CHAPTER 5

LOW FLOW FREQUENCY ANALYSIS

Dr. Noraliani Alias

Department of Water and Environment
Engineering
Faculty of Civil Engineering
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
81310 UTM Skudai

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 Contents
• Estimating Unregulated Yield
• Yield of Unregulated Streams
• Flow Duration Curve

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 ESTIMATING UNREGULATED YIELD

LOW FLOW CONDITION

• Low flow defined: Streamflow of less than average flow

• Flow of water in a stream during prolonged dry period

• The basic question:

– How much water (Yield) can a reservoir collect water
during low flow condition?

– Yield defined – the amount of water that a reservoir can

be supplied in a specified interval of time
• The time interval may vary from a day for a small
reservoir to a year or more for a large storage
reservoir.
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Yield is dependent
upon inflow and will
vary from year to year.

Thus knowledge in
storage-yield
relationship (S-Y) of a
reservoir is required

Noraliani Alias 4
 YIELD OF UNREGULATED STREAMS

• Those without artificial storage.

(Give example of an artificial storage)

• Source of inflow to the artificial storage (reservoir)

• Source of water: slow flow or baseflow of the rainfall

hydrograph

• Tool of analysis
➢ Flow duration curves
➢ Low flow frequency curves

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6
FLOW DURATION CURVE

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 FLOW DURATION CURVE

• Simplest and most informative mean

of showing the low flow
characteristic of an unregulated
stream 500
450
400
350

Q(t) m3/s
300

• Defined: the percentage of time

250
200
.
150
during which specified discharge 100
50

were equalled or exceeded during 0

0 20 40 60 80 100

the period of the record %time equalled or exceeded

• Is a cumulative frequency
distribution
 FLOW DURATION CURVE

• A flow duration curve (FDC) for a particular point on a river

shows the proportion of time during which the discharge
there equals or exceeds certain values.

• FDC for long periods of runoff are useful for deciding what
proportion of flow should be used for particular purpose,
since the area under a curve represents volume.

• FDC can be constructed using daily, monthly and annual

streamflow data. However, it is usual that daily flows are
used.

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 FLOW DURATION CURVE: PROCEDURE

a. Group all data into class intervals (Column 1)

b. Count the number of occurrence (frequency) of each class
interval (column 2)
c. Class frequencies are accumulated beginning with the
largest discharge (column 3)
d. Each cumulated frequency is expressed as a percentage
(column 4)
e. Discharge is plotted against cumulated percentage of
frequency on normal graph paper or normal-probability
paper or log-normal-probability paper

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 Table Q21: Mean monthly discharge of Sungai Mersing, Johor

Year Jan Feb March April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

1971 27.5 18.6 16.27 27.7 36.9 34.3 23.6 19.4 21.5 69.6 67.9 36.2

1972 35.5 15.2 17.76 24.5 49.1 29.5 39.3 40.1 47.8 179.5 48.4 33.5

1973 32.3 16.1 8.93 9.5 46.1 33.8 35.7 38.7 69.9 123.9 136.8 65.7

1974 22.6 13.6 10.04 14.5 41.9 38.8 48.3 28.6 58.6 58.21 160.6 38.8

1975 17.5 15.9 9.81 28.4 48.5 18.8 1.7 4.6 5.3 10.5 11.8 12.9

1976 5.5 2.5 2.33 2.6 5.5 5.4 3.7 2.5 4.1 11.19 12.4 9.9

1977 24.6 3.6 2.06 1.9 3.8 4.7 41.9 33.7 33.2 92.3 59.8 38.8

1978 19.5 14.7 10.56 16.3 19.6 21.6 36.6 35.5 24.9 65.8 26.7 17.9

1979 21.0 11.2 11.4 13.6 17.5 13.7 13.8 29.4 17.3 57.5 45.9 18.5

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 Developing the % of cumulative frequency
(1) (2) (3) (4)

Cumulative %Cumulative
Q(m3/s) Frequency frequency frequency

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 FLOW DURATION CURVE
(Normal graph)
500
450
400
350
Q(t) m3/s

300
250
200
.
150
100
50
0
0 20 40 60 80 100
%time equalled or exceeded

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 EXAMPLE 1

Table Q2 lists the frequency of daily flow of Sg.Pahang, Pahang, Malaysia

(i) Develop a flow duration curve

(ii) Determine the discharge for 10% and 90% of the time equalled of
exceeded.

(iii) Compare and discuss findings (ii).

Q(m3/s) Frequency
Table Q1: Frequency of daily flow of
Over 475 10
Sg. Pahang
420-475 12

365-420 12

315-365 15 Total= 1641

260-315 31

210-260 43

155-210 78

120-155 89

105-120 59

95-105 50

85-95 58
75-85 76
65-75 92
50-65 112
47-50 80
42-47 83
37-42 81
32-37 92
26-32 110
21-26 158
16-21 137
11-16 148
Below 11 15 15
 (1) (2) (3) (4)

Cumulative %Cumulative
Q(m3/s) Frequency frequency frequency
 FLOW DURATION CURVE
(Normal graph)
500
450
400
350
Q(t) m3/s

300
250
200
.
150
100
50
0
0 20 40 60 80 100
%time equalled or exceeded

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 Flow Duration Curve plotted on
log-probability paper
- Flow duration curve
1000
Based on 4 years
(1461 days) period

- 2% of the 4 years period,

100 Flow exceeded 290 m3/s

Q(t) - 3% - 96% of the 4 years period,

The flow is between
10
12-290 m3/s

- 50% time point provides

the median value (45 m3/s)
0.1 2 50 90 99.5
% of time exceeded

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 USES OF FLOW DURATION CURVE IN
RESERVOIR DESIGN
• 90% - 99% - measures of a streams LOW FLOW

• 90% of time discharge exceeded

– a measure of groundwater and river bank storage
contribution to streamflow

• Use to estimate;
❖ HYDROPOWER POTENTIAL
❖ WATER SUPPLY
❖ IRRIGATION PLANNING
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 USES OF FLOW DURATION CURVE IN
RESERVOIR DESIGN
 The steeper the slope, the greater the variability.

 If the slope of the curve in low flow portion is flat,

groundwater contribution is significant

 Steep curve – poor baseflow or cease to flow

condition

 Valuable tool for comparing basic characteristics of

the catchment area in particular the geology
groundwater
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 500
450
400
350
Q(t) m3/s

300
250
200 Flat slope
.
150
100
50 Steep slope
0
0 20 40 60 80 100
%time equalled or exceeded

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Vis River – small groundwater storage and low baseflow

Earn River & Richmod River - ????

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Noraliani Alias
 Q(m3/s) Frequency

EXAMPLE 2 Over 475

420-475
10

12

365-420 12

• You are given a set of data. 315-365 15

260-315 31

210-260 43
• Plot the power duration curve 155-210 78

where P = 0.472Q 120-155 89

105-120 59

95-105 50
• Determine the average power 85-95 58

that can be developed and the 75-85

65-75
76
92
mean monthly flow that can be 50-65 112

expected. 47-50 80
42-47 83
37-42 81
32-37 92
26-32 110
21-26 158
16-21 137
11-16 148
Below 11 15
Mean monthly range Cumulative % Cumulative
Frequency Lower Value Q Monthly power (MW)
Q Frequency Frequency
P=0.472Q (Q= lower
(m3/s) %
value)

Over 475 10

420-475 12

365-420 12

315-365 15

260-315 31

210-260 43

155-210 78

120-155 89

105-120 59

95-105 50

85-95 58
75-85 76
65-75 92
50-65 112
47-50 80
42-47 83
37-42 81
32-37 92
26-32 110
21-26 158
16-21 137
11-16 148
Below 11 15

1641 24
Total 1540
ASSIGMENT 1
Due date: 8 Jan 2022

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 See
You
Again

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