Rivers and Waterways

Open Channel Flow

1
Open Channel Flow classification
• Uniform / Varied flow
• Steady / unsteady flow

2
Open Channel Flow classification
• Uniform / Varied flow
• Steady / unsteady flow

uniform steady flow:

only for prismatic channels

3
Open Channel Flow classification
• Uniform / Varied flow
• Steady / unsteady flow
• Rapidly / Gradually varied flow

4
Cross sections of
open channels

• Area A

• Wetted Perimeter WP

• Hydraulic Radius R = A/WP

5
Hydraulic Radius and Reynolds number
• Reynolds number in pipelines:

• Reynolds number in open channel flow:

• The 2 are not the same!
figure out the relation for a circular section as example!
• Reynolds number determines whether flow is laminar of turbulent
NR < 500: laminar
NR > 2000: turbulent

6
Laminar vs. turbulent

7
Reynolds and Froude number
• Reynolds = inertial force / viscous force
• Froude = inertial force / gravitational force
• NF = V/c

T
• Hydraulic Depth:

8
Flow regimes in open channels

9
Uniform steady flow in open channels
• Equations at hand:
• Conservation of mass (continuity)
• Conservation of momentum (force balance)
• Conservation of energy (Bernoulli’s Equation)

10
Uniform steady flow in open channels
• Uniform flow → weight opposes friction force:
Manning’s Equation

S = h/L

11
Uniform steady flow in open channels
• Manning’s coefficient n

or, alternatively:

• Discharge, bottom surface slope and depth are dependent

for a given channel geometry and uniform flow.
→ Normal discharge
→ Normal depth
12
Exercise
Rectangular channel made out of formed, unfinished concrete; bottom
slope of 1,2%; discharge 3 m3/m/s.
• Prove that for very wide channels a closed formula can be derived for
normal depth
• Estimate the error made
for channels of finite width

13
Geometry of typical
open channels

14
Channel Design: best hydraulic
(economic) section
• Conveyance K = carrying capacity of open channels
≈ inverse of a resistance

For a given A, when is Q maximal?

try to determine the best y for a trapezoidal channel.

15
Best hydraulic section
Reasons to choose a different section:

• Minimal soil transportation works

• Critical tractive force of loose bed
material
• Maximal permissive mean velocity

16
Friction force: pipeline flow
• Coefficient of Darcy-Weissbach
• Pipe flow:

• Open Channel flow:

R = A/P: Hydraulic Radius

17
Manning, Darcy, Chezy,…
• Darcy friction factor f [-]

• Chezy coefficient C [m1/2/s]

• Manning’s n [s/m1/3]

Relation between Manning’s n and boundary roughness k [m]:

𝑘 1/6
• Strickler’s equation 𝑛=
26
18
Channels of composite roughness

19
Specific energy
• Energy according to Bernoulli:

or:

20
Hydraulic jump

21
Hydraulic jump
• Relation between depths across the jump:

• Energy loss in the jump:

→ Hydraulic jump can only be upwards!

22
Hydraulic jump

23
Hydraulic jump

24
Moving hydraulic jump = Tidal bore

25
Types of hydraulic jumps

26
Types of hydraulic jumps

27