Hydrologic Routing

Reading: Applied Hydrology Sections

8.1, 8.2, 8.4
 Flow Routing Q

• Procedure to t

determine the flow

Q
hydrograph at a
point on a
watershed from a
t
known hydrograph
upstream Q
• As the hydrograph
travels, it
– attenuates t
– gets delayed Q

t
2
 Why route flows?

 Account for changes in flow hydrograph as a flood wave passes

downstream
 This helps in
 Accounting for storages
 Studying the attenuation of flood peaks

3
 Watershed – Drainage area of a point on a stream

Rainfall

Streamflow

Connecting rainfall input with streamflow output

 Flood Control Dams

Dam 13A

Flow with a Horizontal Water Surface

 Floodplain Zones

1% chance
< 0.2% chance

Main zone of water flow

Flow with a Sloping Water Surface

 Types of flow routing
• Lumped/hydrologic
– Flow is calculated as a function of time alone at a
particular location
– Governed by continuity equation and
flow/storage relationship
• Distributed/hydraulic
– Flow is calculated as a function of space and time
throughout the system
– Governed by continuity and momentum
equations

7
 Hydrologic Routing
Discharge I (t ) Discharge
Inflow
Transfer Q(t )
Function
Outflow

I (t )  Inflow Q(t )  Outflow

Upstream hydrograph Downstream hydrograph

Input, output, and storage are related by continuity equation:

dS
 I (t )  Q(t ) Q and S are unknown
dt
Storage can be expressed as a function of I(t) or Q(t) or both
dI dQ
S  f (I , ,  , Q, , )
dt dt
For a linear reservoir, S=kQ
8
 Lumped flow routing
• Three types
1. Level pool method (Modified Puls)
– Storage is nonlinear function of Q
2. Muskingum method
– Storage is linear function of I and Q
3. Series of reservoir models
– Storage is linear function of Q and its time
derivatives

9
S and Q relationships

10
 Level pool routing
• Procedure for calculating outflow hydrograph
Q(t) from a reservoir with horizontal water
surface, given its inflow hydrograph I(t) and
storage-outflow relationship

11
 Level pool methodology
dS
Discharge
Inflow  I (t )  Q(t )
dt
I j 1
Outflow S j 1 ( j 1) t ( j 1) t
Ij  dS   Idt   Qdt
Q j 1 Sj jt jt

Qj
t S j 1  S j I j 1  I j Q j 1  Q j
 
jt ( j  1)t Time t 2 2
Storage 2S j 1 2S j
 Q j 1  I j 1  I j  Qj
t t

Unknown Known
S j 1 Need a function relating

2S
Sj  Q, and Q
t
12
Time Storage-outflow function
 Level pool methodology
• Given
– Inflow hydrograph
– Q and H relationship

• Steps
1. Develop Q versus Q+ 2S/t relationship using
Q/H relationship
2 S j 1 2S j
2. Compute Q+ 2S/t using t  Q j 1  I j 1  I j  t  Q j
3. Use the relationship developed in step 1 to get Q

13
 Ex. 8.2.1
Given I(t) Given Q/H
Time Inflow Elevation H Discharge Q
(min) (cfs) (ft) (cfs)
0 0 0 0
10 60 0.5 3
20 120 400 1 8
30 180 1.5 17
40 240 2 30
50 300 300 2.5 43
60 360 3 60
Inflow (cfs)

70 320 3.5 78
80 280 4 97
200
90 240 4.5 117
100 200 5 137
110 160 5.5 156
120 120 100 6 173
130 80 6.5 190
140 40 7 205
150 0 0 7.5 218
160 0 0 50 100 150 200 250 8 231
170 0 8.5 242
180 0 Tim e (m in) 9 253
190 0 9.5 264
200 0 10 275
210 0

Area of the reservoir = 1 acre, and outlet diameter = 5ft

14
 Ex. 8.2.1 Step 1
Develop Q versus Q+ 2S/t relationship using Q/H relationship

Elevation H Discharge Q Storage S 2S/t + Q S  Area  Height  43560  0.5  21,780 ft 3

(ft) (cfs) (ft3) (cfs)
0 0 0 0
0.5 3 21780 75.6 2S 2  21780
1 8 43560 153.2 Q   3  75.6 cfs
1.5 17 65340 234.8 t 10  60
2 30 87120 320.4
2.5 43 108900 406
3 60 130680 495.6 300
3.5 78 152460 586.2
4 97 174240 677.8 250
4.5 117 196020 770.4
5 137 217800 863
Outflow Q (cfs)

200
5.5 156 239580 954.6
6 173 261360 1044.2
150
6.5 190 283140 1133.8
7 205 304920 1221.4
100
7.5 218 326700 1307
8 231 348480 1392.6
50
8.5 242 370260 1476.2
9 253 392040 1559.8
0
9.5 264 413820 1643.4
0 500 1000 1500 2000
10 275 435600 1727
2S/ t + Q (cfs)

15
 Step 2
2 S j 1 2S j
Compute Q+ 2S/t using  Q j 1  I j 1  I j  Qj
t t

At time interval =1 (j=1), I1 = 0, and therefore Q1 = 0 as the reservoir is empty

Write the continuity equation for the first time step, which can be
used to compute Q2

 2S 2   2S 
  Q2   I 2  I1    1  Q1 
 t   t 

 2S 2   2S 
  Q2   I 2  I1    1  Q1   0  60  60
 t   t 

16
 Step 3 300

250

Outflow Q (cfs)
200

Use the relationship between 2S/t + Q versus Q to 150

compute Q 100

 2S 2 
50

  Q2   60
 t
0

 0 500 1000 1500 2000

2S/ t + Q (cfs)

Use the Table/graph created in Step 1 to compute Q

Elevation H Discharge Q Storage S 2S/t + Q
(ft) (cfs) (ft3) (cfs)
What is the value of Q if 2S/t + Q = 60 ? 0
0.5
0
3 21780
0 0
75.6
1 8 43560 153.2
(3  0) 1.5 17 65340 234.8
Q 0 (60  0)  2.4 cfs 2 30 87120 320.4
(76  0) 2.5
3
43
60
108900
130680
406
495.6
3.5 78 152460 586.2
4 97 174240 677.8
So Q2 is 2.4 cfs 4.5 117 196020 770.4
5 137 217800 863
5.5 156 239580 954.6
Repeat steps 2 and 3 for j=2, 3, 4… to compute 6
6.5
173
190
261360
283140
1044.2
1133.8
Q3, Q4, Q5….. 7 205 304920 1221.4
7.5 218 326700 1307
8 231 348480 1392.6
8.5 242 370260 1476.2
9 253 392040 1559.8
9.5 264 413820 1643.4
17 10 275 435600 1727
Ex. 8.2.1 results 2 S j 1
 Q j 1  I j 1  I j 
2S j
Qj
2S j 2S j t t
 Qj   Q j  2Q j
t t

18
 Ex. 8.2.1 results
12.0

10.0

Outflow
8.0
Storage (acre-ft)

hydrograph
6.0

4.0

2.0

0.0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220
Time (minutes) 400

350
Inflow
300

Discharge (cfs)
Peak outflow intersects with the receding 250

limb of the inflow hydrograph 200

150

100 Outflow
50

0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220
TIme (minutes)
19
 Q/H relationships

http://www.wsi.nrcs.usda.gov/products/W2Q/H&H/Tools_Models/Sites.html
Program for Routing Flow through
20 an NRCS Reservoir
 Hydrologic river routing (Muskingum
Method)
Wedge storage in reach

Advancing I
S Prism  KQ Flood
Q
Wave
S Wedge  KX ( I  Q) I>Q
I Q
K = travel time of peak through the reach
X = weight on inflow versus outflow (0 ≤ X ≤ 0.5) Q Q
X = 0  Reservoir, storage depends on outflow, no
wedge
X = 0.0 - 0.3  Natural stream

I Q
S  KQ  KX ( I  Q)
Receding
Flood
S  K [ XI  (1  X )Q] Wave QI
Q>I
I I
 Muskingum Method (Cont.)
S  K [ XI  (1  X )Q]

S j 1  S j  K{[ XI j 1  (1  X )Q j 1 ]  [ XI j  (1  X )Q j ]}

Recall:
I j 1  I j Q j 1  Q j
S j 1  S j  t  t
2 2

t  2 KX
Combine: C1 
2 K (1  X )  t
Q j 1  C1I j 1  C2 I j  C3Q j
t  2 KX
C2 
2 K (1  X )  t
2 K (1  X )  t
C3 
2 K (1  X )  t

If I(t), K and X are known, Q(t) can be calculated using above

22
equations
 Muskingum - Example
Period Inflow
• Given: (hr) (cfs)
1 93
– Inflow hydrograph 2 137
– K = 2.3 hr, X = 0.15, t = 1 hour, 3
4
208
320
Initial Q = 85 cfs 5 442
6 546
• Find: 7 630
– Outflow hydrograph using 8 678
9 691
Muskingum routing method 10 675
11 634
t  2 KX 1  2 * 2.3 * 0.15
C1    0.0631 12 571
2 K (1  X )  t 2 * 2.3(1  0.15)  1 13
14
477
390
t  2 KX 1  2 * 2.3 * 0.15 15 329
C2    0.3442 16 247
2 K (1  X )  t 2 * 2.3(1  0.15)  1 17 184
18 134
2 K (1  X )  t 2 * 2.3 * (1  0.15)  1 19 108
C3    0.5927
2 K (1  X )  t 2 * 2.3(1  0.15)  1
20 90

23
 Muskingum – Example (Cont.)

Q j 1  C1I j 1  C2 I j  C3Q j
Period Inflow C1Ij+1 C2Ij C3Qj Outflow
(hr) (cfs) (cfs)
C1 = 0.0631, C2 = 0.3442, C3 = 0.5927 1
2
93
137
0
9
0
32
0
50
85
91
3 208 13 47 54 114
4 320 20 72 68 159
5 442 28 110 95 233
6 546 34 152 138 324
7 630 40 188 192 420
800 8 678 43 217 249 509
9 691 44 233 301 578
700 10 675 43 238 343 623
11 634 40 232 369 642
12 571 36 218 380 635
600 13 477 30 197 376 603
14 390 25 164 357 546
Discharge (cfs)

500 15 329 21 134 324 479

16 247 16 113 284 413
400 17 184 12 85 245 341
18 134 8 63 202 274
19 108 7 46 162 215
300 20 90 6 37 128 170

200

100

0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Time (hr)

24
HEC-HMS Model of Brushy Creek

Walsh D

Dam 7
Watershed
W1820
 Junction J329

W1820
R580

J329
J329

W1820
Reach
R580