This document discusses methods for developing synthetic unit hydrographs (UHs) to model watershed response for ungauged basins. Snyder's method relates lag time and peak flow to watershed characteristics like area, length, and slope. Dimensionless UHs allow derivation of unit hydrographs for different durations. The Soil Conservation Service (SCS) method models hydrograph shape as a function of time of concentration. Flow duration curves developed for gauged sites can be used to extrapolate flow data to ungauged locations based on drainage area and average annual runoff. These synthetic UH and flow estimation techniques enable hydrologic analysis and modeling of basins without direct streamflow measurements.
This document discusses methods for developing synthetic unit hydrographs (UHs) to model watershed response for ungauged basins. Snyder's method relates lag time and peak flow to watershed characteristics like area, length, and slope. Dimensionless UHs allow derivation of unit hydrographs for different durations. The Soil Conservation Service (SCS) method models hydrograph shape as a function of time of concentration. Flow duration curves developed for gauged sites can be used to extrapolate flow data to ungauged locations based on drainage area and average annual runoff. These synthetic UH and flow estimation techniques enable hydrologic analysis and modeling of basins without direct streamflow measurements.
This document discusses methods for developing synthetic unit hydrographs (UHs) to model watershed response for ungauged basins. Snyder's method relates lag time and peak flow to watershed characteristics like area, length, and slope. Dimensionless UHs allow derivation of unit hydrographs for different durations. The Soil Conservation Service (SCS) method models hydrograph shape as a function of time of concentration. Flow duration curves developed for gauged sites can be used to extrapolate flow data to ungauged locations based on drainage area and average annual runoff. These synthetic UH and flow estimation techniques enable hydrologic analysis and modeling of basins without direct streamflow measurements.
This document discusses methods for developing synthetic unit hydrographs (UHs) to model watershed response for ungauged basins. Snyder's method relates lag time and peak flow to watershed characteristics like area, length, and slope. Dimensionless UHs allow derivation of unit hydrographs for different durations. The Soil Conservation Service (SCS) method models hydrograph shape as a function of time of concentration. Flow duration curves developed for gauged sites can be used to extrapolate flow data to ungauged locations based on drainage area and average annual runoff. These synthetic UH and flow estimation techniques enable hydrologic analysis and modeling of basins without direct streamflow measurements.
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
You are on page 1/ 46
CHAPTER
5 Hydrology of un gauged Catchment Synthetic Unit Hydrograph (UH) • UH is applicable only for gauged watershed and for the point on the stream where data are measured • For other locations on the stream in the same watershed or for nearby (ungauged) watersheds, synthetic procedures are used. Synthetic hydrographs are derived by; • Relating hydrograph characteristics such as peak flow, base time etc. with watershed characteristics such as area and time of concentration Synthesis UHs developed along two main lines thought; • One assumed that each watershed had a unique UH related to specific watershed characteristic, • The second assumed that all UHs could be represented by a single family of curves or a single equation • However, the formulas all have certain limiting assumptions and should be applied to new areas with extreme caution. • The first line of development was based on the rational method modified to include the time- area curve for a particular watershed. Clark (1945) assumed that assumed that watershed response would be given by routing the time- area curve through an element of linear storage, • The second approach to UH development assumed mathematical representation for the shape of the UH. A useful approach was advanced by the Soil Conservation Service (SCS, 1964, 1986). Snyder’s Method • Snyder(1938) was the first to develop a synthetic UH based on a study of watershed In basins ranging from 10 to 10,000mi2, • The first of the Snyder’s equation relates the basin lag tp. Defined as the time interval from the mid point of the unit rainfall excess to the peak of the unit hydrograph Tp = Ct (LLc)0.3 Where, • Tp = Basin lag in hours. • L = basin length measured along the watercourse from the basin divide to the gauging station in km. • Lc = distance along the main watercourse from the gauging station to the point opposite (or nearest) the watershed centroid in ( km) • Ct = a regional constant representing watershed slope and storage Qp=peak discharge of the unit hydrograph (cfs), A =drainage area (mi2), Cp =storage coefficient ranging from 0.4 to 0.8 where the larger values of Cp are associated with smaller values of Ct
Where Tb is the time base of the hydrograph, in days
Where t´p is the adjusted lag time (hr) for duration D´(hr • Important relationships: • Basin lag tp
Standard duration of effective rainfall, tr (in
hours)
Peak discharge Qp (m3/s) of unit hydrograph of
standard duration tr • Where A = km2, Cp = regional constant • If a non-standard rainfall duration tR h is adopted, instead of the value tr to derive a unit hydrograph the value of the basin lag is affected. The modified basin lag is given by:
Where t’p = basin lag in hours for an effective
duration of tR
Note that when tR = tr implies QP = Qps
• The time base of unit hydrograph is given by Snyder as:
To assist in the sketching of unit hydrographs,
Where • W50 = width of unit hydrograph in hour at 50% peak discharge • W75 = width of unit hydrograph in hour at 75% peak discharge • q = Qp/A = peak discharge per unit catchment area in m3/s/km2 • Example: • Derive a 3-hr unit hydrograph for an un gauged basin from the following data. • Length L =32 km; length L c =25 km; Area of catchment =325 km2 • Assume Ct =0.9 and Cp =1.8 • Solution • Tp = Ct (LLc) 0.3 = 0.9 (32 x 25)0.3=6.7 hrs • tr = tp/5.5 = 1.2 hrs • As tr is not equal to the desired unit duration tr′, we have to calculate the value of tp′. • tp’=tp
• tp’=6.7 = 7.2 Hrs
• QP =2.78 =2.78 = 225.9m3/s
EXAMPLE •The following are the ordinates of the 9-hour unit hydrograph for the entire catchment of the river Abay up to GRDE dam site:
and the catchment characteristics are A = 4480
km2, L = 318 km, Lca = 198 km •Derive a 3-hour unit hydrograph for the catchment area of river Abay up to the head of GRDE reservoir, given the catchment characteristics as: A = 3780 km2, L = 284 km, Lca = 184 km Solution: •The 9-hr UG is plotted in Fig. 5.30 and from that tp = 13.5 hr, tr = 9 hr, • These widths also seem to be too long and a 3-hr UG can now be sketched using the parameters Qp = 987 cumec, tpeak = 13 hr and T = 65 hr such that the area under the UG is equal to a runoff volume of 1 cm, as shown in Fig. Below. • Home-work ;Two catchments A and B are considered metrologically similar .Their catchment characteristics are given below.
• For a catchment A, a 2-hr unit hydrograph was
developed and was found to have a peak discharge of 50m3/s .The time to peak from the beginning of rainfall excess in this unit hydrograph was 9.0 Hr. Using Snyder's method develop a unit hydrograph for catc B. Dimensionless Unit Hydrograph • Dimensionless unit hydrograph procedure is one of the most well-known methods for deriving synthetic unit hydrographs. • The dimensionless unit hydrograph was derived based on a large number of unit hydrographs from basins which varied in characteristics such as size and geographic location • The unit hydrographs were averaged and the final product was made dimensionless by: • Considering the ratios of q/qp (flow/peak flow) on the ordinate axis And • t/tp (time/time to peak) on the abscissa, • This final, dimensionless unit hydrograph has a time-to-peak located at approximately 20% of its time base and an inflection point at 1.7 times the time-to-peak. : Illustration of dimensionless curvilinear unit hydrograph and equivalent triangular hydrograph. One can calculate that the unit hydrograph has 37.5% (or 3/8) of its volume on the rising side and the remaining 62.5% (or 5/8) of the volume on the recession side. • The following relationships are made and will be useful in further developing the peak rate relationships.
Again using the geometric relationships (area =
1/2 base times height) of the triangular unit hydrograph, the total volume is found by: • The volume, Q, is in inches and the time, T, is in hours. The peak rate, qp, in inches per hour, is found to be:
The term, qp, in the above equation is converted
to Cubic feet per second and the drainage area, A (mi2), is brought into the equation, which results in: • for (the area under the unit hydrograph) from 1-square mile in 1-hour (3600 seconds). Substituting in relationships developed in equation 1 above, equation 5 is re written: Hydrograph peaking factors and recession limb ratios (Wanielista, et al. 1997) • The peak rate may also be expressed in terms of other timing parameters besides the time-to- peak. From the previous figures:
• where D = the duration of the unit excess
rainfall and Tlag = the basin lag time. The peak flow is now written as: • The SCS (1972) relates the lag time, T lag, to the time of concentration, Tc by:
• Time of concentration is the time from the end
of excess precipitation to the inflection point on the recession limb of the hydrograph. Combining this with other relationships, as illustrated in the triangular unit hydrograph, the following relationships can be develop. From this, the duration D may be expressed as:
The peak flow rate could now be expressed in terms of the time of concentration as : EXAMPLE •For the 9-hr UG given for the entire catchment of the river Abay in The Previous Example .derive a dimensionless unit hydrograph. Solution • From the previous example, tp = 11.8 hr, Qp = 1000 cumec, and hence the following computation can be made: • Example • Construct a 4-hr UH for a drainage basin of 200 km2 and lag time 10 hr by the SCS method, given (pk = peak): Extrapolation of flow data to Un-gauged Sites • In regions where stream flow does not vary with respect to the contributing drainage area flow duration curves can be plotted for the gauged sites. From these developed flow duration curves, a family of parametric flow duration curves can be developed, in which flow is plotted against the average annual runoff ( R ) or annual discharge, Q at the respective gages for several exceedance interval percentages. • A separate curve is developed for each exceedance interval used.
• A correlation analysis is then
performed to obtain the best- fitting curve for the data taken from the measured records of stream flow. FDC for gauging stations in a homogenous drainage basin Determination of average annual discharge: • To use the parametric flow duration curves effectively, it is necessary to determine the average annual discharge, Q, at the point or location on the stream for which a flow analysis is to be made. • Isohytal maps developed for normal annual precipitation in a river basin are helpful for determining the annual discharge. The records of precipitation and stream flow data should represent the same period of record • Utilizing the records of average annual precipitation input to the basins at measured streams nearby or having similar hydrologic characteristics, a runoff coefficient is estimated for the drainage basin being studied • The product of this coefficient and the computed normal annual precipitation input to the basin and the basin area can be used to calculate the average annual discharge as: With the average runoff annual discharge estimate it is possible to enter the parametric flow duration curve and determine values of flow for different exceedance percentages for which the parametric flow duration curve has been developed. Parametric flow duration curves THANK YOU
