Lab Report

Name:

David Knight

Student Number:

430227165

Date Submitted:

06/04/15

Open Channel Flow

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Open Channel Flow

D. Knight
Faculty of Civil Engineering,
The University Of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia

Abstract
This report compares the depth of flow to a crest
with the critical flow using various flow rates. The
largest flow rate was held constant and the depth of the
flow relative to the free surface was measured at strict
intervals before and after the crest. This mapped the
water level as well as illustrated the hydraulic jump
phenomena which is supercritical flow transforming to
subcritical flow. Open channel flow can be used in
industry and results will support the use of open channel
flow in aqua culture farming.

Introduction
Open channel flow is the study of flow which is
not immersed within rigid bodies, instead they are open
to atmospheric pressures and governed by forces such
as inertia, gravity and viscosity (Calvert, 2007).
Applications that utilize open channel flow include
agriculture production via distribution canals, raceways
and drainage ditches (Bankston & Baker, 1995). Steady
flows can be altered via the usage of Weirs and Flumes
which allow the flow to change from rapidly varied
flows (RVF) to gradually varied flows (GVF) due to
obstructions and contractions (Munson, et al., 2009).
The experiment utilized a venturi flume to measure the
flow rate. The change of flow depth will be described
via specific head and specific energy as numerical
simulations are beyond the scope of this experiment.
Additionally, the experimental results are based on the
conservation of mass and energy (Bernoulli equation).
The apparatus also allows for a complete turbulent flow.

Method
This experiment is split into two experiments.
Experiment A is to identify how the increasing flow
rates effects the depth within the channel in particular if
flow reaches critical depth. Experiment B utilizes the
largest flow rate which is held constant to measure the

depth of flow relative to the crest. The measurements

are taken at strict intervals and the width of the channel
is also held constant.
The venturi flume measures the volumetric flow rate.
This flow rate is calculated directly via;
= .

(1)

Where C is the orifice constant and H is the head

difference recorded from the flow meter. Measurements
were taken via a ruler and the crest profile was one with
a positive step followed by a smooth negative step.

Theory
As water flows over a crest in open channel
flow the depth will vary. Assuming no frictional losses,
the head will remain constant and is derived via;
=+

2
2 2 2

(2)

This formula consists of the potential and the kinetic

energy. The depth and the kinetic energy are related
inversely; as the depth decreases the kinetic energy
increases. Furthermore, through Figure (1) it is evident
that there are two possible depths for each flow rate. If
the change in specific energy is great enough, flow will
be described as transforming from subcritical to
supercritical which is governed by the Froude number.
The critical depth is the apex of the curve with the given
constraints and occurs at the minimum specific energy.
This is illustrated here;

2
= 2

(3)

Thus, hydraulic jump is the process by which

supercritical flow changes to subcritical flow due to the
wave velocity being lower than the incident flow
(Calvert, 2007). This creates a mechanism for two flows
to meet. This is a very turbulent process resulting in

significant energy losses and a drop in water depth

(Goodwill & Sleigh, n.d.).

()
-0.6
-0.5
-0.4
-0.3
-0.2
-0.1
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6

0.135
0.135
0.134
0.108
0.093
0.075
0.053
0.041
0.034
0.029
0.025
0.026
0.025

()
0.160
0.160
0.160
0.136
0.122
0.114
0.054
0.042
0.035
0.032
0.030
0.026
0.026

Table 2 Constant flow rate with incremental depths

Figure 1 Specific Energy curves with varying q and relative to

Froude number (Munson, et al., 2009)

Results
Results for section one are recorded in Table
(1) and Figure (2).
(^3/)

()

1 ()

0.00145
0.00349
0.00613
0.00745
0.01256

0.013
0.024
0.034
0.039
0.055

0.012
0.022
0.033
0.039
0.053

Table 1 Depths with varying flow rate Q. calculated with eq.

(3)

Figure 2 Measured depths against theoretical critical depths

Results for section two are displayed in Table (2) and

Figure (3).

Figure 3 Experimental and Theoretical head with constant Q

Discussion
From Figure (2) it is evident that 1 does not
equate to . Through the use of an error analysis using
standard student T test the probability of 1 equating
to is 0.6%, which allows for the initial assumption
that they are equal to be discarded.
The pressure distribution observed in experiment A is
approximated as a hydrostatic pressure distribution.
However in this channel since there was a crest the
streamlines have curvature which in turn creates
acceleration causing a non-uniform flow (Chow, 1959).
The assumption of steady flow is susceptible since the
streamlines are only near parallel and the deceleration
after the crest is minimal due to the crest being smooth
(Hager, 1985) (Chow, 1959).
During the experiment it was noted that the gradient was
lower therefore there was no critical depth reached and
flow remained subcritical. To achieve critical depth the
experiment changed flow rates transforming the
experiment to RVF to achieve critical depth which has
the minimum specific energy. This was unsuccessful
and the flow remained subcritical causing a great loss in
energy and a small hydraulic jump.
Due to the apparatus creating a turbulent flow; flows are
long compared to cross section and a single velocity can
describe the situation (Calvert, 2007), there were no

frictional forces or capillary forces acting. The

theoretical total head in Figure (3) is constant due to eq.
(2) which has kinetic energy decreasing due to the
hydraulic jump flow was rapid before entering a
tranquil state. Thus, open channel flow is applicable to
aquaculture farming since it requires large spans and the
hydraulic jump can remove specific energy resulting in
no severe downpours at the end of the channel.
The attached error calculations showcase that the
predicted flow height was similar with the theory.
Furthermore, errors present in the experiment include
incorrect measuring; one ruler was 21mm higher than
the other resulting in a small constant error throughout.
Lastly, the adjustment factor is not required for the
experimental results, this would have helped curve the
results to match the theory if the same ruler was used.

Conclusions
Through the experiments it was observed that
the experimental supported the theory. There was 0.6%
probability that 1 would equate to . This error is due
to the assumption of the experiment that the pressure is
hydrostatic, however it has been highlighted that this is
an inherent assumption of the experiment and that the
flow is non uniform. Thus, eq. (2) predicted results
within the allowable error margins for the flow depth.
Thus the data provide supports unsteady flow with
assumptions reinforced to classify the flow as steady.
The experiment could have been improved with the
correct ruler being utilized and all depths measured
simultaneously. As stated in the introduction, open
channel flow is an effective tool in aquaculture farming
since it is cost effective in being a gravity fed channel
for transporting water. The effect of a crest in the
channel would allow for a slow tranquil outpour. Thus
the experiment was successful in highlighting how
industry utilizes theoretical concepts.

References
Bankston, D. J. & Baker, F. E., 1995. Open Channel
Flow in Aquaculture, s.l.: Southern Regional
Aquaculture Centre.
Calvert, J., 2007. Engineering and Technology.
[Online]
Available at:
http://mysite.du.edu/~etuttle/tech/opench.htm#Refs
[Accessed 3 April 2015].
Chow, V. T., 1959. Open Channel Hydraulics. United
States: McGraw-Hill Book Company.
Goodwill, D. & Sleigh, D., n.d. CIVE2400: Fluid
Mechanics University of Leeds. [Online]
Available at:

http://www.efm.leeds.ac.uk/CIVE/CIVE2400/OpenCh
annelHydraulics2.pdf
[Accessed 31 March 2014].
Hager, W., 1985. Critical Flow Condition in Open
Channel Hydraulics. Journal of Hydraulics, 54(3-4),
pp. 157-179.
Munson, B. R., Young, D. F., Okiishi, T. H. &
Huebsch, W. W., 2009. Fundamentals of Fluid
Mechanics. 6th ed. s.l.:John Wiley & Sons, Inc..

Appendix
Definitions and Error calculations
=
=
=
=
2
2
1 = ( )
+

() = 2 + 2
=

()
2

()
3
3

: = 2

()
3

= 186 0.50
= 158 0.50
1 = 28.0 0.71
= 585 0.50
= 539 0.50
= 46 0.71
= 0.00493 0.000038 2 1
= 30 0.15
.