Islamic University of Technology (IUT)
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
CEE 4565: Open Channel Flow
Total Credits: 3.0
Class Time: Monday: 10:30 -1:00 (Sec B)
Thursday: 10:30 – 1:00 (Sec A) 1
SYLLABUS
Open Channel Flow and its Classification, Velocity and Pressure
Distribution, Energy Equation, Specific Energy and transition
Problems, Critical Flow and Control
Principles of flow measurement and devices
Concept of Uniform Flow, Chezy and Manning equations,
Estimation of resistant coefficients and computation of uniform
flow.
Momentum equation and specific momentum.
Hydraulic
2 jump, Theory and analysis of gradually varied flow.
Computation of flow profile
Design of Open Channel
REFERENCES
Flow in Open Channels – K.Subramanya
Open Channel Flow – Madan Mohan Das
Lectures Note on Open Channel Flow – Md. A. Halim (BUET)
Open Channel Hydraulics – Richard H. French
Open Channel Flow – VenTi Chow
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OPEN CHANNEL FLOW
An open channel is a conduit in which the
liquid flows with a free surface.
The free surface is an interface between the
moving liquid and overlying fluid medium and will
have constant pressure.
All open channels have a bottom slope.
Natural: rivers, streams, etc.
Human-made (artificial): aqueducts, irrigation,
sewers, drainage, etc.
Rigid and mobile boundary channels
Small and large slope channels.
Open channel hydraulics is of great importance in civil
engineers, it deals with flows having a free surface, for
example:
Channels constructed for water supply, irrigation, drainage
Sewers, culverts
Tunnels flowing partially full
Natural streams and rivers.
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Role of Civil Engineer
Planning
Design
Evaluation
Construction
Operation and maintenance
Main Features of Open Channel Flow
Geometry of the channel
Properties of flowing fluids
Flow Parameters (depth, velocity, discharge, etc.)
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PIPE FLOW AND OPEN CHANNEL FLOW
Pipe Flow Open Channel Flow
The liquid completely fills the
pipe and flow under pressure. • Flow takes place due to the
slope of the channel bed (flow
The flow in a pipe takes place due to gravity).
due to difference of pressure
(pressure gradient),
• The flow must be classified as
The flow in a closed conduit is open channel flow if the liquid
has a free surface.
not necessarily a pipe flow.
• Driving force: gravity
Driving force: pressure flow
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For Pipe flow
The hydraulic gradient line (HGL) is the sum of the elevation and the
pressure head (connecting the water surfaces in piezometers).
The energy gradient line (EGL) is the sum of the HGL and velocity
head.
The amount of energy loss when the liquid flows from section 1 to
section 2 is indicated by hf.
For open channel flow
The hydraulic gradient line (HGL) corresponds to the water surface
line (WSL); where it subjected to only atmospheric pressure which is
commonly referred to as the zero pressure reference.
The energy gradient line (EGL) is the sum of the HGL and velocity
head.
The amount of energy loss when the liquid flows from section 1 to
section 2 is indicated by hf.
For uniform flow in an open channel, this drop in the EGL is equal to the
drop in the channel bed. 9
CLASSIFICATIONS OF OPEN CHANNEL FLOW
Classification based on the time criterion:
1. Steady Flow (time independent)
(discharge and water depth do not change with time)
2. Unsteady Flow (time dependent)
(discharge and water depth at any section change with time)
Classification based on the space criterion:
1. Uniform flow (are mostly steady)
(discharge and water depth remains the same at every section in
the channel)
2. Non-uniform Flow
(discharge and water depth change at any section in the channel)
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Non-uniform flow is also called varied flow ( the flow in which the
water depth and/or discharge change along the length of the
channel).
Varied flow can be further classified as:
Gradually varied flow (GVF) where the depth of the flow changes
gradually along the length of the channel.
Rapidly varied flow (RVF) where the depth of flow changes
suddenly over a small length of the channel.
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a) Uniform flow are mostly b) Unsteady uniform flows
steady are very rare in nature
c) Steady varied flow d) Unsteady varied flow (flood wave)
(over a spillway crest) e) Unsteady varied flow (tidal surge)
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STATE OF FLOW
Reynolds Number VR
Laminar flow (Re < 500) Re
Turbulent flow (Re > 12,500)
Transitional flow (500 < Re < 12500)
Froude Number V
Fr
Subcritical flow (Fr < 1) gD
Supercritical flow (Fr > 1)
Critical flow (Fr = 1)
V = velocity of flow
R = hydraulic radius = A/P
D = hydraulic depth = A/T
= kinematic viscosity
CONTINUITY EQUATION
3a
Inflow 3 A
Change in Storage
3b
Outflow
1 A 2
Section AA
Inflow – Outflow = Change in Storage
GENERAL FLOW EQUATION
Q = VA
Area of the
cross-section
(ft2) or (m2)
Avg. velocity of
Flow rate (cfs) or flow at a cross-
(m3/s) section (ft/s) or
(m/s)
KINDS OF OPEN CHANNEL
Natural and Artificial Channels
Prismatic and Non-prismatic Channels
A channel with unvarying cross section and constant bottom slope
(artificial channel)
Rigid and Mobile Boundary Channels
Small and Large Slope Channels
An open channel with a bottom slope greater than 1 in 10 is called a
channel of large slope; otherwise it is a channel of small slope.
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CHARACTERISTICS OF OPEN-CHANNEL FLOWS
In an open channel,
Velocity is zero on bottom and sides of channel due to no-slip
condition
Velocity is maximum at the mid-plane of the free surface
In most cases, velocity also varies in the stream wise direction
Flow is 3D
Nevertheless, 1D approximation is made with good success for
many practical problems.
GEOMETRIC ELEMENTS OF A CHANNEL SECTION
Channel section: Cross section of a channel taken normal to the direction of
flow.
Depth of flow (y): vertical distance from the lowest point of a channel section to
the water surface
Depth of flow section (d): depth of flow normal to the direction of flow.
d = y cos ! For a mild slope channel y = d
Flow area (A): Cross sectional area of the flow normal to the direction of flow.
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Wetted Perimeter (P): the length of interface between water and channel
boundary.
GEOMETRIC ELEMENTS OF A CHANNEL SECTION
Top width (T): Width of a channel section at the water surface
Hydraulic Radius (R): R = A / P
Hydraulic Depth (D): D = A / T
• Wide Channel: b >> y (generally b > 10y)
R = A / P = by/(b + 2y) by/b y
b 22
OPEN CHANNEL SECTION TYPES
Channel section:
Cross-section of a channel taken normal to the direction of flow
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C-V V+C
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Example:
Trapezoidal channel section with b = 6m, z = 2 and y = 1.5m, velocity
of flow = 2.30 m/sec.
1. What is the state of flow through this channel section?
2. Compute the discharge.
3. If an elementary wave is created in the channel, determine the
speed of wave fronts both upstream and downstream direction.
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Velocity Distribution in Open Channel
Owing to the presence of free surface and the friction over the channel bed and
banks, the velocities are not uniformly distributed in an open channel flow
direction.
The velocity is zero at the solid boundary and gradually increases with
distance from the boundary.
The velocity distribution in a channel section also depends on channel
geometry, roughness of the channel, presence of bends, etc.
0.05y – 0.25y
Vmax is about 10-30% higher than the x-
sectional mean velocity.
In turbulent flow, the variation of velocity along
a vertical can be approximated by logarithmic
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or power law.
Velocity Distribution in Open Channel
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Velocity Distribution in Open Channel
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Velocity Distribution Coefficients (, )
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Pressure Distribution
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Pressure Distribution
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Pressure Distribution
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r= radius of curvature of the
streamline
h= depth of flow
∆A
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