DCC50212

HYDRALICS

1 Test
CHAPTER 3 : River Flow Measurement

Ms Siti Kamariah Bt Md Sa’at

School of Bioprocess Engineering
sitikamariah@unimap.edu.my
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What is runoff (air larian)

Surface runoff

Subsurface runoff
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Factor affecting runoff rate

and volume
Physiographical factors Human factors

◦ Size of watershed ◦ Drainage system

◦ Shape of watershed ◦ Urbanization
◦ Topographic characteristics
◦ Orientation of watershed
◦ Land use
◦ Soil Moisture
◦ Soil type
◦ Drainage density
◦ Channel Length
◦ Storage
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Factor affecting runoff rate and volume

i. Size of watershed

◦ Watersheds have infinite variety of shapes

and the shape supposedly reflects the way
that runoff will “bunch up” at the outlet.

◦ The size of the basins influences the time

taken for water from the remote parts of
the catchment to arrive at outlet

◦ Larger catchment less runoff-due to

uniform rainfall over entire area, thus only
few tributaries of the stream feed water to
a main stream during a particular storm.
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ii. Shape of watershed

◦ Basin shape also has an influence on magnitude and timing of the

peak flow at the basin outlet.
◦ Consider two basins of equal area where one is long and narrow,
and the other is more round. Then consider runoff traveling from
the far the point in each basin to their respective outlets. The
runoff in the more round basin will arrive more quickly at the basin
outlet.
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Physiographical factors
◦ Shape of watershed
◦ The shape of the drainage basin appreciably affects the rate at
which water enters the stream.
◦ The shape of the basin may be (1) Fan shaped and (2) Fern leaf
shaped.
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Factor affecting runoff rate

and volume
iii. Topographic characteristics (keadaan muka bumi)
Orientation of watershed
◦ Runoff depends on surface
smoothness and slope
◦ If slope is stiff, flow will be quick
(gravity pulls) and less evaporation
and absorption , resulting greater
runoff.

◦ If watershed is in mountainous area

and on the windward side of the
mountain, then more rain fall resulting
more runoff
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Factor affecting runoff rate

and volume
iv. Land use

◦ Vegetation and forests increase

the infiltration and storage
capacities of the soils. Further
they cause considerable
retardance to the overland flow.
Thus vegetal cover reduces the
peak flow. In general, for two
catchments of equal area, other
factors being identical, the peak
discharge is higher for a
catchment that has a lower
density of forests cover.
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Factor affecting runoff rate

and volume.
v. Soil Moisture
vi.Soil type
◦ If a rainfall occurs after a
◦ It include the type of surface,
long dry spell of time, the soil
subsoil , type of rock and
is dry and it can absorb large
their permeability
amounts of water.
characteristics.
◦ In such a condition even
intense rain may fail to
produce any appreciable ◦ If soil and subsoil is porous,
run off. seepage will be more
resulting reduction of peak
◦ On the other hand if there
flood.
are persistent rains, the soil
will be already wet and ◦ If the surface is rocky, the
infiltration will be very small. absorption will be nil resulting
more runoff.
◦ In such conditions even small
rains may cause
considerable floods.
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Factor affecting runoff rate

and volume
vii. Drainage density and channel length.
The drainage density is a measure of the
total length of well-defined channels that
drain the catchment
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Factor affecting runoff rate

and volume
vii. Storage

The artificial storage such as dams, weirs, etc and natural storage such as
lakes and ponds tend to reduce the peak flow.

They also give rise to greater evaporation losses.

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Factor affecting runoff rate

and volume
Human factors

◦ Drainage system
◦ Urbanization
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DISCHARGE/STREAMFLOW
MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUE
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Need for Stream flow

Measurements
◦ Floodplain ◦ Design structures –
management ◦ culverts, bridges,
◦ Flood forecasting storm water systems
& analysis ◦ Evaluate changes in
◦ Reservoir land use on
operations watersheds and/or
◦ Low flows – water changes in climatic
quality concerns regimes
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Streamflow and Measurement

◦ The character, amount, and timing of discharge

from a basin tells a lot about flow paths within the
basin.

◦ Watak, jumlah, dan masa pelepasan dari

lembangan menceritakan banyak tentang laluan
aliran di dalam lembangan.
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Floods
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Discharge/Stream flow
method
◦ Discharge is the volume of water moving down a stream or river
per unit of time, commonly expressed in cubic feet per second or
gallons per day.

◦ Kadar alir adalah jumlah air yang mengalir ke sungai atau per
satuan waktu, biasanya dinyatakan dalam kaki padu per saat
atau gelen sehari.
In general, river discharge is computed by multiplying the area of
water in a channel cross section by the average velocity of the
water in that cross section:

◦ Discharge, Q = area, A x velocity, V

= m2 x m/s
=m3/s
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5 methods to measure stream flow.

◦ Velocity area method

◦ Propeller Type
◦ Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler
◦ Electromagnetic type
◦ Dilution Method
◦ Electromagnetic method
◦ Ultrasonic method
◦ River slope method
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Discharge (Q) Measurement

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Area-Velocity Method
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Velocity-Area Method
◦ Q = [Velocity x Area]
◦ Need to know width of channel (w), Depth of channel (d), and
Velocity of flow (V) (ft/s or m/s)
◦ Area = w x d
◦ Because depth & velocity vary across a channel:
(1) Important to divide the channel into manageable segments (slices);
Typically use 10-20 segments
(2) For each segment measure depth, width and velocity
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Methods used in stream flow

measurement, Q=VxA
◦ Numerous methods and types of equipment to measure GS uses
velocity and cross-sectional area, -
Current meter
◦ Propeller type : for high discharge
◦ Price type using anemometer
◦ Electromagnetic type : for low river flow
PROPELLER TYPE :
FOR HIGH DISCHARGE/LARGE RIVERS
from bridges or boats for river velocity measurement, we need:Wading/Paddle
Bridges
Boat
Cablecar
Cableway
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https://youtu.be/dgfqoVqbHw0

https://youtu.be/TWr5feW-SFQ
 ACOUSTIC DOPPLER CURRENT
PROFILER
In recent years, advances in technology have allowed the USGS to make
discharge measurements by use of an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP).
An ADCP uses the principles of the Doppler Effect to measure the velocity of
water. The Doppler Effect is the phenomenon we experience when passed by a
car or train that is sounding its horn. As the car or train passes, the sound of the
horn seems to drop in frequency.
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https://youtu.be/fcPb-gLa6eY
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https://youtu.be/VDbvMGwIU1M
ELECTROMAGNETIC TYPE

for low river flow

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Measuring
Streamflow in small
streams with a
pygmy current
meter
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https://youtu.be/7gFzC_bX7Tw
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STEP 1:Gunakan pita pengukur ukur mengukur lebar

sungai
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Step 2: bahagikan keratan rentas sungai kepada polygon yang hampir sama besar

Because depth & velocity vary across a channel

Important to divide the channel into manageable segments
(slices); Typically use 10-20 segments
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.
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Measuring Stream flow Discharge

◦ Procedure: at each segment measure depth
then velocity
◦ If Depth < 0.6m, take one reading @
60% depth
◦ If Depth > 0.6m take 2 measurements
and compute the average
◦ One @ 20% depth
◦ One @ 80% depth
◦ Average the two readings
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Measuring Streamflow
Discharge
◦ 3 method of measurement
◦ Velocity-area(VA) method
◦ Mean section method
◦ Mid section method
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Example Calculation:

Find the Q for this case:

V = 0.25 N + 0.05 (given-not fixed)
Where V= velocity (m/s)
N = number of revolution/s

a) Using mean-section method

b) Using mid-section method
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Example Calculation:

Distance Depth, d Rev/min

from edge, (m)
0.6d 0.2d 0.8d
b (m)
0 0
2 1.1 14
4 2.6 48 44
6 4.0 57 52
8 7.2 43 37
10 4.3 38 32
12 3.2 36 29
14 1.6 12
15.5 0
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Mid-section method

Q= V X A
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For b=2m
V = 0.25 N + 0.05
V=0.25 (14)+0.05
= 0.108m/s
For b=4m
V= 0.25 N + 0.05 V= 0.25 N + 0.05
=0.25(48)+0.05 = 0.25 (44)+0.05
= 0.250 m/s = 0.233m/s

b=2m b=4m b=6m

0.2d Rev/min
@
0.6d d=1.1m
d=2.6m d=4.0m rot/min
0.8d
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velocity (m/s)
Distance immesion of Number of V = 0.25 N + 0.05
vertical
from river current time (s) rotation , Width, m Area,m2 Flow,m3/s
depth,m
bank,m meter depth rev Vertical
At point
average
A B C D E F G H I J

b d D Vavg (bi+1 –bi-1)/2 bxd Vavg x A

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 1.1 0.2D 60 14 0.108 0.108 (4-0)/2 = 2 2.2 0.2383
0.2D 60 48 0.25
4 2.6 0.242
0.8D 60 44 0.233 (6-2)/2 =2 5.2 1.2567
0.2D 60 57 0.288
6 4 0.277
0.8D 60 52 0.267 2 8 2.2167
0.2D 60 43 0.229
8 7.2 0.217
0.8D 60 37 0.204 2 14.4 3.12
0.2D 60 38 0.208
10 4.3 0.196
0.8D 60 32 0.183 2 8.6 1.6842
0.2D 60 36 0.2
12 3.2 0.185
0.8D 60 29 0.171 2 6.4 1.1867
14 1.6 0.6D 60 12 0.1 0.1 1.75 2.8 0.28
15.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
TOTAL 9.9824

V = 0.25 N (rev/s)+ 0.05

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b) Mean-section method

Q=V X A

i-1 = sebelum
I =semasa
i+1 =selepas
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Mean-section method

Q = 9.736 m3/s
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(vi-1 +Vi)/2 (b-bi-1) (di-1 +di)/2 I*J K*H

0 0 0 0 0
2 1.1 0.2D 60 14 0.108 0.108 0.054 2 0.55 1.1 0.0596
0.6D 60 48 0.250
4 2.6 0.242 0.175
0.8D 60 44 0.233 2 1.85 3.7 0.647
0.6D 60 57 0.288
6 4 0.277 0.259
0.8D 60 52 0.267 2 3.3 6.6 1.712
0.6D 60 43 0.229
8 7.2 0.217 0.247
0.8D 60 37 0.204 2 5.6 11.2 2.765
0.6D 60 38 0.208
10 4.3 0.196 0.206
0.8D 60 32 0.183
2 5.75 11.5 2.372

0.6D 60 36 0.200
12 3.2 0.185 0.191 2 3.75 7.5 1.430
0.8D 60 29 0.171

14 1.6 0.2D 60 12 0.100 0.100 0.143 2 2.4 4.8 0.685

15.5 0 0 0 0 0.000 0.000 0.05 1.5 0.8 1.2 0.060
TOTAL 9.7304
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TUTORIAL 3A
Distance Depth,m immesion of current Current meter
from the meter depth,D No of rev. Time, s
edge, m
3 1.4 0.2D 12 50
6 3.3 0.2D 38 52
0.6D 23 55
9 5 0.2D 40 58
0.6D 30 54
12 9 0.2D 48 60
0.6D 34 58
15 5.4 0.2D 34 52
0.6D 30 50
18 3.8 0.2D 35 52
21 0 0.2D 30 54
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immesion of
Distance velocity (m/s)
vertical current number of flowDischar
from river time (s) Width,m Area,m2 3
depth,m meter rotation ge (m /s)
bank,m Vertical
depth,D At point
average
A B C D E F G H I J

b d Vi (bi+1 –bi-1)/2 B*H I*G

0 0 0 0 0
3 1.4 0.2D 50 12
0.2D 52 38
6 3.3
0.6D 55 23

9 5

12 9

15 5.4

16 3.8

21 0
TOTAL
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Distance immesion velocity (m/s)

from river vertical of current number of Vertical Horizontal Vertical depth
bank depth meter time (s) rotation At point average average Width average Area flow
A B C D E F G H I J K L

(vi-1 +Vi)/2 (b-bi-1) (di-1 +di)/2 I*J K*H

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TUTORIAL 3B

Distance from the Depth,m Immesion of current Current meter

left edge,m m meter depth,D No of rev. time,s

4 1.68 0.2D 18 50
8 33 0.2D 57 52
0.6D 34.5 55
12 6 0.2D 60 58
0.6D 45 54
16 10.8 0.2D 72 60
0.6D 51 58
20 6.48 0.2D 51 52
0.6D 45 50
24 4.56 0.2D 52.5 52
0.6D 45 54
28 0 0.2D 18 50