EH 103 - Lecture

October 2nd, 2013

Lecture & syllabus review

Quiz & Homework review
Drip

Hydraulics (mechanical properties of liquids)

Velocity – how fast water is moving through a pipe (measured as distance ie. feet per
time ie. seconds)
Measured at the water meter – usually velocity does not exceed 7.5 feet per second
High velocities are not good for pipe, fittings and components ‘Water Hammer’
Flow – how much water is moving through a pipe (measured as volume ie. gallons
per time ie. minutes) GPM = gallons per minute
- Determinations for available flow are made at the point of connection (POC)
(the simplest measurement of available flow is through a bucket test)
The formula for determining flow rate is the continuity equation Qa = V * A
V = pipe velocity in feet per second
A = area of the pipe in square feet
Qa = available flow in cubic feet per second
- To convert to GPM multiply by 60 (seconds in a minute) and again by 7.48
(gallons in a cubic foot of water)

Water Pressure - measurement of force over area represented as

Pounds per Square Inch = (PSI)
Static pressure (systems at rest with pressure) ----- Mainline pipe
Dynamic pressure (systems at flow or in operation) ---- Lateral pipe
Systems at flow/in motion have pressure losses due to friction
Creating water pressure
Gravity and mechanical elevation of pressure
 -Specific weight of water = 62.4lbs per cubic foot
-A cubic foot of water represents 0.433 PSI (62.4lbs / 144 square inches)

1 PSI = 2.31' of water

Friction factor - measured as loss of psi per foot of pipe (Hazen - Williams tables)

4x pieces of information necessary for dynamic pressure calculations

1. Pipe losses (from reference tables)
2. Fitting losses (from reference tables & manufacturers information)
3. Component losses (backflows, valves, heads, regulators etc.)
4. Elevation changes (can have either a positive or negative affect)
System design
- determine starting pressure and flow rates at POC
- determine worst case lateral zone (highest elevation, largest coverage area, highest flow rates
etc.)
- determine watering windows or how long and often the system needs to operate