Classic energy problem in open-channel ow

Specic energy is the amount of energy per weight of the

uid with the channel bed considered as the datum. The
specic energy of water in a channel is the summation of
the dynamic pressure head and the static pressure head.
In the case where the datum is the channel bed, the static
pressure head or the hydraulic head is just simply the ow
depth, denoted by y. This article presents the application
of a specic classic energy problem in open-channel
ow.
Lowering of sluice gate in an open channel ow

of energy depth relationship rst out the depth of the ow

The specic energy is extremely useful in in understand- upstream (y1 ). Then we can proceed nding the unit dis-
ing the ow characteristics at ow transitions like con- charge (q)and the critical depth(y ) of the above ow.
strictions, expansions, steps, and sluice gates. The ap- Step2: Unit discharge or discharge per unit width(q)
plication can potentially also extend to that of the study- given by:
ing the eects of bedforms such as dunes and most open
Step3: Critical depth(y ) or the depth for which the above
channel ow measurement devices like weirs which have
ow has minimum specic energy:
some basis on the consideration of energy in the uid.
The classical energy problems in the discussion presented Step4: When the sluice gate is kept above the critical
herein aim to familiarize the concept of specic energy depth of ow, the depth downstream will remain same
and the resulting ow characteristics through the use of as depth upstream. The ow does not have an accessible
equations and graphically on an energy depth diagram. pathway to supercritical ow. Therefore for the part(1) of
the question, the sluice gate is just getting wet and depth
downstream (y2 ) :
1 Lowering of sluice gate in an Step5: In part(2) of the question the sluice gate is low-
ered below the critical depth of the ow. So here, the ow
open-channel ow does have an accessible pathway to supercritical ow.
The depth downstream (y2 )of the sluice gate will be al-
A sluice gate is lowered into a rectangular chan- ternate to upstream depth (y ).We will use the alternate
1
nel. The velocity of ow and specic energy up- depth equation to determine (y ) given (y ) and the unit
2 1
stream is 2.0 m/s and 2.2 m respectively. How discharge, q.
will the depths upstream and downstream of
sluice gate change when the sluice gate is low- Step6: In part (3) of the question, the gate opening
ered: (y )is kept below the super-critical alternate depth of
ow. Therefore the gate now represents a choke condi-
tion and depth upstream now will increase. Just when the
1. To a height that is above critical depth of the
choked ow conditions are developed, the instantaneous
ow? : (gate opening = 1.40 m)
unit discharge or the transient discharge (q )passing
2. Below critical depth of the ow? : (gate opening through the gate will be given by:
= 0.8 m) Step7: At steady state conditions, the unit discharge pass-
3. Below supercritical alternate depth of the up- ing through the gate will be the same as originally spec-
stream ow? : (gate opening = 0.5 m) ied. Now the depth upstream will be dierent and will
be alternate depth to the gate opening (y ).
Solution: An algorithm for solving similar questions in a sub-
Step1:Before starting to solve the question, it is always critical ow :
better to have the values of unit discharge(q) and cor-
responding critical depth(y )known.Since specic energy By using the specic energy equa-
upstream (E/ )of the ow is given, we will with the help tion,calculate the depth upstream of

1
22 CONSTRICTION IN AN OPEN-CHANNEL FLOW DUE TO SMOOTH NARROWING OF THE CHANNEL WIDTH

the ow Find out the unit dis- upstream to a subcritical depth

charge owing through the gate Depth upstream (yu/s) will now be
Find out the value of critical alternate depth to (yg). Depth
depth (y ). From the alternate downstream ow will be equal to the
depth formula, nd out the depth gate opening.
value alternate to upstream depth
Compare the value of gate open-
ing (y ) with the critical depth 2 Constriction in an open-channel
(y ) and alternate depth (y ) If
(y )is greater than (y ), depth up- ow due to smooth narrowing of
stream and downstream remains the channel width
the same if (y ) lies between crit-
ical depth (y )and alternate depth
As the word constriction suggests, the channel width in
(y ), then the depth downstream
an open-channel ow reduces in size and that leads the
of gate is (y )and upstream ow
ow to change its characteristics from the upstream val-
depth remains the same if (y )
ues. Lets consider the following question to understand
is even less than (y ), then depth
the concept better.
downstream of gate will be same
as (y ) and depth upstream will in-
crease to a value which will be al- An open rectangular channel in the city of Blacks-
ternate to (y ). burg carries a constant discharge of 20.0 ft/s at a
depth of 3.0 ft. The width of the channel upstream
Consider the case, when the sluice gate is low- and downstream is 4.0 ft and 2.0 ft respectively.
ered into a supercritical in a rectangular chan- Considering this transition to be smooth and the ow
nel.The gate opening is kept at 0.30m. The veloc- to be frictionless,
ity of ow and specic energy upstream is 10.0
m/s and 5.47 m respectively. How will the depths 1. Determine the water surface elevation in the con-
upstream and downstream of sluice gate change striction.
in this situation?
2. If instead of 2.0 ft, the width of the channel is re-
duced to 1.0 ft, would upstream ow undergo any
Solution:
changes in its depth?
The instant the gate touches the supercritical ow; it will
force a downstream depth equal to the opening of the 3. What is the maximum reduction that one can make
gate. This means that the ow now requires more spe- in the width of the channel for upstream ow to re-
cic energy than what it had initially. Therefore, its a main same as before?
choke. As a result, now we will see a hydraulic jump up-
stream of the gate. The depth immediately upstream of Solution:
the gate will now be the subcritical alternate depth to the
downstream depth which is equal to the gate opening.
Step1: Finding the initial depth upstream of the ow:
Step2: Unit discharge or discharge per unit width(q)
given by:
Step3:After the sluice gate is lowered to a height of 0.4m
and steady state conditions are achieved, New depth up- Top view of constriction in a channel
stream will be given by :
Step1: Froude number of the upstream ow :
An algorithm for solving similar questions in a supercrit-
ical ow: Step2: Specic energy of upstream ow (E/ ):
Step3: Corresponding to this upstream specic en-
By using the specic energy equa- ergy,the maximum discharge (q ) possible:
tion,calculate the depth upstream of
the ow Find out the unit dis- Step4: The minimum width(W )allowed downstream
charge owing through the gate so that upstream ow depth remains unchanged:
When the sluice gate touches the Step5:In part (i) of the question, the width(W / )reduces
ow and is lowered down to a to 2 ft which is greater than W . Therefore the ow
depth(yg), choke conditions will be depth remains unchanged upstream. Also here discharge
developed The ow will back up per unit width in the constriction (q2 ) :
 3

Step6: Since ow is frictionless, the specic energy re- 3 Expansion of the channel width
mains conserved both upstream (E/ ) and on the con-
striction (E / ):
in an open-channel ow
Step7: In part (2) of the question, new Width(W / ) = Consider the same channel as above, however in-
1.0 ft which is less than the W . Its a choke and the stead of reducing the width, the width is increased
upstream ow conditions will change. to 6.0 ft.
Step8: New downstream discharge (q3 )on constriction
per unit width: 1. Assuming the transition to be smooth and friction-
Step9: Specic energy of the downstream ow (E / ) will less, What will be the new surface water elevation
be equal to the critical specic energy corresponding to downstream ?
the new (q3 ): 2. Will the upstream ow conditions ever change for
Step10: To nd the new depth upstream and further increase in the width of the channel?
downstream(y1 ), again apply the concept of spe-
cic energy conservation upstream and downstream Solution:
:
Step11: The initial transient discharge downstream
(q ) when the ow just encounters the choke condi-
tions, will be the maximum discharge corresponding to
the original upstream specic energy qmax = 16.4ft/s.
Correspondingly, the initial transient depth (y2 )on con-
striction downstream will be the critical depth given by
:
an algorithm for solving any such similar questions: Top view of channel expansion

Step1: Finding the Downstream discharge per unit width

of the ow (q / ) :
Step2: Since the ow is considered to be frictionless,the
specic energy remains same both upstream (E/ ) and
downstream (E / ):

Therefore, in a subcritical ow,

From the given value of unit dis-
as the channel width increases the
charge and depth, nd the Fr num-
depth also increases downstream.
ber of upstream ow Find out
The upstream ow conditions will
the upstream ow specic energy
never change due to further increase
corresponding to this specic energy,
in the downstream width of the
nd out the maximum discharge
channel. Upstream ow conditions
possible (qmax) corresponding
will change only when the down-
to this qmax, nd out the mini-
stream conditions cause a choke.
mum width (wmin) applicable for
Here, the ow upstream will always
no choke condition = (Q/ qmax)
have sucient energy to carry the
Compare this (wmin)with the given
ow downstream. So we will never
widths in question If the given
encounter choke conditions in ex-
Width (W) of the constriction is
pansions.
greater than the wmin, then no
choke conditions developed If
the given Width(W) of the constric- An algorithm for solving any such similar ques-
tion is less than wmin, choke condi- tions:
tions certainly developed and the up-
stream ow will encounter a change Calculate the unit discharge down-
in its depth. Draw a rough E- stream (qd/s). Since downstream,
y diagram (both for upstream and the channel width is increasing,
downstream). Since q upstream is value of (qd/s) will be less than
dierent than q downstream, we (qu/p) Since specic energy
will be having dierent E-y curves remains same in the case of expan-
for upstream and downstream ow. sion,(Ed/s) = (Eu/p) Using the
4 5 A DOWNWARD STEP IN AN OPEN CHANNEL FLOW (FALL IN THE CHANNEL BED)
energy depth formula, nd out the
depth downstream(y2 ).Roughly
sketch out the E-y diagram for
both upstream and downstream
and realise that ow will never
encounter choke conditions.
4 An upward step in an open chan-
nel ow (rise in the channel bed)
An open rectangular channel carrying a discharge
* An algorithm for solving any such similar ques-
of 10 ft2 /s per unit width is owing at a depth of
tions:
6.0 ft. After a certain distance the ow encounters
a smooth step which makes the channel bed rise by
2.0 ft.
1. What will be the depth downstream of the step?
2. For an upward step of 4.0 ft, will the ow prole
remain the same upstream? If not, then what would
be the new upstream depth?
Solution:
Step1: For this question, the discharge per unit width (q
= 10 ft2 /s) remains same both upstream and downstream.
Froude number of upstream ow
(Fr):
Step2: Specic energy of the ow upstream (E/ ):
Step3: For q of 10 ft/s, the minimum possible or the
critical specic energy (E ):
Step4: Safe step: Maximum upward step (Z ) possible
for no choke conditions:
Step5: For part (i) of the question, the upward step (Z)
is equal to 2.0 ft which is less than the Z . Therefore, Solution:
its not a choke and the upstream ow depth remains un-
changed.
Step6: Specic energy of the ow on the step down-
stream (E / ):
Therefore from above working we
conclude that for a subcritical ow,
an upward step leads to decrease in
the depth downstream of the ow
Step7: In part (ii) of the question, the upward step (Z) is
equal to 4.0 ft which is greater than the Z . Therefore
its a choke. The ow upstream will now need to change
its depth to gather extra energy.
Step8: The specic energy downstream will be equal to
critical specic energy (E ) corresponding to discharge
per unit width of 10 ft2/s as calculated in step 3 :
Step9: The specic energy upstream :
Step10: The initial transient discharge (q ) on the
step,corresponding to the Original specic energy of the
upstream ow:
Calculate the froude number and
nd out whether the ow is sub-
critical or supercritical Find out
the specic energy upstreamSince
q remains the same for upstream
& downstream, the q curve will be
common to both upstream & down-
stream Draw the E-y sketch and
approximately show the specic en-
ergies and depths upstream & down-
stream (Safe step) nd the critical
energy corresponding to the given
q When the step is less than (Eu/p
c) , it is not a choke When step
is greater than (Eu/p Ec) ,it is a
choke.
5 A downward step in an open
channel ow (fall in the channel
bed)
In the same channel as above, if the bed falls
smoothly by 2.0 ft instead of a rise, then:
1. Find out the depth downstream.
2. Will the upstream depth ever change for further
decrease in the bed level?
Downward step in an open channel ow
6.2 PART B 5

Step1: Since its a downward step, the specic energy The diagram of the ow is depicted below, as well
downstream (E / )will be : as the corresponding E-y diagram. The specic dis-
Step2: Solving for part (ii) of the question, the upstream charge for a channel of 10 ft is calculated below:
depth will never change for further decrease of the bed
depth. Reason being : the specic energy downstream is
always greater than the specic energy upstream. So the
Q 150
downstream conditions will never reach critical conditions. q1 = = = 15.0ft 2 /s
w1 10.0

An algorithm for solving any such similar ques- This corresponds to the blue curve on the e-y dia-
tions: gram. The specic discharge for a channel of 5 ft is
calculated as:
From the given value of q and
depth, nd out the specic energy
of ow upstream(Eu/p) Add the
value of downward step to (Eu/s)to Q 150
q2 = = = 30.0ft 2 /s
obtain specic energy Ed/s) From w2 5.00
specic energy-depth relationship,
nd out the value of depth down- This specic discharge corresponds to the red curve
streamDraw a rough E-y dia- on the E-y diagram.
gram showing the value of calcu-
Step1: Determine the minimum width that can pass the
lated depths and specic energies
current ow. The minimum width where a choke does
both upstream and downtream.
not happen occurs at critical conditions downstream. A
since q remains same both upstream
downwards step acts as an energy gift and therefore in-
and downstream, E-y curve will be
creases energy downstream of the ow.
same for upstream ow as well as
for downstream ow. Step 2:Determine if the current conditions cause a
choked ow.

6 Combination problem: simulta-

neous constriction and negative w2 = 5.0 and ft wm in = 3.30ft
step
w_2 is greater than w_{min} and therefore no choke
6.1 PART A occurs.
Step 3:Determine the energy downstream, E_2.
An open rectangular channel carrying a discharge of
Step 4:What is the depth downstream with current con-
150 ft3 /s is owing at a depth of 3.75 ft with an energy
ditions (w_2 = 5.00 ft)?
of 4.00 ft and a width of 10 ft. The ow encounters
a simultaneous gradual contraction to a width of 5 ft Step 5:Determine if y_2 is subcritical or supercritical and
and a smooth downwards step of 2 ft. With these ow defend your answer.
conditions: The equation in Step 4 yields two alternate depths but
the correct depth downstream is subcritical because
1. Determine the minimum width that can pass the only the subcritical root is accessible. The downwards
current ow. step adds energy to the ow and the constriction in-
creases the specic discharge which corresponds to
2. Determine if the current conditions cause a an increase in ow depth. This can be seen in the fol-
choked ow. lowing E-y diagram:
3. Determine the depth of the downstream ow. Step 6:Determine the Froude numbers upstream and
downstream.
4. Determine if the downstream ow is subcritical
or supercritical and defend your answer.
6.2 PART B
5.Determine the upstream and downstream
Froude numbers. A choke occurs where the width downstream is 3.00
ft, but the owrate into the system remains the same.
Solution: With these new ow conditions:
6 8 CHOKE FLOW AT A SMOOTH SLUICE GATE

1. Determine the start of transient downstream ow rate is known as the transient ow rate. The transient
depth. ow rate is lesser in magnitude compared with the ow
rate upstream of the choke, also known as the steady state
2. Determine the start of transient downstream ow rate.
specic discharge.
Since the ow rate through the choke section is reduced,
3. Determine the steady state downstream depth. some volume of water is being prevented from passing
4. Determine the steady state downstream energy. through the choke section causing water to accumulate
just upstream of the choke. When water starts accumulat-
5. Determine the steady state upstream energy. ing, the storage volume, the depth of ow, and the energy
associated with this depth increases. Hence, over time,
6. Determine the steady state upstream depth.
enough water will accumulate upstream of the constric-
tion (obstruction) such that the choke can be overcome
Solution: through the resulting increase in energy enabling the ow
Step1: Determine the start of transient downstream upstream to pass the obstruction without ow reduction.
depth. During this process of energy build up, the transient ow
will approach the steady state ow rate over some period
The start of transient downstream depth occurs as a criti-
of time. The time that the ow takes to overcome the
cal depth where the corresponding start of transient down-
choke is dependent on the storage conditions upstream of
stream energy is critical.
the choke.
Step 2:Determine the start of transient downstream spe-
A choke can happen at various ow transition points in
cic discharge.
an open channel ow. This discussion below presents the
Step 3:Determine the steady state downstream depth. case for a choke at an energy conserving sluice gate in a
Step 4:Determine the steady state downstream energy. rectangular channel.

Step 5:Determine the new upstream steady state energy.

Step 6:Determine the new steady state upstream depth. 8 Choke ow at a smooth sluice
The E-y diagram with the transient depths, transient gate
energies, transient specic discharge, steady state
depths, and steady state energies is provided below. To appreciate the eects of a choke at a sluice gate, it is
The black lines point to the transient measurements important to understand the transient conditions from the
while the red lines point to the steady state measure- onset of the choke conditions to the return to the steady
ments. state ow rate. To investigate these transient conditions,
E_{1trans} is 4.00 ft with a depth, y_{1trans}, of 3.75 some comments about the discharge through choke in-
ft. E_{2trans} is 6.00 ft with a depth, y_{2,trans}, of ducing structure, the upstream storage conditions, and
4.00 ft. E_{1ss} is 4.40 ft with a depth, y_{1ss}, of ow balance should be made.
4.20 ft. E_{2ss} is 6.40 ft with a depth, y_{2ss}, of
4.27 ft.
8.1 Discharge through the sluice gate at a
rectangular section
6.3 PART C
Looking at Figure A, the following Bernoullis equation
If the same choke is presented and the height of the can be presented for a streamline at the upstream (1) and
step can be adjusted, what is the minimum downward downstream (2)sections of the gate for a horizontal and
step that is needed in order to avoid a choke and keep frictionless channel:
the same initial upstream ow conditions as initially
FIGURE A
specied.

v12 v2
E1 = + y1 = 2 + y2 = E2
7 Transient ow at a choke in a 2g 2g
rectangular channel Considering the specic energy, E, upstream and down-
stream of the gate for a horizontal channel.
When a choke is present, the amount of energy in the ow The following equation solves for the velocity down-
upstream of the choke is insucient to maintain the ow stream of the gate:
rate downstream; therefore, a choke would cause a re-
duction in ow rate moving through the constriction (ob- ( )
struction) at the section causing the choke. This reduced v2 = 2g E1 y2
8.4 Example Problem 7

Flowrate per unit width at the gate, q , is given by:

( )
q2 = y2 2g E1 y2 = qg = yg 2g h

The ow rate per unit width downstream is the same as

the ow rate at the gate because, for an energy conserving
sluice gate, the ow depths downstream of the gate and
at the gate are the same rendering the velocity and cross-
sectional area the same as well. The equation above for q
is similar to the rectangular orice discharge equation for Figure A. A sluice gate placed in a rectangular open channel.
ow per unit width with the coecient of discharge set The channel is 1 ft. wide and is 2000 ft. long upstream of the
equal to unity. This equation allows for solving for the gate.
ow at the gate with every incremental change in energy
upstream.

8.2 Stage-storage relationship upstream of

the sluice gate

The storage characteristics upstream of the sluice gate,

along with the continuity equation, will determine how
long each incremental transient ow increase takes. This
stage-storage relationship is dierent from stage dis-
charge relationship (also known as the rating curve).For
the simplicity of our consideration, the channel is a rect-
angular channel of length, L, and a unit width, W, as seen
in Figure A above. The storage, S, upstream of the gate
Figure B. The increase in storage upstream with time to overcome
can be related to depth, y, in the following equation for a choke.
rectangular channel:

S = LW y

The third and nal consideration for the investigation of

transient conditions is ow balance in the channel per-
formed using the continuity equation.

8.3 Continuity equation

Based on the continuity equation, for a rectangular chan-

nel with a unit width, W, it can be said that
Figure C. Change of owrate through the gate from the onset of
( ) the choke to steady state conditions (t=19.8 hr).
S
= I O = q ss qitrans
t i
8.4.1 Solving for initial and steady state conditions

8.4 Example Problem
Consider the scenario for a sluice gate located in a rect-
angular channel with dimensions as shown in Figure A of
length, L=2000.0 ft. and width, W= 1.0 ft. The ow be-
fore a sluice gate produces a choke is, qss= 10.0 ft^2/s.
and the depth upstream before the choke, y1 upstream =3.5
ft. with the specic energy, Eint.=3.63 ft.
If the gate is lowered anywhere below the alternate depth
to the upstream ow depth (yalternate=yg=0.73 ft.), then
a choke is produced. Therefore, for a sluice gate lowered
to a depth of yg=0.5 ft, produce the results for
Part 1) The steady state energy upstream of the gate,
E , ,
P T , , ,
P T
8 8 CHOKE FLOW AT A SMOOTH SLUICE GATE

Part 7)The ow depth upstream of the gate at the end of

the rst time step, t is given by applying the alternate
depth equation with unit discharge taken at the beginning
of the time step:
Part 8)The associated change in storage, S
, is
Part 9)The time increment (t) can then be given by

8.4.3 Elapsed time after the second time step ti =

ti + ti

Figure D. The stage-discharge curve showing relationship be- One can nd the total time that has elapsed with adding
tween ow depth upstream of the gate and discharge through the each of time steps. Therefore, at the total time at the end
gate. of the second time step is the sum of the rst two time
steps. By the same logic, with an estimate of each time
increment associated with every change in transient ow
. ., , , rate until the time of steady state conditions at the gate,
P T , S , one can determine the total time required to overcome the
P T S . choke.
Solution: For nding the total time after the second time increment,
one needs to answer the following questions:
Part 1) E , , Part 10) What is the new specic energy for the ow up-
: stream of the gate?
Part 11) What is the transient ow through the gate at the
Part 2) Steady state depth upstream of gate, y , , is given end of the second time step?
by the alternate depth equation equation evaluated using Part 12) What is the new change in ow rate between the
steady state owrate: ow upstream and through the gate?
Part 3) Initial ow through the gate, q , , is given by Part 13) What is the new ow depth at the end of the
the evaluating the discharge through the gate as discussed second time step?
above. The energy considered here is the specic energy Part 14) What is the associated change in storage from
upstream of the gate at the instant a choke is produced. the previous time step?
Part 15) What is the time increment for the second time
Part 4)The storage upstream of the gate prior to the onset
step?
of the choke, S , is given by
Part 16) What is the total time at the end of the second
Part 5)The storage upstream of the gate after having time step?
overcome the choke, S , is given by
Solution:
Part 10) To nd the new specic energy for the upstream
ow depth during the second time step, it is important to
8.4.2 Solving for transient conditions during the recognize that the constriction doesnt aect the ow rate
rst time step, ti upstream. Therefore, for the same ow upstream as in
time step 1, the ow depth has increased at the end of
For the same sluice gate choke conditions mentioned the rst time step. Specic energy upstream of the gate
above, produce the results for at the beginning of the second time step, E, , is given
Part 6)The change in ow rate S/t between ow up- by the specic energy equation considering the ow depth
stream of the gate (inow) and ow leaving the gate (out- upstream at the end of the rst time step:
ow) during the rst time step
Part 7)The new ow depth upstream of the gate after the Part 11) To nd transient ow through the gate from the
time increment t end of the rst time step to the end of the second time
Part 8)The associated change in storage, S step,q, one would need to nd the discharge through the
Part 9)The time increment (t) for the change in storage gate after the increase in ow depth upstream:
specied in the rst time step Part 12) The change in ow rate at the end of the second
Solution: time step, S/t , is given by applying continuity:
Part 6)In a 1 ft. wide rectangular channel, the change in Part 13) The ow depth at the end of the second time
ow rate S/t is determined by applying the conti- step upstream of the gate is given by the alternate depth
nuity equation: equation using unit discharge found in Part 11:
 9

Part 14) The associated change in storage from the rst 3. Moglen, G.E. (2011) Lecture notes from CEE
to the second time step is given by 4324/5984: Open Channel Flow, Virginia Tech
Part 15) The second time step increment can then be <http://filebox.vt.edu/users/moglen/ocf/index.
given by html>

Part 16) In nding the total time required for the com- 4. Henderson, F.M., 1966. Open Channel Flow,
pletion of the rst two time steps, one would just sum all Prentice-Hall.
time increments
5. Ven Te Chow, Open-Channel Hydraulics,New
Thus, after 88.3 s since the choke was introduced the ow York, 1959, McGraw-Hill.
has increased from 7.10 ft3 /s to 7.16 ft3 /s. Moreover, as
a result of the increase in storage upstream of the gate, 6. Das Madan Mohan, Open Channel Flow, Phi Learn-
the energy has increased from 3.63 ft. to 3.69 ft. ing, 2008
7. http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/
8.4.4 General comments about the transition from earth-atmospheric-and-planetary-sciences/
choke ow 12-090-special-topics-an-introduction-to-fluid-motions-sediment-tra
lecture-notes/ch5.pdf
Calculating the ow characteristics at every time incre-
8. http://udel.edu/~{}inamdar/EGTE215/Open_
ment allows one to study the transient ow conditions;
channel.pdf
this was the aim of the discussion above.
9. http://streams.osu.edu/book/equation_pdf/
After numerous time steps, the depth upstream will Ch8-Equations.pdf
increase to steady state depth, y =6.68 ft. and an
associated steady state specic energy, E = 6.71 ft.
However, for this to happen, the channel upstream
of the gate has to increase in volume by 6353 ft3
from 7000 ft3 . The change in storage with respect to

time is presented in Figure B after having calculated
the ow characteristics at numerous time steps.

Flowrate instantaneously gets reduced at the onset

of a choke from 10 ft3 /s to 7.10 ft3 /s. As can be
seen in Figure C, after this instantaneous reduction
in owrate, it steadily increases eventually reaching
steady state discharge of 10 ft3 /s. The time that it
takes to get back to steady state discharge for this
example problem was calculated to be 19.8 hours.

The Stage discharge relationship is presented in Fig-

ure D. The gure shows how the discharge through
the gate increases with increasing ow depth up-
stream of the gate. The precipitous drop in owrate
in the gure corresponds to the time the choke is im-
posed reducing the discharge from a value of 10 ft3 /s
to just over 7 ft3 /s. When depth upstream gets to a
value just under 6.7 ft., the choke of ow through
the gate has been overcome, and the stage upstream
need not increase because steady state discharge and
energy has been achieved.

9 References
1. M. H. Chaudhry, Open-Channel Flow. New York:
Springer, 2008.
2. K. Subramanya, Flow in open channel.Tata
McGraw-Hill Education, Nov 1, 2001
10 10 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

10 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

10.1 Text
Classic energy problem in open-channel ow Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Classic_energy_problem_in_open-channel_flow?
oldid=1661050 Contributors: Jac16888, Crowsnest, RussBot, Magioladitis, FrescoBot, Chzz, WereSpielChequers, Diannaa, GoingBatty,
Marshallsumter, Delusion23, Bgwhite, Jrajan02, Brad7777, John of Reading, Wipsenade, Sidelight12, Yobot, Gwil222 and Anonymous:
12

10.2 Images
File:Cons_choke-new.png Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/Cons_choke-new.png License: CC BY-SA
3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Jrajan02
File:Constriction.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Constriction.jpg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contrib-
utors: Own work Original artist: Jrajan02
File:Discharge_vs_stage.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/Discharge_vs_stage.jpg License: CC BY-
SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Abenida1
File:E-y_diagram_for_expansion.png Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/E-y_diagram_for_expansion.
png License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Jrajan02
File:E-y_diagram_of_constriction_and_downwards_step.png Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/E-y_
diagram_of_constriction_and_downwards_step.png License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Gwil222
File:E-y_diagram_of_constriction_and_downwards_step_with_a_choke.png Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/
commons/a/af/E-y_diagram_of_constriction_and_downwards_step_with_a_choke.png License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work
Original artist: Gwil222
File:E-y_diagram_of_constriction_and_downwards_step_with_minimum_step.png Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/
wikipedia/commons/6/6b/E-y_diagram_of_constriction_and_downwards_step_with_minimum_step.png License: CC BY-SA 3.0
Contributors: Own work Original artist: Gwil222
File:E-y_diagram_of_constriction_and_downwards_step_without_a_choke.png Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/
commons/b/b5/E-y_diagram_of_constriction_and_downwards_step_without_a_choke.png License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own
work Original artist: Gwil222
File:Expansion_in_oc_flow-2.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Expansion_in_oc_flow-2.jpg Li-
cense: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Jrajan02
File:Flow_vs_time.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/Flow_vs_time.jpg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Con-
tributors: Own work Original artist: Abenida1
File:Open_channel_encountering_a_constriction_and_downwards_step.png Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/
commons/1/12/Open_channel_encountering_a_constriction_and_downwards_step.png License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Microsoft
paint for a class project Original artist: Gwil222
File:SluiceGate.png Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/SluiceGate.png License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contribu-
tors: Own work Original artist: Jrajan02
File:SluiceGate_in_a_one_foot_wide_channel.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/16/SluiceGate_in_a_
one_foot_wide_channel.jpg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Abenida1
File:Sluice_gate-_new.png Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/Sluice_gate-_new.png License: CC BY-SA
3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Jrajan02
File:Step_-up_in_ocf.png Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/Step_-up_in_ocf.png License: CC BY-SA
3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Jrajan02
File:Step_choke-_new.png Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Step_choke-_new.png License: CC BY-SA
3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Jrajan02
File:Step_down-_Ey.png Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Step_down-_Ey.png License: CC BY-SA 3.0
Contributors: Own work Original artist: Jrajan02
File:Step_dwn.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a1/Step_dwn.jpg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors:
Own work Original artist: Jrajan02
File:Stoarge_vs_time.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Stoarge_vs_time.jpg License: CC BY-SA 3.0
Contributors: Own work Original artist: Abenida1

10.3 Content license

Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0