CEW 503

Unit Hydrograph Part 2

Assoc Prof. Dr. Shanker Kumar Sinnakaudan
Water Resources Engineering and Management Research Centre,
UiTM Pulau Pinang

(c) Assoc Prof Dr. Shanker Kumar 1

Sinnakaudan, 2012
 Determine Duration of UHG

The duration of the derived UH is found by

examining the rainfall for the event and
determining that rainfall which is in excess.

This is generally accomplished by plotting the

rainfall in hyetograph form and drawing a
horizontal line such that the precipitation
above this line is equal to the depth of excess
rainfall as previously determined.

(c) Assoc Prof Dr. Shanker Kumar

Sinnakaudan, 2012 2
Duration of UHG based on
Excess Rainfall
0.8
Normally we assume
that the loss rates were
0.7 already included in the
Base flow
0.6
Precipitation (inches)

0.5

Uniform loss rate of

0.4 0.2 inches per hour.

0.3

0.2 Φ index
0.1

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

(c) Assoc Prof Dr. Shanker Kumar

Sinnakaudan, 2012 3
 Unit Hydrograph Adjustments

UHG very much dependent on the
watershed characteristics & watershed
conditions > Rainfall excess depth

UHG varies from storm to storm

UHG peak earlier if more rainfall at the
outlet than average rainfall

Has longer time to peak if longer time
needed to fulfill initial abstraction

Thus, UHG is needed to adjust different
catchment response

(c) Assoc Prof Dr. Shanker Kumar

Sinnakaudan, 2012 4
5 common methods used in UHG
adjustment

S-Curve UHG > for common

duration of rainfall excess

Gamma –UHG > to smooth an
irregular shape

Average UHG > from several
available UHG

Dimensionless UHG > if several
UHG is available for a region

(c) Assoc Prof Dr. Shanker Kumar

Sinnakaudan, 2012 5
 S-Curve UHG Method
(Summation Curve method)

Based on effective storm duration

Generated by adding series of UHG, each
lagged tR hr with respect to the preceding
one

Infinite durations of UH increments are
possible

Only one representative S-Curve

Def: Given a UH for effective duration T, S-

Curve computed by adding an infinite
series of T-hr UHGs, with each T-hr UH
lagged by T hours
(c) Assoc Prof Dr. Shanker Kumar
Sinnakaudan, 2012 6
 Changing the Duration
Why ?

2 Possibilities

Shorter – to cope with the spatial/intensity

variations

Longer – to reduce required computation &

Recognition of the coursing of the computation

(c) Assoc Prof Dr. Shanker Kumar

Sinnakaudan, 2012 7
 Changing the Duration

Very often, it will be necessary to change the

duration of the unit hydrograph.

If unit hydrographs are to be averaged, then

they must be of the same duration.

Also, convolution of the unit hydrograph with

a precipitation event requires that the duration
of the unit hydrograph be equal to the time
step of the incremental precipitation.

(c) Assoc Prof Dr. Shanker Kumar

Sinnakaudan, 2012 8
 Changing the Duration

The most common method of altering the

duration of a unit hydrograph is by the S-
curve method.

The S-curve method involves continually

lagging a unit hydrograph by its duration and
adding the ordinates.

Combining the s-curve additions with initial

UHG is the same as adding all previous UHG
with same durations
(c) Assoc Prof Dr. Shanker Kumar
Sinnakaudan, 2012 9
 Changing 6min UHG –
12min UHG and 3min UHG

Plot 6min S-Graph (Figure 1) to

get 3min S-Graph
(c) Assoc Prof Dr. Shanker Kumar 10
Sinnakaudan, 2012
Obtaining UHG from S-Curve Differences

The ordinates of tR’ hr computed by

multiplying S-Curve Differences by the ratio of

tR/ tR’

(c) Assoc Prof Dr. Shanker Kumar

Sinnakaudan, 2012 11
Cumulative S-Curve

(c) Assoc Prof Dr. Shanker Kumar

Sinnakaudan, 2012 12
Computed UHG

(c) Assoc Prof Dr. Shanker Kumar

Sinnakaudan, 2012 13
 End

(c) Assoc Prof Dr. Shanker Kumar

Sinnakaudan, 2012 14