C) ORIFICE AND MOUTH PIECES

SMALL ORIFICE
Neglecting air resistance and horizontal velocity, v assumed constant,
the distance the fluid traveled in time t is:
The vertical distance y,
From the two,
SMALL ORIFICE
SMALL ORIFICE

Hydraulic coefficients for typical orifices and

mouthpieces
 Large Orifice: when the vertical height of the orifice is large so that the head
producing the flow is substantially less at the top of the opening than at the
bottom.
 The discharge calculated using the formula of small orifice, where the head H is
measured to the centre of the orifice, will not be the true value since the velocity
will vary substantially from top to bottom of the opening.
 In this case theoretical discharge is calculated by integrating from top to bottom
the flow.
 Consider a large rectangular orifice of width B and depth D
 As shown in the figure, the top and bottom of the orifice opening are at depth H 1 and
H2 respectively below the free surf ace.
 Consider a horizontal strip across the opening of height dh at a depth h below the
free surface.
 Area of the strip = Bdh

 Velocity of flow through the strip =

 Discharge through the strip,

 To obtain the discharge through the whole opening, integrate dQ from h = H1 to h =

H2

 Threfore, discharge

 The actual discharge

Example 1. Water flows from a reservoir through a rectangular opening 2m high and
1.2 m wide in the vertical face of a dam. Calculate the discharge in m 3/s when the free
surface in the reservoir is 0.5 m above the top of the opening assuming coefficient of
discharge of 0.64.
UNSTEADY FLOW THROUGH SMALL ORIFICE
 Problem of discharge through an orifice under varying head strictly fall under
unsteady flow.

 But if the rate of fall of the head is very small compared to the velocity of efflux,
Bernoulli's equation may be conveniently applied without appreciable error.

 Two practical cases of unsteady flow through small orifice are:

 i) Time required for a desired fall of liquid level in a tank due to efflux from
an orifice.
 ii) Flow from one tank to another.
UNSTEADY FLOW THROUGH SMALL ORIFICE
1) Time required to empty a tank of uniform cross-section:
 Consider a tank of uniform cross-sectional area A discharging liquid through an
orifice of cross-sectional area a installed at its bottom.
UNSTEADY FLOW THROUGH SMALL ORIFICE
Time required to empty a tank of uniform cross-section:
 Let the height of the liquid be at h above the vena contracta at some instant.
 The theoretical outflow velocity at that instant will be:

 Let the liquid level fall by an amount dh during a time interval dt.
 The volume of liquid that has flown out in time dt will be:

 Volume of liquid that has passed through the orifice in the same time interval dt will be:

 Thus:
UNSTEADY FLOW THROUGH SMALL ORIFICE
Time required to empty a tank of uniform cross-section:
 The time T required for the liquid level to drop from H1 to H2 may be found by integrating the
above equation between the limits H1 and H2.

 Since H1 > H2 , the term in brackets is negative, thus T will be positive. Taking the minus sign out
of the bracket:

Note: The tank will be fully emptied when H2 = 0.

UNSTEADY FLOW THROUGH SMALL ORIFICE
2) Flow from one tank to another through an orifice:
 Consider two adjacent tanks of uniform cross-sectional area A 1 and A2 connected by
an orifice of cross-sectional area a.

Let,
H1 = initial difference between the liquid levels in the two tanks

H2 = final difference in level between the liquid levels in the two tanks
UNSTEADY FLOW THROUGH SMALL ORIFICE
2) Flow from one tank to another through an orifice:
 At any instant, let the difference in levels be H. The theoretical velocity of the liquid
through the orifice at this instant is:

 After a small time interval dt, let the fall in head in tank A 1 be dh.
 The volume that has gone out of tank A1 will be dh A1.

 If y is the change in level of tank A2, then the volume entering tank A2 in time dt will
be yA2.
 From continuity,
 UNSTEADY FLOW THROUGH SMALL ORIFICE
2) Flow from one tank to another through an orifice:
 Then the total change in head difference between A 1 and A2 will be:

 Equating the flow through the orifice for the time dt to the volume of displacement:

 Integrating the above between H1 and H2, the time T required for the level difference
in the two tanks to drop from H1 to H2 is:

Note: The time required for the level between the two tanks to equalize is
obtained when H2 = 0.
UNSTEADY FLOW THROUGH SMALL ORIFICE
Example. A rectangular tank 10 m x 6 m has an orifice with 10 cm diameter fitted at its
bottom. It water stands initially at a height of 5m above the orifice, what time is required
for the level to drop to 1 m above the orifice. Take the orifice coefficient to be 0.64.
Solution:
Application of Bernoulli’s Equation
d) Notches and Weirs : hydraulic structures for measuring discharge.
Rectangular Weir

Q  1.84BH 3/ 2  no contraction 

Q 1.84 B  0.1H  H 3/ 2 One end contracted 
 

Q 1.84 B  0.2H  H 3/ 2 Two end contracted 

 

Trapezoidal Weir

Q  1.86LH 3/ 2 
 for side slope 1H :4V 
 

Triangular Weir

Triangular Weir

5/ 2
Q  1.38H 
 for   90
 
Application of Bernoulli’s Equation
Example1. Determine the discharge over a sharp-crested rectangular weir with 8 m
crest length and a head of 2.4 m. The width of the approach channel is 10 m.
Take Cd= 0.622.
UNSTEADY FLOW THROUGH SMALL
ORIFICE
Example 2. A 90o V-notch has a discharge coefficient of 0.60. Calculate the discharge
when the observed head is 0.65m.
THANK YOU