Streamflow measurement

Learning outcomes
• By the end of the lesson, students should be
able to:
– Understand the term stage flow
– Identify stream flow measurements
– Able to identify the apparatus used to measure
discharge
– Able to calculate discharge by using velocity area
method

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introduction
• Stream: a flow
channel into which the
surface runoff from a
specified basin drains.
• Streamflow / stream
discharge: quantity of
water flowing in a
stream.
• Unit: m3/s ( cumecs)

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introduction
• A stream reach: a
section of stream
with relatively
constant bed slope,
cross section &
discharge.
• Stream discharge
varies with time &
season e.g. dry &
wet season.
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River stage
• Defined as the river
water surface elevation
measured above a
datum (MSL or any
arbitrary level chosen
for convenience).
• Measured using non-
recording gauges or
recording gauges.
• Non-recording gauges:
– Staff gauge, wire gauge
• Recording gauges:
– Float-gauge recorder,
bubble gauge

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 Measurement of stage
• Non-recording gauge
– Staff gauge
– Wire gauge
• Recording gauge
– Float-gauge recorder
– Bubble gaguge

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Staff gauge
• Simplest stage
measurement.
• Recording the water
surface elevation in
contact with a fixed
graduated staff.
• Usually fixed rigidly
to a structure such as
abutment, pier, wall
etc.

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Wire gauge
• Used to measure water-
surface elevation from
above surface such as a
bridge or similar
structure.
• Weight is lowered by a
reel to touch the water
surface.
• A mechanical counter
measures the rotation
of the wheel which is
proportional to the
length of the wire paid
out.

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Float-gauge recorder
• A float operating in a
stilling well is balanced
by means of a
counterweight over the
pulley of a recorder.
• Displacement of the
float due to the rising
or lowering of the
water-surface elevation
causes an angular
displacement of the
pulley and hence of the
input shaft of the
recorder

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Float gauge recorder

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 Bubble gauge
• Compressed air or gas is made to bleed out at a very small
rate through an outlet placed at the bottom of the river.
• A pressure gauge measures the gas pressure which in turn is
equal to the water column above the outlet.
• A small change in the water-surface elevation is felt as a
change in pressure from the present value at the pressure
gauge and this in turn is adjusted by a servo-mechanism to
bring the gas to bleed at the original rate under the new
head.
• The pressure gauge reads the new water depth which is
transmitted to a recorder.
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Bubble gauge

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 Measurement of depth
• Before any stream flow measuement can be conducted,
the stream cross section is divided into a number of
vertical sections as many as possible so that not more
than 10% of the flow passes through any one section.
• For the selected section of the stream, measurement of
depth at these vertical sections is required in order to
determine the location of the current meter for velocity
measurement at these verticals.

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 Measurement of
depth

Wading Sounding Sonic

rod weight sounder

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Wading rod
• Wading rod is a graduated
steel rod of hexagonal or
round shape 12 mm in size.
• It is placed in the stream so
that the base plate rests on
the stream bed and the depth
of water is read on the
graduated rod.
• The current meter can be set
at a desired location of 0.2d,
0.6d or 0.8d depending on
the depth of the stream.

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Sounding weight
• Used when it is not
possible to use wading rod
due to deep or swift water,
a sounding weight is
suspended below the
current meter by a hand
line.
• The assembly is attached
to a cable and is used from
bridge, coat or cableway.
• For deep water
measurements requiring
heavier weight, a
sounding weight is
suspended by a reel line.

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Sounding weight
• aef = total depth of sounding
line
• bc = depth of water in the
stream
• ef = wet line depth
• Position of the current meter
at 0.2d,
0.2d  ab  0.2bc  distance from the bottom
of weight to current meter

• Position of the current meter

at 0.8d,
0.8d  aef  0.2bc  distance from the bottom
of weight to current meter

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 Example 5.1
• A stream gauging is conducted using sounding weight
suspended by a hand line from a bridge. The total depth
of the sound line from the rail of the bridge is 8.25 m.
The depth up to the water surface is 4.4 m. If the
distance from the center of the current meter to the
bottom of the weight is 0.3 m, determine the position of
the current meter at 0.2d and 0.8d in the stream.

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 Solution example 5.1
aef  8.25m
ab  4m
Distance from the bottom of weight to current meter  0.3m
Depth of water, bc  aef  ab  8.25  4.40  3.85m

Position of current meter at 0.2d,

0.2d  ab  0.2bc  distance from the bottom of weight to current meter
 4.4  0.2(3.85)  0.3
 5.47 m from the bridge rail

Position of current meter at 0.8d,

0.8d  aef  0.2bc  distance from the bottom of weight to current meter
 8.25  0.2(3.85)  0.3
 7.78m from the bridge rail

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Sonic sounder
• Works based on a principle
of echo sounding.
• It provides a continuous
strip chart record of the
depth of the stream.
• Its transducer releases
pulses of ultrasonic energy
at fixed intervals.
• The devices measures the
time taken by these pulses to
travel to the stream bed, to
be reflected, and return back
to the transducer.

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 Measurement of velocity
• Velocity can be measured by using float or
current meter.
• Floats can only give surface velocity

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Velocity distribution

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 Float
Measurement
Cup
of velocity
Current
meter
Propeller

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 Floats

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 Floats

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Cup type Current meter

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propeller type Current meter

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 Measurement of discharge

Direct method Indirect method

Dilution
Velocity area Control Chezy/
gauging
method structures Manning eqn
method

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Measurement of discharge

Q   vi ai 

vi  mean veloc ity of flow in the subsection

ai  individual subsection area

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 Example 5.2
A stream cross section has been divide into five
subsections as shown Figure. The area of each subsection
and its mean velocity are given in Table. Calculate the
stream flow of the cross section.

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Solution example 5.1

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 Solution example 5.1
Subsection Area (m2) Mean velocity, v
(m/s)
I 10.0 0.05
II 15.4 0.07
III 25.0 0.10
IV 32.4 0.08
V 12.0 0.06

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 Solution example 5.1
Subsection Area Mean velocity, v Discharge, Q
(m2) (m/s) (m3/s)
I 10.0 0.05 0.50
II 15.4 0.07 1.08
III 25.0 0.10 2.50
IV 32.4 0.08 2.59
V 12.0 0.06 0.72
Total 7.39

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 Velocity area method
• Divide river cross-section to vertical sections.
• Measure velocities at a number of depths to get the
velocity distribution – 0.2d & 0.8d.
• Calculate the mean velocity.
• Shallow depth: 0.6d as representative mean velocity.
• Discharge at section can be calculated by:
– Mean section method
– Mid-section method

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UiTMKS/ FCE/ BCBidaun/ ECW311 35
 Mean section method
 vi 1  vi   d i 1  d i 
Q      bi 1  bi 
 2   2 

vi 1  mean veloc ity of preceding vertical

vi  mean veloc ity of vertical
d i 1  depth of preceding vertical
d i  depth of vertical
bi 1  distance of preceding vertical
bi  distance of vertical

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Mean section method

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 Mid-section method

Q   vi d i 
bi 1  bi 1 
2

bi 1  distance of the following vertical

vi  mean veloc ity of the vertical
d i  depth of the vertical

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Mid-section method

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 Example 5.3
• Based on current meter gauging in Table 5.3, compute
the streamflow using mean section method and mid-
section method.
Distance form left bank Depth Mean velocity
b (m) d (m) v (m/s)
0.4 0.000 0.000
9.0 1.131 0.330
12.0 1.740 0.357
15.0 1.993 0.358

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 Mean section method
bi (m) di (m) vi (m/s) vi 1  vi d i 1  d i qi (m3/s)
bi  bi 1
2 2
4.0 0.000 0.000 0.165 0.565 5.0 0.466
9.0 1.131 0.330 0.343 1.435 3.0 1.477
12.0 1.740 0.357 0.358 1.867 3.0 2.005
15.0 1.993 0.358 0.356 2.025 3.0 2.163

vi 1  vi v21  v2 v1  v2 0  0.330
    0.165m / s
2 2 2 2
d i 1  d i d 21  d 2 d1  d 2 0  1.131
    0.565m
2 2 2 2
bi  bi 1 b2  b21 b2  b1 9  4
    5.0m
2 2 2 2
v v d d b b
q  i 1 i  i 1 i  i i 1  0.165  0.565  5.0  0.466m3 / s
2 2 2
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 Mid-section method
bi (m) di (m) vi (m/s) bi 1  bi 1 qi (m3/s)
2

4.0 0.000 0.000 0.0 0.00

9.0 1.131 0.330 4.0 1.493
12.0 1.740 0.357 3.0 1.864
: : : : :
Σ 20610

bi 1  bi 1 b21  b21 b3  b1 12  4
    4m
2 2 2 2
b b
q  d i  vi  i 1 i 1  1.131 0.330  4  1.493m3 / s
2

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 The end

UiTM Sarawak/ EC110/ Bidaun/

43
ECW311