Rational Method

Calculating Peak flow rates

Rational Method

• Rationale of rational method:

– As rain falls steadily across watershed runoff will increase
until the entire watershed is contributing runoff
• Occurs when rainfall duration (D) = tc
• If D ≠ tc , runoff less than at D = tc
• qp is at a maximum when D = tc
• Assumptions of rational method:
– Uniform rainfall over drainage area
– Maximum qp is a function of the average rain intensity
– Runoff frequency = rainfall frequency used
 p. 359 in Chin

“Rational Formula”

• Qp = CiA
• QP = peak runoff
• C is a dimensionless coefficient
– C=f(land use, slope)
– http://ceeserver.Cee.Cornell.Edu/mw24/cee3
32/scs_cn/runoff_coefficients.Htm

• i = rainfall intensity [L/T]

• A = drainage area [L2]
Example
Rational Method

• Runoff Coefficient (C)

– Difficult to accurately determine
– Must reflect factors such as: interception, infiltration,
surface detention, antecedent moisture conditions
– Studies have shown that C is not a constant
• C increases with wetter conditions
– Table 5.5 contains a range of values for C
– Compute average C for composite areas
• Area weighted basis
• Cavg = SC A / SA (same method used with Curve Numbers)
i i i
RUNOFF COEFFICIENTS
 “Rational Formula” - Method to Choose
Rainfall Intensity

• Intensity = f(storm duration)

• Expectation of stream flow vs. Time during storm
of constant intensity Q
Qp

Outflow
t
Watershed point tc
divide Classic Watershed
“Rational Formula” - Time of Concentration
(Tc)
• Time required (after start of rainfall event) for
most distant point in basin to begin
contributing runoff to basin outlet
• Tc affects the shape of the outflow hydrograph
(flow record as a function of time)
Time of Concentration (tc)

• The time it takes flow to move from the most

hydraulically remote point in a watershed to the
watershed outlet
– The distance from the hydraulically most remote point
to the outlet is called the hydraulic length
• tc is the sum of flow times for the various flow
segments as the water travels to the watershed
outlet
– Overland flow + shallow channel flow + open channel
flow
• Travel time for each segment depends on length of
travel and flow velocity
CHART
Time of Concentration
Hydraulically most
remote point in the
watershed
IDF CURVE
 IDF CURVE
Intensity-Duration-Frequency Curve

500
450
1 yr
400
Intensity (mm/hr)

350 2 yr

300 5 yr

250 10 yr

200 20 yr
150 50 yr
100 100 yr
50
0
0 30 60 90 120

Duration (min)
Tc NATURAL WATERSHED
BRANSBY WILLIAM
KIRPICH EQUATION
Time of Concentration (Tc): Kirpich
• Tc = time of concentration [min]
• L = “stream” or “flow path” length [ft]
• h = elevation difference between basin ends
[ft]
0.385
 3.35 x 10 6
L 
3
tc   

 h 

Watch those units!

SAMPLE CALCULATION
SINGLE WATERSHED
IDF EQUATION
COEFFICIENT FOR IDF EQUATION
IDF CONSTANT
 MULTIPLE SUBWATERSHED
I II
A = 0.8 A = 1.2
C = 0.7 C = 0.7
Tc = 5
A Tc = 7

III IV V
A = 1.6 A = 1.6 A = 2.0
C = 0.6 C = 0.6 C = 0.5
Tc = 10 Tc = 10 Tc = 15
B
E VI VII
A = 1.8 A = 1.8
C = 0.5 C = 0.5
Tc = 15 C Tc = 15

D
 Sub- Runoff
watershed Area (ha) Coefficient Inlet Time
I 0.8 0.7 5
II 1.2 0.7 7
III 1.6 0.6 10
IV 1.6 0.6 10
V 2.0 0.5 15
VI 1.8 0.5 15
VII 1.8 0.5 15
Sewer Total
Pipe Length Area SCA Tc i Design Q
AB 150 2.0 1.40 7 208.3673 208 0.81
EB 170 1.6 0.96 10 199.7928 200 0.53
BC 120 7.2 4.32 15 179.8732 180 2.16
CD 140 10.8 6.12 16.67 173.4471 173 2.94
RATIONAL METHOD
 p. 359 in Chin

“Rational Formula”

• Qp = CiA
• QP = peak runoff
• C is a dimensionless coefficient
– C=f(land use, slope)
– http://ceeserver.Cee.Cornell.Edu/mw24/cee3
32/scs_cn/runoff_coefficients.Htm

• i = rainfall intensity [L/T]

• A = drainage area [L2]
Example
 “Rational Formula” - Method to Choose
Rainfall Intensity

• Intensity = f(storm duration)

• Expectation of stream flow vs. Time during storm
of constant intensity Q
Qp

Outflow
t
Watershed point tc
divide Classic Watershed
“Rational Formula” - Time of Concentration
(Tc)
• Time required (after start of rainfall event) for
most distant point in basin to begin
contributing runoff to basin outlet
• Tc affects the shape of the outflow hydrograph
(flow record as a function of time)
Time of Concentration (Tc): Kirpich
• Tc = time of concentration [min]
• L = “stream” or “flow path” length [ft]
• h = elevation difference between basin ends
[ft]
0.385
 3.35 x 10 6
L 
3
tc   

 h 

Watch those units!

Time of Concentration (Tc): Hatheway

• Tc = time of concentration [min]

• L = “stream” or “flow path” length [ft]
• S = mean slope of the basin
• N = Manning’s roughness coefficient (0.02
smooth to 0.8 grass overland)
0.47
 2nL 
tc   
3 S 
 
 Q p = CiA

“Rational Formula” - Review

• Estimate tc
• Pick duration of storm = tc
Why is this the max flow?
• Estimate point rainfall intensity based on synthetic
storm (US national weather service maps)
• Convert point rainfall intensity to
average area intensity
• Estimate runoff coefficient based on land use
 “Rational Formula” - Fall Creek 10 Year
Storm

• Area = 126 mi2 = 3.512 x 109 ft2 = 326 km2

• L ­15 miles ­80,000 ft
• H ­800 ft (between Beebe lake and hills)
0.385
3.35 x 10 6 L3 
• tc = 274 min = 4.6 hours tc  
 h


• 6 hr storm = 2.5” or 0.42”/hr NWS map
• Area factor = 0.87 therefore i = 0.42 x 0.87
= 0.36 in/hr Area correction
 “Rational Formula” - Fall Creek 10 Year
Storm
• C ­0.25 (moderately steep, grass-covered
clayey soils, some development)
Runoff Coefficients
• Qp = CiA
 0.36in 1 ft 1hr 
Q p  0.25 126mi 2 5280 ft 2


3  hr 12in 33600 sec  
• QP = 7300 ft /s (200 m /s)  mi 2

• Empirical 10 year flood is approximately 150
m3/s
500

400

Discharge (m /s)
3
300

200

100

0
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0
Empirical Exceedance Probability
 Q p = CiA
“Rational Method” Limitations
• Reasonable for small watersheds
< 80 ha
• The runoff coefficient is not constant during a
storm
• No ability to predict flow as a function of time
(only peak flow)
• Only applicable for storms with duration
longer than the time of concentration
 Flood Design Process (Review)
• Create a synthetic
storm
• Estimate infiltration
and runoff
– Soil-cover complex
• Estimate the
streamflow
– “Rational method”
– Hydrographs Q p = CiA
 BONUS 4
• Ingat 2 digit terakhir
• Pilih stesen nombor yg ke (mengikut 2 digit)
• No ganjil – tempoh hujan 4 jam
• No genap – tempoh hujan 6 jam
• Single digit 1 >10, 2>20, 3>30…….9>90.
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