EARTHEN CHANNEL

DESIGN

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

UMT LAHORE
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CANALS AND THEIR CLASSIFICATION
 Canal: A canal is an artificial
channel constructed to carry water to
the fields for irrigation either from a
river or reservoir or barrage.

 Canal System
 Canal or conveyance system is a
network of canals constructed to
convey water from source to field
for irrigation purposes.

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CANAL CLASSIFICATION
 Canals may be classified into different types such as:

 Based on Flow Conditions

 Gravity Canal
 Lift Canal

 Based on Canal System

 Main Canal
 Branch Canal
 Distributary Canal
 Minor Canal
 Water Course

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CANAL CLASSIFICATION
 Based on Lining
 Lined Canal
 Unlined Canal

 Based on Silt
 Silt Carrying Canal
 Silt Free Canal

 Based on Purpose
 Link Canal
 Feeder Canal

 Based on Flow
 Perennial Canal
 Non-perennial Canal

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 CLASSIFICATION OF CANALS
 Classification based on capacity
 Main Canal: It is the principal channel of a canal system
taking off from the headworks or a reservoir or tail reach of a
feeder channel. It is large capacity channel and usually there
is no irrigation from it.
.

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 Permanent Canals: Permanent canals are those which are fed by a
permanent source of supply such as ice fed rivers or reservoirs.

 Perennial Canals: perennial canals are permanent canals which get

continuous supplies from rivers throughout the year.

 Non-Perennial Canals: Non-perennial canals are permanent canals

which irrigate for a part of year, usually during the summer season and at
the beginning and end of the of winter season.
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CANAL CLASSIFICATION
 Definitions
 Inundation Canals: Inundation canal is one which the
supply depends upon the periodic rise of water level in the
river from which it takes off.
 Irrigation Canals: An irrigation canal carries water to
the irrigation field.
 Link Canals: Links canals are constructed for
transporting the waters of the rivers to the canal systems.
Qadirabad-Balloki Link Canal
 Carrier Canals: A carrier canal in addition to supplying
irrigation water, also carries water for another canal e.g.
UCC
 Feeder Canal: This feed two or more canals e.g. LCC

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CLASSIFICATION OF CANALS
 Classification based on purpose served

 Hydel Canal: It is canal on which power house is set up

for hydel power generation. A hydel channel can serves
are irrigation canal as well.

 Navigation Canal: It is a canal which is primarily

used for transportation by water. It may or may not
serve as irrigation canal as well

 Multipurpose Canal: A canal meant for two or more

purposes such as irrigation, navigation, power
generation, domestic and industrial water supply.
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CHANNEL PLAN FORMS/PATTERN

 Straight Channel
 Water moves parallel to the channel banks
 Sinuosity varies from 1 – 1.05

 Meandering Channel
 Follow the sinuous path

 Braided Channel
 Channels flows in more than one sub-
channels, because the natural topography does
not match the hydraulics conditions of a river.

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SINUOSITY

 The meander ratio or sinuosity index is

the ratio of actual length, Lm, along a
meandering river to the straight distance, S,
between the end points (AB).

 It is an indication of quantification of
meandering.

 For a straight river course this ratio is equal

to unity. A ratio varying from 1 to 1.5 defines
the river course as sinuous and from 1.5 to 4
as meandering.
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GEOMETRIC FEATURES OF MEANDER

Meand
er Belt

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STRAIGHT CHANNEL

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MEANDERING CHANNEL

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BRAIDED CHANNEL

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EARTHEN CHANNEL DESIGN

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ALLUVIUM
 Alluvial soil:
 The soil which is formed by continuous deposition of silt is known
as alluvial soil.
 The river carries heavy charge of silt in rainy season. When the
river overflows its banks during the flood, the silt particles get
deposited on the adjoining areas. This deposition of silt continues
year after year.
 This type of soil is found in deltaic region of a river. This soil is
permeable and soft and very fertile.

 Non-alluvial soil
 The soil which is formed by the disintegration of rock formation is
known as non-alluvial soil.
 It is found in the mountains regions of a river. The soil is hard an
impermeable in nature. This is not fertile

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CLASSIFICATION OF CANALS
 Classification based on soil through which
constructed:
 Alluvial Canal: The canals constructed through
alluvial channels is called alluvial canal. The bed and
banks of canal comprise the same material as is
transported by them. The alluvial bed is readily scoured
or silted. The canal usually take supply from reservoir,
barrage or weir etc.
 Non-Alluvial Canal: The canal constructed through
hard soils or disintegrated or fresh rocks are termed as
non alluvial canals. Such canals are stable and are
designed for higher velocity which the soil can
withstand without erosion consistent with ground slope.
Manning’s Chezy’ s and Kutter Formula are used in
design.

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TYPES OF CANAL SECTIONS

 There are two types of canals sections

 Unlined channels, most of our main irrigation canals

are unlined/earthen canals which cause seepage and
result in losses and raising in the water table of the
adjoining area.

 Lined channels, lined with RC, PCC, Bricks, Stones

etc, to minimize the seepage losses and increase the
efficiency of the system.

 Recently irrigation canals are built with lining

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INTRODUCTION

 Canal design practices also depend on the conditions,

particularly the soil formation, sediment transport
characteristics, operational needs and desired standards of
maintenance

 Usually irrigation canals are constructed in alluvial soils

and the water supplies are essentially from river that carry
silt

 The sediment passed on into the off-taking channel of low

velocity, deposits in the canal bed resulting in silting up
and consequently causing loss of discharge carrying
capacity necessitating frequent silt clearing

 On the other hand a high velocity in channel cause

erosion/scouring, thereby, lowering Full Supply Level
resulting in loss of command
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FACTORS AFFECTING THE DESIGN OF CANALS

 Main factors:
 Water discharge, Q
 Sediment Discharge, Qs
 Sediment size, d
 Slope of canal
 Bed width, depth and velocity
 Secondary factors:
 Acceleration due to gravity, g
 Shear stress
 Viscosity
 Temperature
 Sediment density etc.
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DESIGN OF IRRIGATION CANALS

 It is the process to obtain a cross-section, slope and

geometry of channel/canal which should not have
objectionable silting and scouring.

 Determining :
(1) depth,
(2) bed width,
(3) side slope and
(4) longitudinal slope of the channel so as to produce
a non-silting and non-scouring velocity for the
given discharge and sediment load.

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 EMPIRICAL APPROACHES

Empirical Approaches (Regime Theories):

 These methods are based on those canals which were working

reasonably well and they were not having any objectionable
silting and scouring and having stable cross-sections.

 These channels were fulfilling the requirements to carry

designed water and silt discharge.

 These theories are not dimensionally homogenous and do not

follow any laws or theories.

The stable channel is said to be in state of regime if the flow is such that
silting and scouring need no special attention

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 CONCEPT OF CHANNEL IN REGIME
 Channel in Regime (Stable Channel)

 Lindley (1919): When an artificial channel is constructed in

alluvium to carry silty water, its bed and banks would silt or
scour until the depth, slope and width attain a state of
balance, to which he designated as channel in regime.

 Lane (1953) defined stable channel as

 Which carries water

 The banks and bed of which are not scoured objectionably

by moving water and

 In which objectionable deposit of sediment do not occur.

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DESIGN OF EARTHEN CHANNEL
Kennedy Regime Theory (1895):
 Executive Engineer UBDC.
 Published his work in 1895.

 He did pioneering research work for obtaining a stable non-

silting, non-scouring irrigation canal system. On the basis of
observation made at 20 different site of Upper Bari Doab Canal
system in Punjab (Indian), Kennedy concluded that:

 The flowing water is to counteract against the friction from the

bed of channel resulting in generation of vertical eddies rising
up gently to the water surface.

 A velocity sufficient to generate these eddies keeps the

sediment in suspension, thereby, avoiding silting up of channel
(Non silting Non Scouring velocity)

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KENNEDY REGIME THEORY

 Safe velocity against erosion for canals in Punjab soil is

1m/s corresponding to depth of not more than 3 m.

 The amount of silt held in suspension is proportional to

the upward acting force of vertical eddies and varies as
bed width and some power of the velocity of the flow in
the channel.

 A regime channel is one which neither silts nor scours.

 The Manning’s roughness coefficient (n) is 0.0225 for

all irrigation channels

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KENNEDY REGIME THEORY

 Kennedy presented the following relationship based

on his research:

Vo = 0.55 D0.64 (S.I.)

Vo = 0.84 D0.64 (FPS)

 When the same formula was applied in Sindh and Punjab

canals other than UBDC, then the constant 0.84 was not
found to be correct. Therefore a general formula was
proposed as:

Vo = mKDc
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 KENNEDY REGIME THEORY

Vo = mKDc
Where
 Vo = Non silting and non scouring velocity called as Critical Velocity
(it has nothing to do with Vc, the critical velocity as defined in Hydraulics wrt Critical Flow)

 m= critical velocity ratio(CVR)

 It depends on the nature and the charge (Parts/million) of the silt. It

has a greater value for coarser silt (value varies 1.1 – 1.2 for canals
having coarser sediment than UBDC and 0.8 – 0.9 for finer
sediments)

 c = constant, and its value is 0.64 in SI & FPS Units

 K = constant and is 0.84 in FPS and 0.55 in SI units

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KENNEDY REGIME THEORY
Drawbacks and Limitations of Kennedy's Theory:

 Kennedy did not give any method of measurement of

critical velocity ratio (CVR).

 Kennedy's equation of non-silting and non-scouring

velocity, Vo, is only the function of depth D. Shape,
channel width, roughness of bed, side slope and
longitudinal slope are not at all considered in assessing
this velocity.

 Assumption of first approximate depth to initiate the

trial and error method is difficult. Some approximate
method depending on designed discharge should have
been provided to save computational time.

 His regime velocity did not consider the sediment load as

a variable.

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SOME ADDITIONAL DATA (REF. GARG)

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KENNEDY REGIME THEORY
Steps involved for the design of Earthen
Canals:

 Assume a suitable depth

 Find out Vo using Kennedy,s approach

Vo = 0.55 D0.64

 Calculate Area of cross-section, A = Q/Vo

 Calculate B (bottom width) assuming any reasonable

side slope value (1V:0.5H, 1V:1H, 1V:2H, 1V:1.5H etc).
Calculate R (Hydraulic radius).

 Calculate Uniform Velocity V, using Chezy’s formula

KENNEDY REGIME THEORY

 Find Chezy’s C by Kutter’s Formula

 (S.I. Units): (F.P.S UNITS):

23 + 0.00155 / S + 1 / n 41.65 + 0.00281 / S + 1.811 / n

C= C=
1 + (41.65 + 0.00281 / S )
n
1 + (23 + 0.00155 / S )
n
R R

 n = Kutter’s Coefficient, 0.0225 (UBDC)

 Compare Vo with V and keep on trying till Vo = V

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KENNEDY REGIME THEORY
 Example: Design a channel as per Kennedy’s theory to carry a discharge of
60 cusecs with longitudinal slope 1 ft/canal mile, n=0.0225 and m=1.

 Solution: Assume depth,

41.65 + 0.00281 / S + 1.811 / n
 D=2 ft C=
1 + (41.65 + 0.00281 / S )
n
 Vo=mx0.84xD0.64
R
 =1x0.84x20.64
 =1.31 ft/sec
 C=69.5
 A=Q/V=60/1.31=45.8ft2
 According to Chezy’s equation
 With side slopes 1V:0.5H
 V = C(RS)1/2
 A=(B+0.5D)D=45.8
 V = 69.5(1.74x1/5000)1/2
 (B+1)*2=45.8
 B=21.9ft
 V = 1.30ft/sec  Vo
 P=B+2(1+z2)0.5 D
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 R=A/P=1.74ft
KENNEDY REGIME THEORY
Example problem:

 Design the canal using Kennedy’s method for the

following data:
 Q = 80 cumecs
 S = 1:5500
 Side Slope = 1V:1.5H
 n = 0.0225
 m=1

 Solution:
 Draw the canal cross-section as per the available
information.
 Take the question as an Assignment problem