Name: ID: :

(Fall Session- 2020)

Dr.

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 1. Table of Contents

1. Table of Contents.....................................................................................................................2
2. Objectives.................................................................................................................................3
3. Theory......................................................................................................................................3
4. Experiment Procedure..............................................................................................................4
5. Calculations..............................................................................................................................5
6. Results Evaluation and Discussion...........................................................................................5
7. References................................................................................................................................6

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2. Objectives

The objective of the experiment is:

1. To measure the volumetric flow rate [Q] , mean velocity [v] of a channel and cross-sectional

area of local small streams.To compare the two methods of measuring discharge that is,the

current meter method and the float method

Introduction

Stream flow measurement is very important as it helps to predict possible flood hazard,

indentifying possible water scarcity in the area and also in the determination of water budgets. At

a given point in the stream, the amount of water passing the designated point is a function of

velocity of flow and cross-sectional area of the channel.

Q= A*V

Where Q is the stream discharge in m3/s and V is the velocity of flow in m/s. The equation above

is known as the continuity equation. Different methods exist that are being used to measure the

stream discharge. This include the current meter method and the float method.

3. Theory

1. Float method. It is one of the easiest, inexpensive method which is also very simple. The
method helps to obtain the mean velocity by using a correction factor. Basically, it involves the
measurement of the time taken for a given object to float a specified length downstream.
Surface velocity vsurface = distance travelled / time of travel [L/T].
To obtain the mean velocity vmean make use of roughness coefficient k which ranges from 0.8 to
0.9.

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Vmean =k* vsurface
2. Current meter method. In this method, the stream section is divided into subsections which
are perpendicular to the streamflow and for each subsection, depth and velocity is measured
respectively. For accuracy, the stream should be divided into subsections such that the discharge
in any subsection is not more than 5- 10% of the total discharge. For this experiment, the mean
velocity is taken to be 0.4d from the bottom of the stream or 0.6d from the water surface.

Figure 1: Discharge computation by current ammeter method, spacing of the vertical.

4. Experiment Procedure

1. Float method [ vmean = k*vsurface ] where k varies from 0.8 to 0.9 ]

Step1. Choose a location which is straight and with minimal turbulence.
Step2. Locate and mark the start point and the end point.
Step3. Where possible, make sure that the travel time between the two point does not exceed 20
seconds.
Step4. Lower your object in to the upstream of the stream on your upstream mark.
Step5. Start your stopwatch once the object crosses the marker on the upstream and stop it when
it crosses the marker on the downstream.
Step6. Repeat the procedure to obtain atleast three values of time and calculate the average.
Step7. Determine the cross-sectional areas at the two points that is, the start and the end and
average them.
Step8. Multiply the average depths with the water widths obtained earlier. From the data
obtained, estimate the discharge from the corrected velocity and the average area.
Q= V*A

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2. Current meter method.
Step1. Choose a location which is straight and with minimal turbulence.
Step2. Locate and mark the start point and the end point.
Step3. By using a cable, boat or a bridge, measure the depth of the stream at the specified
intervals across the stream.
Step4. Measure the stream velocity using the current ammeter and determine the discharge.

5. Calculations

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6. Results Evaluation and Discussion

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7. References
Ahmari, H., & Kabir, S. (2020). Experiment #4: Energy Loss in Pipes. Uta.pressbooks.pub.

Retrieved 11 October 2020, from

https://uta.pressbooks.pub/appliedfluidmechanics/chapter/experiment-4/.

Sellens, R. (2020). Losses in Pipes. Me.queensu.ca. Retrieved 11 October 2020, from

https://me.queensu.ca/People/Sellens/LossesinPipes.html.