CAIRO UNIVERSITY HYDRAULICS

rd
Faculty of Engineering 3 year Civil Eng.
Irrigation & Hydraulics Department 2011 2012

CAIRO UNIVERSITY

Faculty of Engineering

Irrigation and Hydraulics Department

3rd Year Civil

OPEN CHANNEL HYDRAULICS

LABORATORY EXPERIMENTS

2011 2012
CAIRO UNIVERSITY HYDRAULICS
rd
Faculty of Engineering 3 year Civil Eng.
Irrigation & Hydraulics Department 2011 2012

Experiment (1)
Roughness of Open Channel

I- Introduction:

An open channel is a waterway, canal or conduit in which a liquid flows with a

free surface. Open channel flow describes the fluid motion in an open channel. In
most applications, the liquid is water and the air above the flow is usually at rest and
at standard atmospheric pressure.

In the absence of any other channel control, the flow is controlled only by friction
with the bed and the sides of the channel. In this case, water flows with a uniform
depth (normal depth) at which the weight component in the direction of the flow
balances with the friction force induced by the flow resistance with the bed and sides.
Many equations were developed to relate the bed roughness with the flow parameters
in open channels. Among these equations is the manning equation which is widely
used to relate the flow velocity and the cross sectional parameters with the manning
coefficient (n) which is a function in the bed material roughness. Another less
common equation is the Chezy equation where the bed roughness is being expressed
by chezy coefficient (c).

II- Objectives:

The main objective of this experiment is to determine an average value of both

manning (n) and chezy (c) coefficients for the ArmField laboratory flume.

The sides of the flume are made of glass while the bed is made of steel. Changing
the water depth changes the contribution of the sides in the computed average
roughness while the bed contribution remains the same. Its required to compute an
average value of (n) and (c) for different water depths and discharges.

III- Anticipated Results:

The students should be able to:

a. Control and measure the bed slope, water depth, and discharge in the
laboratory flume.
b. Use both Manning and Chezy equations and get the manning and chezy
coefficients knowing all the other flow parameters.
c. Notice how the roughness coefficients are affected by the average water
depth inside the flume.
CAIRO UNIVERSITY HYDRAULICS
rd
Faculty of Engineering 3 year Civil Eng.
Irrigation & Hydraulics Department 2011 2012

IV- Experimental Setup and Tools used:

The students are going to use the ArmField flume setup in the eastern laboratory
inside the Irrigation and Hydraulics Department. The Flume is about 10m long with a
rectangular cross section of 30 cm width and 70 cm maximum depth. The flume has a
slope adjusting mechanism to adjust the bed slope ranging from 1:40 (positive slope)
to 1:200 adverse slope. The tail water gate at the end of the flume can be used to
control the water level inside the channel. A point gage can be used to measure the
water depth at any section in the fume. The point gage can be moved both laterally
(along the cross section) and longitudinally (with the flow). Water is pumped into the
flume from a ground reservoir tank and then collected at the channel end back to the
tank again. The pumping system is supplied with a gate valve to control the discharge
and a 90 mm orifice meter with a differential manometer to measure the discharge.
Tail Water Gate Point Gauge

Bed Slope Orifice meter

Wheel

Pumping System
CAIRO UNIVERSITY HYDRAULICS
rd
Faculty of Engineering 3 year Civil Eng.
Irrigation & Hydraulics Department 2010 2011

Point Gage

Stilling Device
Flow Direction Tail Gate

Pumping
System
Ground Tank
CAIRO UNIVERSITY HYDRAULICS
rd
Faculty of Engineering 3 year Civil Eng.
Irrigation & Hydraulics Department 2010 2011

V- Experimental Procedure:

1. Open the valve to get the suitable discharge and calculate Q using the deflection
of the differential manometer connected with the Orifice-meter and the calibrated
chart.

2. Adjust the tail water gate to have an average water level of 25 cm inside the flume
(low position). Do not use very low water levels.

3. Using the point gauge measure the water level (W.L) and the bed level (B.L.) at
two sections 3 - 4 m apart. We should wait at least 15 minutes before measuring to
reach the steady state.

4. For the same discharge set before, raise the tail water gate to increase the water
level inside the flume (medium then high positions) and measure the W.L and B.L
at the same sections. Care should be taken when raising the tail gate to avoid over
flooding the flume.

5. Change the valve opening to get another different discharge in the flume and
repeat the previous steps.

VI- Equations Used:

1 1 2 1
1
o Q = cR S A = R 3 S e2 A
2
e
2
n
o y1 = (W.L)1 (B.L.)1, y2 = (W.L)2 (B.L.)2

Q Q
o V1 = , V2 =
by1 by 2
V2 V2 Where:
y1 + 1 y 2 + 2 Q = Flow rate (m3/sec)
Se =
2g 2g
o + S0 V = Average flow velocity (m/s)
L Se = Slope of total energy line
y + y2 (m/m)
o y avg = 1
2 n = Manning coefficient
c = Chezy coefficient
A = by avg , R = Hydraulic Radius (m)
P = Wetted perimeter (m)
o p = b + 2 y avg
A = Cross sectional area (m2)
A by avg W.L = Water level (m)
R= =
p b + 2 y avg B.L = Bed Level (m)
y1 = Water depth at section 1 (m)
y2 = Water depth at section 2 (m)
yavg = Average water depth (m)
 CAIRO UNIVERSITY HYDRAULICS
rd
Faculty of Engineering 3 year Civil Eng.
Irrigation & Hydraulics Department 2010 2011

VII- Results:

1. Calculate the manning and chezy coefficients for all the previous runs.

2. Plot the variation in manning coefficient versus the water depth (tail gate
position) for each flow rate on the same plot. Also plot the variations with chezy
coefficient.

3. Do manning and chezy coefficients vary with water depth (at the same
discharge)?

4. Do manning and chezy coefficients vary with discharge (at the same water
depth)?

VIII- Suggested Datasheet Headings:

Tail
y V yav A P R
Gate Section W.L B.L Se c n
(m) (m/s) (m) (m2) (m) (m)
Position
1
Low
2
1
Q1 Med
2
1
High
2
1
Low
2
1
Q2 Med
2
1
High
2
CAIRO UNIVERSITY HYDRAULICS
rd
Faculty of Engineering 3 year Civil Eng.
Irrigation & Hydraulics Department 2010 2011

Experiment (2)
Velocity Distribution

I- Introduction:

When a fluid flows past a solid boundary, the velocity at all points adjacent to the
surface is zero (in case of no slip condition) and it increases as we move away from the
boundary. In open channels, the measured velocity will always vary across the channel
section due to friction along the boundaries. This velocity distribution is not ax-symmetric
as in case of pipes due to the presence of the free surface. The point of maximum velocity
is not at the surface (expected location of zero shear stress) but is found just below it. This
is due to the presence of secondary currents circulating from the boundaries towards the
section center and the resistance at the air/water interface. Also, when the velocity
distribution across a channel cross section is known, we can simply find the flowing
discharge. The above method of discharge measurement is known as the velocity
distribution method, and is commonly used in natural or irregular cross sections.

II- Objective:

The objective of this experiment is to get the velocity distribution across the open
channel section. The discharge can be calculated by averaging the velocity of each point
along the area of its neighborhood and compare the calculated discharge with the
discharge obtained from the orifice meter.

III- Anticipated Results:

The student should be able to:

1. Use the electromagnetic current meter to measure the velocity at a point

2. Integrate the measured velocity over the cross section area to get the flowing
discharge and compare it with other measuring devices and find the percent
error.

3. Draw velocity contours for the channel cross section and find the point of
maximum velocity.
CAIRO UNIVERSITY HYDRAULICS
rd
Faculty of Engineering 3 year Civil Eng.
Irrigation & Hydraulics Department 2010 2011

IV- Experimental Setup and Tools used:

The same ArmField laboratory flume described in Experiment-1 will be used in this
experiment. The 820 Dual axis EM Flow Meter will be installed on the flume to
measure the velocity at any point. The flow meter can be moved both laterally and
vertically across the cross section and can be moved longitudinally along the flume.

Point Gage
Flow Meter

Stilling Device
Flow Direction Tail Gate

Pumping
System Ground Tank

820 Dual Axis EM Flow Meter

CAIRO UNIVERSITY HYDRAULICS
rd
Faculty of Engineering 3 year Civil Eng.
Irrigation & Hydraulics Department 2010 2011

V- Experiment Procedures:

1. Open the inlet valve to get a suitable discharge flowing into the flume. Measure
the discharge using the orifice meter.

2. Adjust the tail water gate to have an average water depth of 35cm.

3. Wait to reach the steady state, and then measure the water depth at a section near
the middle of the flume using the point gage. Place the current meter at the
measured section.

4. Divide the section into 3 columns each column is divided into 4 strips. Note the
area of each strip. Place the current meters measuring disk in the middle of each
strip and record the velocity from the screen after the 25 sec count is finished.

30 cm

VI- results:

1. Plot on the same plot the vertical velocity distribution for each column.

2. Plot on the same plot the horizontal velocity distribution for each row.

3. Make and plot the velocity contours for the cross section (to scale).

4. Calculate the discharge in each strip (equals the velocity at the middle of the strip
multiplied by the strips area), and then add all strips together to get the total
discharge flowing through the section.

5. Compare the calculated discharge using the current meter with the one measured
with the orifice meter.
CAIRO UNIVERSITY HYDRAULICS
rd
Faculty of Engineering 3 year Civil Eng.
Irrigation & Hydraulics Department 2010 2011

Experiment (3)
Rapidly and Gradually Varied Flow

I- Introduction:

In most practical cases, the cross section, depth and velocity in a channel vary
along the channel and the uniform flow conditions are not often reached. Non-uniform
flow usually forms when there is an obstruction in the direction of flow. If the
resulting change in depth is abrupt, then the case is rapidly varied flow otherwise it is
gradually varied flow.

According to the specific energy principle, when a control structure like a gate or a
weir is introduced into the open channel flow, water accumulates upstream the
structure to save enough energy to pass through the resulting constriction. In this case,
the water surface profile upstream the control is a non uniform gradually varied flow.
The increased water depth in the channel upstream the structure should be considered
when designing the channel cross section or when planning to feed secondary
channels. There are many methods to calculate the free surface backwater profile,
among these methods are the step by step method, graphical method, and direct
integration method.

An open channel flow can change from subcritical to supercritical in a relatively

low loss manner. On the other hand, the transition from supercritical flow to
subcritical flow is characterized by a strong dissipative mechanism called the
hydraulic jump. The flow within the hydraulic jump is extremely turbulent, its
characterized by the development of large-scale turbulence, surface waves and spray,
energy dissipation and air entrainment. The basic equations use the momentum
principle to evaluate the flow properties of the hydraulic jump (Belanger equations).

II- Objective:

The objective of this experiment is to create gradually and rapidly varied flow
inside the laboratory flume, measure, calculate, and draw the water surface profile of
the formed backwater curve. Also, understand the characteristics of the hydraulic
jump and how they are related to the upstream Froude number. The various
assumptions used in the basic equations describing the hydraulic jump can be
validated from actual measurements. Also the effect of both the sluice gate opening
and the tail water gate level on the location and strength (size) of the hydraulic jump
will be studied.
CAIRO UNIVERSITY HYDRAULICS
rd
Faculty of Engineering 3 year Civil Eng.
Irrigation & Hydraulics Department 2010 2011

III- Anticipated Results:

The student should be able to:

a. Measure the backwater curve formed upstream of a sluice gate for
different discharge values and compare it with the computed profile using
the step by step and the approximate methods.
b. Measure the hydraulic jump length, upstream and downstream depths and
compare them with those calculated using Belanger equations.
c. Calculate the energy lost through the hydraulic jump as a percentage of the
original flow energy before the jump.
d. Study the effect of both the sluice gate opening and the tail water gate
level on the hydraulic jump location and size.
e. Differentiate between subcritical and supercritical flow.

IV- Experimental Setup and Tools used:

The same ArmField flume used in Experiment-1 will be used in this experiment. A
sluice gate will be installed along the flume to develop the water profile shown in the
figure below.

Sluice Gate
M1

M3 y2m
So Tail Water
d Cc.d y1m Gate
CAIRO UNIVERSITY HYDRAULICS
rd
Faculty of Engineering 3 year Civil Eng.
Irrigation & Hydraulics Department 2010 2011

Supercritical flow Subcritical flow

VI- Experimental Procedure:

1. Adjust the bed slope of the flume to be (1/200)

2. Open the inlet valve to allow the flow to pass through the experimental flume
and measure the discharge by the orifice meter.

3. Use sluice gate and tail gate at the end of the flume to create a free hydraulic
jump and the water surface profiles within the flume.

4. Measure the water depths y1m and y2m (the two conjugate depths) and the
hydraulic jump length (Ljm).

5. M1, is created before the gate, M3 is created after the gate and before the jump.

6. For each water surface profile, measure from three to five points (depths and
distances) and then draw each water surface profile to scale

7. Raise the tail water gate at the downstream end of the flume and observe the
position and size of the jump.

8. Reduce the gate opening and observe the location and size of the hydraulic jump.
CAIRO UNIVERSITY HYDRAULICS
rd
Faculty of Engineering 3 year Civil Eng.
Irrigation & Hydraulics Department 2010 2011

VII- Results:

1. Calculate the normal depth (yo) (n= 0.011 metric), and the critical depth (yc).

2. Calculate Froude number at the upstream depth (y 1m ) and the downstream depth
(y2m) of the jump.

3. Compare the measured (y2m) with the theoretical y2 calculated from:

yc
3
y1m
y2 = 1 + 1 + 8
2 1m
y

4. Calculate the head lost in the jump:

v2 v2
hL = y1m + 1 y 2 m + 2
2g 2g

5. Compare the measured length of the jump to the length given by the empirical
formula:

Lj = (5 to 7)(y2m y1m)

6. M1 is calculated starting from downstream (start with the water depth just
upstream the gate), while M3 is calculated starting from upstream (start with
the water depth equals Cc*d). Use the step by step method.

7. Compare the calculated and the measured water surface profiles

8. At each measurement point, calculate the total energy and then draw the total
energy line.

9. Do the hydraulic jump size and location change by changing the tail water gate
level?

10. Do the hydraulic jump size and location change by changing the gate opening?

11. Why the water surface after the jump contains more surface waves and is
unstable compared to the flow before the gate?
CAIRO UNIVERSITY HYDRAULICS
rd
Faculty of Engineering 3 year Civil Eng.
Irrigation & Hydraulics Department 2010 2011

Experiment (4)
Discharge Measurement

I- Introduction:

The need for measuring the discharge in streams and rivers arises from the value of
water to community. Accurate flow measurements are important for any water
resources project.

The fixed relationship between depth and discharge that marks the critical flow
makes this type of flow a convenient basis for discharge measurement. Based on that
principle, various devices for flow measurement have been developed. In such
devices, the critical depth is usually created either by constructing a hump on the
channel bottom such as a weir or by producing a contraction in the cross section, such
as a critical flow flume.

The fixed depth-discharge relationship in such devices depends on the physical

nature of the structure. Once its known, its easy to measure the flowing discharge
upon measuring the water depth at the defined section.

II- Objective:

The objective of this experiment is to measure the flow rate in an open channel
using different open channel flow measuring structures.

III- Anticipated Results:

The students should be able to:

1. Setup critical flow in an open channel using a weir and a venturi flume.

2. Measure the discharge in the open channel using the given equations for each
structure and compare it with the measured discharge from the orifice meter to
get the percent error for various flow rates.

3. Find a better value for the coefficient of discharge in each equation to better fit
the data.
CAIRO UNIVERSITY HYDRAULICS
rd
Faculty of Engineering 3 year Civil Eng.
Irrigation & Hydraulics Department 2010 2011

A- Weir:

A structure used for measuring the discharge by making use of a combination of the
phenomena of critical depth and hydraulic jump. The discharge is given by:

Q= 2.05 B H1.5

H
H.J
Q

So

IV- Experimental Procedure:

1. Adjust the bed slope of the flume to be (1/200).

2. Open the inlet valve to allow the flow to pass through the experimental flume and
measure the discharge by the orifice meter.

3. Measure the head upstream the weir (H) and the weir length (B).

4. Calculate the discharge from: Q = 2.05 B H1.5

5. Compare the measured discharge with the calculated discharge.

6. Repeat for two other values of (Q) and find the constant in the weir equation.

7. Raise the tail water level gate till the weir becomes submerged and try to measure
the discharge.

B- Venturi Flume:

It consists of a bell-mouthed entry; throat, and down stream diverging portion.

There are two conditions of flow through the Venturi Flume; the submerged
condition, and the free condition.

Free Condition:

Transition from sub critical to supercritical flow occurs at the throat, followed by a
hydraulic jump down stream of the throat. The General discharge equation reads:

Q = 1.7 b H1.5
CAIRO UNIVERSITY HYDRAULICS
rd
Faculty of Engineering 3 year Civil Eng.
Irrigation & Hydraulics Department 2010 2011

Elevation H

So

Plan B b

IV- Experimental Procedure:

1. Adjust the bed slope of the flume to be (1/400).

2. Open the inlet valve to allow the flow to pass through the experimental flume
and measure the discharge by the orifice meter.

3. Measure the head upstream the contraction (H) and the minimum width (b).

4. Calculate the discharge from: Q = 1.7 b H1.5.

5. Compare the measured discharge with the calculated discharge.

CAIRO UNIVERSITY HYDRAULICS
rd
Faculty of Engineering 3 year Civil Eng.
Irrigation & Hydraulics Department 2010 2011

APPENDIX
Flow Rate Chart

For 90 mm Orifice meter