PE EXAM – AFTERNOON CHEAT SHEET

Hydraulic Loading
Q
H LR=
A
where,
HLR = Hydraulic Loading Rate
Q = Flow Rate
A = Surface area of the wet basin
Weir Loading
Weir Loading=Q/ L
where,
Q is flow (MGD)
L is perimeter length (ft)
Detention Time
V
t d=
Q
where,
V is the volume of the clarifier
Solids Loading

Solids Loading Rate=

Suspended Solids ( daylb )
Surface Area ( ft 2 )

Pitot Static Tubes

2 gh ( ρm−ρ )
v=
√
where,
ρ

g is the acceleration due to gravity

h is the difference in elevations of the fluid columns (ft)
ρ is the density of water
ρm is the density of manometer fluid
v is velocity
Orifice or Venturi Meter
2 g ( ρm −ρ ) h 2 g ( p1− p2 )
Q=C f AO
C f =Cd F va
√ ρ
=C f AO
√ ρ

1
F va=
2
C A

where,
√ (
1− c O
A1 )
Cf = flow coefficient

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 PE EXAM – AFTERNOON CHEAT SHEET
AO = orifice area
A1 = pipe area
p = pressure
ρ = density
Cd = discharge coefficient
Cc = coefficient of contraction
Fva = velocity of approach factor
Darcy Equation
f × L× v 2
hf=
2×D×g
where,
hf = head loss due to friction (ft)
f = Darcy friction factor
L = length of pipe (ft)
v = velocity of flow (fps)
D = diameter of pipe (ft)
g = acceleration due to gravity
Hazen-Williams Equation
10.44 × L ×Q1.852 10.67 × L ×Q 1.852
hf= English hf= SI Units
C 1.852 d 4.8704 C 1.852 d 4.8704
where,
hf = head loss due to friction (ft)
L = length of pipe (ft)
Q = volumetric flow rate (gpm)
C = Roughness Coefficient
d = diameter (ft)

V =k 1 × C × R 0.63 × S 0.54
where,
C is the roughness coefficient
k1 is 0.849 for SI Units and 1.318 for US Units
R is the hydraulic radius (ft or m)
S is the slope of the energy gradeline = hf/L (ft/ft or m/m)
V is velocity (fps or m/s)
Pipe Material C
Concrete (regardless of age) 130
Cast Iron – New 130
Cast Iron – 50 yr old 120
Cast Iron – 20 yr old 100
Welded steel, new 120
Wood stave (regardless of age) 120
Vitrified Clay 110
Riveted Steel, new 110
Brick Sewers 100
Asbestos-cement 140
Plastic 150

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PE EXAM – AFTERNOON CHEAT SHEET

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 PE EXAM – AFTERNOON CHEAT SHEET

Minor Losses
Sudden Expansions Sudden Contractions
2 2 2
D1 D1
( ( ))
K= 1−
D2
K=0.5 1−
( ( ))D2
where,
D1 = smaller diameter pipe
D2 = larger diameter pipe
v2
h f =K
2g
Friction loss in open channel flow
L × n2 × v 2
hf=
2.21 ( RH )2 /3
where,
hf is friction loss (ft)
L is length of pipe (ft)
n is Manning’s roughness coefficient
v is flow velocity
RH is hydraulic radius
S is slope
Pumps
ft −lb
h=
( 550
sec−hp )
P hp ,input η pump
WHP=Php , input η pump
a
Q×γ
where,
ha = head added (ft)
Q = flow rate (cfs)
γ = fluid density
P = Power (horsepower)
η pump is pump efficiency
Manning’s Equation
1.49 × A × R 2/3 × S1 /2 A × R2 /3 × S1 /2
Q= for English Units Q= for Metric Units
n n
Circular Pipe Flow
Full-Flow Pipe Half-Full Flow Pipe
3 /8 3/ 8
D=d=1.33 ( n ×Q × √ S ) D=2d =1.73 ( n× Q× √ S )
where,
D is the diameter of the pipe (ft)
d is the depth of water (ft)
n is Manning’s roughness coefficient

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 PE EXAM – AFTERNOON CHEAT SHEET
S is slope (ft/ft)
Q is flow (cfs)
Hydraulic Energy Dissipation
Triangular Weir
8 θ
Q=C 2 ( 15 ( ))√ 2 g H
tan
2
5 /2

Q=2.5 H 5 /2 (for 90 ° weir )

where,
H is height of water
θ is the weir angle
Trapezoidal Weir
Q=3.367 b H 3 / 2
where,
b is the width of the base (ft)
Broad Crested Weirs (Spillways)
3 /2
v2
Q=C s b H+ (
2g )
Cs = spillway coefficient
v = velocity  in a dam situation, the approach velocity can be assumed to be 0 since it is small
Gutter/Street Flow
z 1/ 2 8 /3
Q=K
n()
s y

where,
K = Gutter flow constant = 0.56 ft3/(s*ft)
z = inverse of the cross slope of the gutter (decimal)
n = Roughness coefficient
s = slope of the gutter (decimal)
y = water depth at the curb (ft)
Froude Number
Inertial Forces v
Fr= =
Gravitational Forces √ gL
where,
v is velocity
L is the characteristic length and is based on channel geometry
For a rectangular channel, L is depth
For a circular section flowing half full, L = πD/8
For trapezoidal and semi-circle sections L = flow area/top width of channel
Fr > 1 Supercritical Flow
Fr = 1  Critical Flow
Fr < 1  Subcritical Flow

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 PE EXAM – AFTERNOON CHEAT SHEET

Critical Flow, Depth and Velocity

Rectangular Channel
For a rectangular channel, critical depth and critical velocity are determined by:
3 Q2
d c= d c =( 2 /3 ) Ec v c =√ g × d c
g × w2
where,
w is width
Non-Uniform Series
Q 2 A3
=
g b
where,
A is flow area
b is the surface water width
Hydraulic Jump
1/ 2
2 v 22 d 2 d 22 2 ( v 21 × d 1 ) d 21 d2 1
d 1=
−1
d +
2 2
g ×d 2
g √ +
4
−d
d 2= 1 +
2 [ g
+
4 ] d1 2 √ 2
= ( 1+8 ( Fr 1) −1 )

v 21 v 22
2
v1 = ( 2 d1 )
( d 1 +d 2 ) [
∆ E= d1 +
2g ][
+ d 2+
2g ]
where,
d1 is depth of supercritical flow
d2 is depth of subcritical flow
v is velocity at the associated depth (fps)
Undular 1 < Fr <1.7
Weak 1.7 < Fr < 2.5
Pulsating 2.5 < Fr < 4.5
Steady 4.5 < Fr < 9.0
Strong Fr > 9.0

NRCS Curve Number Method

100 25,400
S= −10 (inches) S= −254 (mm)
CN CN
where,
S is Storage Capacity (in)
CN is NRCS Curve Number
( P−0.2 S )2
Q=
P+ 0.8 S
where,
P is precipitation (in)
Q is runoff (in)

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 PE EXAM – AFTERNOON CHEAT SHEET

Rational Method
Q=C i A
where,
Q is peak flow rate (cfs)
i is rainfall intensity (in/hr)
A is Drainage Area (acre)
Parts of a Hydrograph

Synthetic Hydrograph
t p=0.5 t R +t 1 L 0.8
0 ( S+1 )
0.7
0.756 × A d , Acres
t 1= Q p=
1,900 √ S percentage tp
where,
tR is storm duration (time)
LO is length of overland flow (ft)
Spercentage is the slope of the land (%)

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 PE EXAM – AFTERNOON CHEAT SHEET

Time of Concentration
t c =t sheet +t shallow +t channel
Sheet Flow
0.007 ( n L )0.8
t sheet = 0.4
√ P2 ×S decimal
where,
tsheet is travel time (hrs)
n is Manning’s roughness coefficient
L is the length of flow (ft)
P2 is the 2-yr, 24-hour rainfall (in)
Sdecimal is the slope of the hydraulic grade (in decimal form, ft/ft)
Shallow Concentrated Flow
V =16.1345 √ S decimal for unpaved flow V =20.3282 √ S decimal for paved flow
L
t shallow =
3,600 V
where,
tshallow is travel time (hrs)
V is average velocity (fps)
Concentrated Flow
L
t concentrated =
3,600 V
where,
tconcentrated is travel time (hrs)
V is average velocity as computed by Manning’s Equation (fps)
Rainfall and Stream Gauging Stations
y + y v 1 +v 2
Q=w 1 2 (2 2 )( )
where,
w is the width of the cross section (ft)
y is the height of the cross section (ft)
v is the velocity at indicated cross section (fps)
Horton Equation for Infiltration
Horton equation assumes water supply is infinite, and the ground is saturated
f p=f c + ( f O −f c ) e−kt
where,
fp is the infiltration rate (L/T) at time t
fc is the steady-state infiltration rate (L/T) at large times
f0 is the initial infiltration rate (L/T)
k is the decay constant for a given soil and initial condition t-1
t is the time (t)

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 PE EXAM – AFTERNOON CHEAT SHEET
Pipe Network Analysis
Pipes in Series
h f ,t =h f , 1+ hf , 2+ hf ,3
Pipes in Parallel

Q1=Qa +Q b=Q2
P1 v 21 P 2 v 22
+z + = + z +
ρg 1 2 g ρg 2 2 g
Hardy-Cross Method for Pipe Network Analysis
Principle 1 – Conservation – The flows entering a junction equal the flows leaving a junction
Principle 2 – The algebraic sum of head losses around any closed loop is zero
CERM  pg. 17-25
K’ for Darcy K’ for Hazen-Williams
0.03109 f L 10.44 L
Q in GPM K '= K '=
D5 D 4.87 C1.85
0.02517 f L 4.727 L
Q in cfs K '= K '=
D5 D 4.87 C1.85
where,
L is the length of pipe in feet
D is the diameter of the pipe in inches
Groundwater Flow
Darcy’s Law
Q=K × i× A ∆H k×γ
i= K=
L μ
where,
Q is flow rate in cfs
K is the coefficient of permeability (ft/s)
i is the hydraulic gradient (ft/ft)
∆H is height (ft)
L is length (ft)
µ is the absolute viscosity (lb-s/ft2)
k is the intrinsic permeability (ft2)
γ is the specific weight (lb/ft3)
Thiem Equation – discharge for a well in a confined aquifer
2 π K ( y 1− y 2 )
Q=
r
ln 1
r2

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 PE EXAM – AFTERNOON CHEAT SHEET
Dupruit Equation – discharge for a well in an unconfined aquifer
2 π K ( y 21 − y 22)
Q=
r
ln 1
r2
where,
K is hydraulic conductivity, ft3/(day-ft2)
Y is the original aquifer thickness (ft)
y1, y2 is the aquifer depths at distances r1 and r2 (ft)
r1, r2 is radial distance from the well (ft)
Wastewater Collection and Treatment
Peak Factor
Q Peak
PF=
Q Avg
18+ √ Population
PF=
4 + √ Population
BOD
BOD5 is also called standard BOD, BODu is ultimate BOD
( DOi −DOf )
BOD5=
V sample
( V sample +V Dilution )
BODt =BOD u ( 1−10− K t ) d

Nitrification Equation
+¿ ¿
−¿+ H 2 O +H ¿
+¿+2 O2 → NO 3 ¿
NH 4
Denitrification Equation
−¿→NH 3 + H2 O ¿

NH +¿+OH
4
¿

Phosphorus Removal
Al2 ( SO4 )3 +2 PO 4 → 2 Al PO 4 +3 SO4
FeCl3 + PO 4 → FePO 4 +3 Cl
Food to Microorganism Ratio (F:M)
SO , mg/ L Q O , MGD
F: M=
V O , MG X mg / L
where,
So,mg/L = Incoming BOD5
Qo,MGD = Wastewater flow rate in MGD
Vo,MG = Volume of aeration tank
Xmg/L = Mixed Liquor Volatile Suspended Solids (MLVSS)

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 PE EXAM – AFTERNOON CHEAT SHEET
Mean Cell Residence Time
VX
θ=
Qe X e + Qw X w
where,
V is volume of the tank (ft3)
Qe is effluent flow rate (cfs)
Qw is waste flow rate (cfs)
X is concentration
Volatile Suspended Solids (VSS) – Wastewater Sample Analysis
MSI −MS 10 6 mL × mg
Nonvolatile ( ¿ ) Suspended Solids=( VF )( L× g )
where,
MSI is the mass of ignited crucible, filter paper and solids (g)
MS mass of dried crucible and filter paper (g)
VF sample volume filtered (mL)
Oxygen Dynamics
Streams usually have DO levels between 1 mg/L to 20 mg/L
Final DO Concentrations resulting from mixing two sources:
C 1 Q 1 +C 2 Q 2
Cf =
Q 1 +Q 2
where
C is concentration
Q is flow rate
TMDL
TMDL=WLA + LA+ MOS+ SV
where,
WLA is waste load allocation (direct flow into the body through things like pipes and ditches)
LA is Land Allocation (Pollutants from land areas)
MOS is margin of safety
SV is seasonal variation
Biological Contaminants – Monod Equation
μm × X × S
r g=
K S +S
where,
rg is rate of growth (rate at which substrate is converted to biomass)
μm is the maximum specific growth rate coefficient (time-1)
X is the concentration of microorganism (mg/L)
S is the concentration of the growth limiting nutrient (mg/L)
KS is the half-velocity coefficient (mg/L)

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 PE EXAM – AFTERNOON CHEAT SHEET
Risk – Chemical Contaminants/Bioaccumulation
( Concentration )( Intake ) ( Adsorption Factor )( Exposure ) ( Risk Factor )
Risk=
( Body Weight ) ( Lifetime )
Drinking Water
Instantaneous Demand
Qinstant =M × AADF
where,
M is a multiplier
AADF is the average annual daily flow (AADF)
Sedimentation
Gravel Coarse Sand Fine Sand Silt
3.28 ft/s 0.328 ft/s 0.0328 ft/s 0.000328 ft/s
Reynolds Number
inertial forces v D vDρ
ℜ= = =
viscous forces ν μ
where,
R is Reynolds Number
D is internal pipe diameter
v is fluid velocity
ν is kinematic viscosity
μ is absolute viscosity
ρ is density
Stokes’ Law (Re<1)
( SG particle −1 ) D2ft g
v s=
18 ν
where
vs is settling velocity
SGparticle is the specific gravity of the particle
Dft is the diameter of the sphere in ft
ν is kinematic viscosity
g is the acceleration due to gravity
Newton’s First Law of Motion (Re > 2,000)
Pg. 17-42
4 g D ( SG particle −1 )
v s=

where
√ 3C D
where C D =24 /ℜ

vs is settling velocity
SGparticle is the specific gravity of the particle
Threshold Odor Number
TON less than 6 is desirable

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 PE EXAM – AFTERNOON CHEAT SHEET
V Raw Sample +V Dilution Water
TON =
V RawSample
Coagulation/Flocculation Feed Rate
lb−L
F lb/day =
(
Dmg / L Q MGD 8.345
mg−MG )
PG
where,
Flb/day is feed rate in lb/day
Dmg/L is dose in mg/L
QMGD is flow rate in MGD
P is Purity
G is availability (1.0 if not specified)
Disinfection – Chlorine
HCl is hydrochloric acid
HOCl is hypochlorous acid
pH > 4 Cl 2+ H 2 O→ HCl+ HOCl
pH < 9
−¿¿

HOCl → H +¿+ OCl ¿

Filtration – Amount of Backwash Needed

Load Rate
Load rate can be anywhere from 2-10 gpm/ft2
Flow Rate
Load Rate=
Area
Backwash
Backwashing rates are 1-3 ft/min
V = A Filter ( Rise Rate ) t Backwash

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