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Critical flow

1. Calculate the critical depth in a trapezoidal channel with a base width of 10m and
slide slopes of 1:2 when the discharge is 340 m
3
s
-1
.

[3.792m]
2. Water flows in a 5.0m wide rectangular channel at a uniform depth of 2.0m. If the
channel has a bed slope of 1 x 10
-4
and a Mannings n of 0.02, determine the
discharge, mean velocity and Froude number. What is the critical depth for this flow?
What bed slope would be required for the flow to run uniformly at the critical depth?

[5.364m
3
s
-1
, 0.536 ms
-1
, 0.121, 0.450m, 6.32 x 10
-3
]

3. Show that the critical depth in a circular culvert running part full is given by the
relationship:

( )

/


where is the angle subtended at the centre by the free surface and D is the diameter
of the culvert.

4. Show that for flow in a V shaped open channel with equal side slopes of 1:s (vertical:
horizontal), the critical depth and velocity are given by:

&




5. Show that the critical depth in an open channel with a parabolic cross section is given
by:



What is the wetted perimeter of a parabolic cross section when expressed in terms of
the channel centre line?
[~T+8h
2
/3T]


1. A = (b+sy)y
P = b +2y(1+s
2
)
0.5

R = A/P
T = b + 2sy


Hence,

( )

( )
(

( )
(

( )

( )





Hence y = 3.793m (normally you would not do this many iterations).

2.

() .

m
3
/s
V = Q / A = 5.36 m/s



For critical slope, y =y
c
.


3. For critical depth

or


For critical depth

( )
Considering the triangle below, .

/ (

)







Hence .

/
But .

/ .

/ .

/
Hence, .

/ .

/
Thus, .

/
Hence

( ))

/
Therefore

=
()

/

4. T = 2sy A=0.5Ty = sy
2


For critical depth


s
1
d/2
d/2
h-d/2
h
x
/2
/2
And


And


5.





Let y = ax
2
where a is a constant.
Therefore, .


Hence, .


But at the free surface .

or .


Therefore,




y
x
h

Rapidly varied flow tutorial questions

1. 240m
3
s
-1
of water flows along a rectangular channel which is 10m wide at its
narrowest. If the minimum depth is 4.2m, prove that depth changes downstream will
affect those upstream?

2. Water flows under a wide sluice gate into a 4m wide rectangular channel. A hydraulic
jump starts to form where the local depth is 40cm. calculate the conjugate depth and
the power dissipated in the jump when the discharge is 8 m
3
s
-1
.
[23.7kW]

3. Water flows in a rectangular channel at a discharge of 1.6 m
3
s
-1
per m width and a
speed of 4 ms
-1
. To what height must a weir structure back-up the water to cause a
hydraulic jump to form in the channel?
[0.96m]

4. A stilling basin of width 80m has to take a maximum flow of 2210m
3
/s from a gated
spillway. The upstream head corresponding to this flow is 5m and the velocity of
approach to the spillway is 2m/s. The floor of the stilling basin is 50m below the
spillway crest level and it can be assumed that 25% of the total energy above the
stilling basin floor is lost in the fall. Estimate the depth and supercritical velocity at
the entrance to the stilling basin and determine the type of jump and the sequent
depth of flow. If the tailwater depth (t) downstream of the stilling basin is given by t =
0.38Q
1/2
, where Q is the flow, determine whether t is greater than the sequent depth
of flow. What effect will this have?
[0.981m; 28.16m/s; 12.115m]






1. q = 240 / 10 = 24m.


Since min depth (4.2) > critical depth , the flow is subcritical hence disturbances will travel
upstream.

2.

)
Hence y
2
= 1.24m

Power lost = weight of work / sec x total head loss across jump
*(

) (

)+
*(

) (

( )

)+
= 23.7kW


3. q = V
1
y
1
, hence y
1
= 1.6 / 4 = 0.4m
E = 1.22m
Emin = 3yc/2 = 1.5(q
2
/g)
1/3
=0.959
E = Emin + z
z =0.257m


Using hydraulic jump equation gives y
2
= 0.96m


4
q = Q / b = 2210 / 80 = 27.625 m
3
/s / m
The total head above the stilling basin =


Assuming 25% energy loss = 0.25 x 55.20394 = 13.801m
Hence, E
1
= 55.204 13.801 = 41.403m
At section 1:



Try h
1
= 1.0m, RHS = 39.908
h
1
= 0.95m, RHS = 44.061
h
1
= 0.98m, RHS = 41.492
h
1
= 0.981m, RHS = 41.411 (close enough).

u
1
= q/h
1
= 27.625/0.981 = 28.180 m/s

Fr
1
= 28.180 / (9.807 x 0.981)^0.5 = 9.079
Hence,

+
h
2
= 12.329 x 0.981 = 12.115m

tailwater depth, t = 0.38Q
0.5
= 0.38 x 2210
0.5
= 17.864m

since t > h
2
the tailwater will drown out the jump causing it to occur on the spillway. This is a
safe design but not efficient since little energy will be dissipated. To overcome this problem
either build a sloping apron or provide a drop in the channel bed.





Channel transitions

1. A 10m wide rectangular channel discharges 100 m
3
s
-1
. At a particular location the
width is reduced locally to 5m by means of a smooth transition. Plot the depth versus
specific energy relations for q = 10 m
3
s
-1
/m and q = 20 m
3
s
-1
/m in the range of 0 < h <
6m. What is the depth of flow at the throat for upstream depths of 5.5m and 1.0m?
evaluate the critical depths in the channel and at the throat and compare them with
given by the graphs.

2. Water flows at a velocity of 3ms
-1
and at a depth of 3.0m in an open channel of
rectangular cross section. Find the downstream depth and the change in water level
produced by (a) smooth upwards step of 0.3m, and (b) a smooth downward step of
0.3m in the channel bed. Also find (c) the maximum allowable size of upward step for
the upstream flow to be as specified.
[(a) 2.495m, -0.205m; (b) 3.402m, 0.102m; (c) 0.427m]

3. A venture flume installed in a horizontal rectangular channel 700mm wide has a
uniform throat width of 280mm. When water flows through the channel at 0.14
m
3
/S, the depth at a section upstream of the flume is 430mm. Neglecting friction and
given that the discharge passes through the critical depth at the throat, determine the
depth of flow at the throat, the depth at a section just downstream of the flume
where the width is again 700mm, and the force exerted on the stream in passing
through the flume. (Assume = 1000 kg/m
3
).
[294mm, 74.6mm, -305.3N]

4*. To investigate the problem of flow around bridge piers use the concept of specific
energy and critical depth and assume that the conditions are as shown in Figure 1
with the critical depth occurring in between the piers. Show that under chocking
conditions, i.e. h
2
= h
c
, the various hydraulic parameters are related by the equation:

+


Where E
2
= E
1
= downstream specific energy, with being some coefficient to allow
for energy loss, Fr = Froude number and = (B-b)/B.

If B = 20m, Q = 80m
3
/s and the upstream depth h
1
= 2.0m determine the maximum
permissible pier width b for subcritical conditions to remain in the channel if the
energy loss by the flow past the bridge pier is 10% of the specific energy.

[3.2m]



1. b = 10m & 5m
Q = 100 m
3
/s
q
1
= 100 / 10 = 10 and q
2
= 20



2.


(a) upward step of 0.3m
E
2
= E
1
0.3 = 3.1589m


Solving by trail and error gives h
2
= 2.495m. Hence, water level is 0.3 + 2.495 =
2.795m above the original bed level. Therefore, change in water level = 3 2.795m =
0.205m (downwards).

(b) downwards step of 0.3m
E
2
= E
1
+ 0.3 = 3.7589m
Repeat of the above gives h
2
= 3.402m. Water level is 3.402 0.3 = 3.102m above the
bed. Hence, change in water level = 3 3.102m = -0.102m (upwards).


(c) max step size


E
min
= 1.5 h
c
= 3.0321m
Z = E
1
- E
min
= 3.4589 3.0321 = 0.427m

3.


4.


Choking conditions at throat give h
c
= h
2
= 2/3E
min
= 2/3E
2

,



Continuity gives Q
1
= Q
c

q
1
B = q
c
(B-b)


u
1
h
1
= u
c
h
c

u
1
2
h
1
2
=
2
u
c
2
h
c
2
=
2
gh
c
3

(since u
c
2
= gh
c
(Fr = 1))


Hence,





Gradually varied flow

1. The rate of change of depth of a steady flow along an open channel of rectangular
cross section can be expressed as:

) (

)

Where S
o
is the channel bed slope, S
f
is the frictional slope, U is the mean velocity and
h is water the depth. In a wide horizontal rectangular channel of constant6 width
10m the depth of flow decreases from 0.9m at x = 0 to 0.6m at x = L. if the discharge
in the channel is 5m
3
s
-1
and S
f
= 0.01U
2
/2gh, determine the distance L between the
two depths. Check the Froude number at both positions and the sign of dh/dx.
[972.7m, 0.187, 0.343, negative]

2. Water flows down a trapezoidal channel having a constant longitudinal bed slope of
0.0005 and a Manning roughness coefficient of 0.024. The channel cross section has a
base width of 15m and slide slopes of 1:1. At a certain point in the channel the depth
of flow is found to be decreasing at a rate of 1 in 10,000 and at this point the depth is
5m. Working with the gradually varied flow equation estimate the discharge in the
channel.
[230 m
3
s
-1
]



1.

)(


for a rectangular channel q = uh. Hence, dq = udh + hdu = 0. Hence,
u/h = -du/dh or

() which gives:

) .

/

0

1 (

)

q = uh and du/dh = -u/h = -q/h
2


0

/1 .

) ( ) m

2. At point of interest:
A = (15 + 1x5)x5 = 100m
2

P = 15 + 2x5 (1+1
2
)
0.5
= 29.1421m
R = A / P = 3.4315 m
T = 15 + 2x1x5 = 25m


dh/dx = -1/10000 and S
o
= 0.0005. Hence,


-0.0001 +


Q=229.6 m
3
s
-1

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