Measurement of River flows

River flow measurements are needed for

• Design and water management of dams
• Flood Forecasting and control
• Irrigation
• E
Energy generation
ti
• Management of water quality in rivers
• Scientific research
The process of measuring river flows is known as River
Gauging
 Classification of River Gauging Methods

Direct Measurements
• The Velocity-area
y method
• The Dilution method
• others

Indirect Measurement via rating curves or equations

• Empirical Rating curves (natural controls)

• Theoretical Rating curves (artificial controls such as weirs
and flumes)

A rating curve is a graph of water level elevation, H, (stage)

against the discharge, Q, at a particular river channel section

Rating equation : Q = f(H)

Rating table
 River Gauging Methods

• The continuous directs measurements of discharge (Q)

can be:
- difficult
- time consuming
- expensive
• Most direct measurements of discharge are made in
order to define the rating equation:
Q = f (H)
to obtain the discharge indirectly
 The Velocity-Area Method

Principle
• Measurements of the flow cross-sectional
cross sectional area and flow
velocity (at several locations)
• Fl cross-sectional
Flow ti l area (survey,
( topographical
t hi l maps))
• The velocity is measured by current meters
- Rotating
i current meters (traditional
( di i l current meters,
cup, propeller)
-Electromagnetic current meters
 Propeller-type
p yp Current meter

Principle
A rotating element which,
which when placed in the flow,
flow revolves with
an angular speed which is proportional to the velocity of the flow
Cup-type
Cup type Current
Cu e t meter
ete
When a cond
conducting
cting fluid
fl id (water)
( ater) flows
flo s through
thro gh a magnetic
field (produced by a senor), an electromotive force (emf) is
induced in the fluid which is proportional to the flow
velocity
 The Velocity-Area Method

• In open channel flow, the velocity distribution is non-uniform

• The velocity varies both in the vertical direction and across the river width
• A sampling strategy is need to take into account the non-uniform velocity
distribution
• In a vertical section,
section the velocity measured at 0.6
0 6 of the depth provides a
reasonable approximation to the average velocity in the section
• The mean of the velocities measured at 0.2 and 0.8 of the depth closely
approximates the average velocity in the vertical section
 Discharge Calculation

(vi −1 + vi ) (d i −1 + d i )
N
• The Mean-Section Method Q=∑ (bi − bi −1 )
i =1 2 2
bi = distance from the bank to the i-th measuring point

di = flow depth at the i-th measuring point

vi = average velocity at the ii-th
th measuring point

(vi −1 + vi ) (d i −1 + d i )
Q=∑ (bi − bi −1 )
N

i =1
2 2
Example: The details of a river gauging carried out by the velocity-
area method are shown in the table below.
below Estimate the discharge
using the mean-section method.

Distance (m) 0 5 10 15 20
Depth (m) 0 0.7 1.2 0.6 0.0
Velocity (m/ s) 0 0 28
0.28 0 42
0.42 0 25
0.25 00
0.0
Solution

N (vi −1 + vi ) (d i −1 + d i )
Q=∑ (bi − bi −1 )
i =1 2 2

Distance ((m)) Depth

p (m)
( ) v ((m/s)) 0.5*(vi+vi-1)
( ) 0.5*(d
( i+di-1
i 1) bi-bi-1
i1 q(m3/s))
q(
0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0
5 0.7 0.28 0.14 0.35 5 0.25
10 1.2 0.42 0.35 0.95 5 1.66
15 0.6 0.26 0.34 0.90 5 1.53
20 0.0 0 0.13 0.30 5 0.20

Q(m3/s) 3.64
 The Dilution Method

• In this method,, a tracer of known concentration is added to

the flow and the dilution of solution is measured downstream
where the tracer is completely mixed with the river water
• The measured dilution is used for the calculation of the
discharge value
• Tracers (chemical, radioactive, fluorescent )
• Dil
Dilution
tion Gauging
Ga ging is usually
s all used
sed for calibration or spot
gauging due to cost of performing the dilution gauging
 Techniques for Dilution Gauging

1. Constant Rate Injection

The tracer solution is injected at a constant rate QT for

a period of time sufficient for the downstream
concentration to reach a steady equilibrium value Ceq.
The discharge is calculated as follows:

⎛ CT − Ceq ⎞
Q = QT ⎜⎜ ⎟⎟
⎝ Ceq − Cb ⎠
where CT is the concentration of the tracer solution
and Cb is the natural background concentration of the
tracer
Example: Tracer solution of concentration 200 g/l was added to
a stream at a rate of 0.2 cm3/sec. The natural background
concentration of the tracer is 0.01 ppm. The equilibrium
concentration measured at downstream section was 0.05
0 05 ppm.
ppm
Calculate the stream discharge.
S l ti
Solution

CT = concentration of the tracer solution

Cb is the natural background concentration of the tracer
QT= ttracer
Q ace injection
ject o rate
ate
Ceq= steady equilibrium concentration of the tracer
Q= stream discharge
⎛C −C ⎞
⎜ T eq ⎟ − 6
⎛
⎜ 200 − 0.05 × 10− 3 ⎞
⎟ = 1 m3/s
Q=Q ⎜ ⎟ = 0.2 ×10
T ⎜ C −C ⎟ ⎜ 0.05 × 10− 3 − 0.01× 10 − 3 ⎟
⎝ eq
q b ⎠ ⎝ ⎠
 Measurement of River flows

• Introduction
• Direct Measurements
• Indirect measurements
 Indirect Measurement of Discharge
Empirical Rating Curves (Natural Controls)

• The discharge is estimated by measuring the stage at the

gauging station and by using an empirically pre-established
pre established
relationship between the stage and the discharge (rating curve,
rating equation, rating table)
• The development of the stage-discharge relationship requires
synchronous measurements of stage and discharge
• The measurements should cover a wide range of variation in the
magnitude of the stage
• Measurements of low and medium ranges are usually not
difficult to make
• Measurements of high ranges are difficult and extrapolation of
the stage-discharge relationship is usually needed
 Empirical Rating Curves
(Natural Controls)

• Controls: Stage-discharge relationship

• Permanent Control: The stage-discharge relationship is
time invariant (occasional measurements are needed for
verification)
• Shifting Control: The stage-discharge varies with time
(
(weedd growth,
th sedimentation,
di t ti erosion)
i )
 Empirical Rating Curves

• The simple (single) stage-discharge relationship can

be expressed as
Q = a( H − H 0 )n
g ((m3/s))
Q = discharge
a and n = the constants of the rating curve
H0 = the stage reading at zero flow (datum correction)
• The use of the above equation requires the specification of
the values of a, n and H0
• The stage
g for zero flow ((H0) can be determined from a
field survey (subtract the depth of water over the lowest
point at the gauging station from the gauge reading)
• Composite rating curves: a suite of equations to describe
Q-H relationship for different stage values
 Q = a( H − H 0 )n
4.5

35
3.5

2.5
m)
H (m

1.5

0.5

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
Q (m 3/s)

A rating curve is a graph of water level elevation measured with

respect
p to sepsific
p datum, H, (stage)
( g ) against
g the discharge,
g Q,Q at a
particular river channel section
 Estimation of the Stage for zero Discharge (H0)

Arithmetic Method

1. Plot H against Q on an arithmetic (ordinary) graph paper

2. Draw a smooth curve through the data (an eye-guided curve)
3. Select
S l three
h pointsi A,
A B and d C on the
h curve suchh that
h the
h corresponding
di discharge
di h
values are in geometric progression, i.e.

Q A QB
=
QB QC
4. The value of H0 is calculated according to

H A H C − H B2
H A + H C − 2H B

This method is based on the assumption that the lower part of the rating curve is a parabola
 Estimation of the Rating Curve Constants

Graphical Method
Q = a( H − H 0 )n
log(Q ) = n log( H − H 0 ) + log(a ) (a straight-line equation)
Y= log (Q) X = log(H-H0)
Y = mX + C
m= n C= log(a)

1. Plot log
g (Q) against
g log
g ((H-H0)
2. Draw the best straight line through the data (an eye-guided line)
3
3. Find the slope and the intercept of the line
4. The constant (n) = the slope of the line
5
5. The intercept = log (a)
 4.5

Stage
g Discharge
g 4

(m) (m3/s) 3.5

3
…
2.5

m)
… …

H (m
2
… … 1.5
A
0.79 3.34 1
B
0.96 4.5 0.5
C
QA QB
=
QB QC
0
0.94 4.6 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

….. ….. Q (m 3/s)

…. ….
Select p
points on the lower parts
p of the curve
QA QB QA = 8 m3/s HA= 1.39 m
=
QB QC QC = 2 m3/s HC= 0.6
0.61 m
QB = 4 m3/s HB= 0.89 m
H AHC − H 2 1.39 × 0.61 − 0.89 2
H0 = B = = 0.25 m
H A + H C − 2 H B 1.39 + 0.61 − 2 × 0.89
log10(H-H0) log10(Q)
1.80

…. … 1.60 y = 1.24x + 0.862

1.40
…. … 1.20

Log10(Q))
1.00
… …
0.80

-0.27 0.52 0.60

0 40
0.40

-0.15 0.65 0.20

0.00
-0.16 0.66 -0.80 -0.60 -0.40 -0.20 0.00 0.20 0.40 0.60 0.80
L 10(H H0)
Log10(H-H0)

…. ….

… ….
y= 1.24x+0.862

a= 100.862= 7.3 n = 1.23

Q = 7.3( H − 0.25)1.23