CEE 345, Part 2, Winter 2012, Final Exam Solutions (Open Channel Flow)

1. (a) (8) List and briefly describe the forces that must be considered in an analysis of flow in a
trapezoidal channel with a slope of 0.006. (One or two sentences should be enough for each
force.) Identify the location where each force acts, and its direction.

The forces include pressure upstream and downstream, which act in the downstream and
upstream directions, respectively; the gravitational force, which acts vertically downward
but has a component in the direction of flow; and the shear force, which acts along all
solid/fluid boundaries and is in the opposite direction from flow.

(b) (7) Which forces can be ignored if the flow is uniform, and why can they be ignored?

The pressure forces can be ignored in uniform flow, because they are of equal magnitude
(γhc) and in opposite directions.

2. (5) When considering open channel flow, what is the difference between the ‘normal’ depth
and the ‘critical depth’?

The normal depth is the depth corresponding to uniform flow; at this depth, the slope of the
energy line equals the slope of the channel bottom. The critical depth is the depth at which
the specific energy is minimized for the given q and is the depth that separates sub-critical
from super-critical flow.

3. (5) For flow in a pipe to be laminar, the criterion is that the Reynolds number be less than
about 2000, but for open channel flow, the criterion is that the Reynolds must be less than
about 500. What is the major reason for this difference?

The numerator of the Reynolds number includes a term for the ‘characteristic length’ of the
system under consideration. For pipe flow, this characteristic length is defined as the pipe
diameter, whereas for open channel flow, it is defined as the hydraulic radius. For a pipe,
D = 4Rh, and that accounts for the factor of four difference in the Re value where flow
changes from laminar to transitional. Thus, the actual fluid “conditions” are very nearly
identical at the transition point in the two types of flow; only the definition of how Re is
computed differs.

4. (5) Water in an approximately rectangular channel has a velocity head equal to its depth. Is
the flow sub-critical, critical, or super-critical? Explain your reasoning.

When the depth is the critical depth, the velocity head (V2/2g) equals 0.5 y; if the velocity
head is greater or less than 0.5 y, the flow is super-critical or sub-critical, respectively.
Under the conditions specified, the velocity head is greater than 0.5 y, so the flow is super-
critical.

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5. (5) (a) Flow in a horizontal open channel approaches a sill under super-critical conditions.
Assuming that friction is negligible, will the velocity of the water increase, decrease, or not
change as it passes over the sill? Explain your reasoning.

When the water passes over the sill, its specific energy declines. For super-critical flow, the
system is characterized by the lower leg of the y vs. E curve, which has an increasing value
of y for decreasing values of E. Therefore, flow over the sill leads to an increase in y and,
based on continuity, a decrease in velocity.

(5) (b) Will the change in velocity be greater, smaller, or the same, if the sill generates
significant frictional resistance? Again, explain your reasoning.

Frictional resistance will cause the decline in specific energy to be even larger, so the
decline in velocity will be bigger in this case than in the absence of friction. (Note that
simply stating that friction causes the water to lose energy and therefore to slow down is not
a sufficient answer, because in some cases [if the flow is sub-critical], a loss in energy
would cause the velocity to increase. A correct explanation must link the change in velocity
to the condition of super-critical flow.)

6. (5) Water flows 7 mm deep in a 0.5-m-wide rectangular flume. What would be the
percentage error in the velocity of uniform flow if the flow were assumed to be ‘wide and
shallow’? Would the computed velocity be larger or smaller than without the assumption?

If the flow is wide and shallow, the friction contributed by the side slopes is ignored, so that
Rh is approximated as being equal to y. If the side slopes are included in the calculation of
Rh, Rh is by/(b + 2y). In the scenario of interest, b = 500 mm and y = 7 mm, so the value of Rh
is estimated to be 7 mm if the assumption of wide-and-shallow flow is made, and 6.81 mm if
the simplification is not applied. According to the Manning equation, V is proportional to
Rh2/3, so the computed V with the assumption would be a factor of (7/6.81)2/3 times as large
as in the absence of the assumption. This quantity equals 1.019. The computed velocity
would therefore be 1.9% higher with the assumption than without it. Thus, treating the flow
as wide and shallow leads to an increase in the computed value of V. This result makes
sense, since the assumption is equivalent to ignoring a portion of the wetted perimeter and
therefore ignoring part of the frictional resistance to flow.

7. (5) What is the main advantage of using a V-shaped weir compared to a horizontal weir for
flow measurement?

In a V-shaped weir, the cross-section for flow is narrow at the bottom and becomes wider as
the depth of flow increases. As a result, this type of weir leads to a much larger response
(ΔH) to a change in flow rate than a rectangular weir does. In particular, it is much easier
to detect and accurately measure low flows with a V-shaped weir. This result is also
apparent from the fact that the flow rate is proportional to H5/2 for a V-shaped weir and
proportional to H3/2 for a horizontal weir.

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8. (15) For a channel with the cross-section shown below, what bed slope is required to have a
uniform flow of 16 m3/s when the depth of flow is 1.50 m, if the Manning friction
coefficient is 0.015?

The cross-sectional area of flow is the sum of the wetted areas of the wetted rectangular and
the triangular areas. The area of the wetted rectangle is 1.5m x 3m, or 4.5m2. The base and
height of the full triangle (not just the wetted portion) are 5m and 1.0m, respectively.
Because the triangular section is wetted to 50% of its height, the base and height of the
wetted portions are each 50% of those values. Because the area of a triangle is
0.5 x base x height, the wetted area associated with the triangular section is 0.5 x 5m x 1m, or
0.625m2. The total wetted area, considering both parts of the channel, is therefore 5.125 m2.

Similarly, the wetted length of the sloped portion of the channel (the hypotenuse of the
wetted triangle) is 50% of the full length of that sloped segment, or 0.5 12 + 52 m ,which
equals 2.55 m. The wetted perimeter is therefore (1.5 + 3 + 1 + 2.55) m, or 8.05 m, and the
hydraulic radius is:

Aflow 5.125 m 2
Rh = = = 0.637 m
Pwetted 8.05 m

Rearranging the Manning equation and inserting known values, we find the bed slope as:

1 2/3 1/ 2
V= Rh So
n

1 2/3 1/ 2
Q= Rh So A
n
2
⎛ nQ ⎞ ⎛ ( 0.015 )(16 ) ⎞
2

So = ⎜ 2/3 ⎟ = ⎜ ⎟ = 4.00x10−3
⎝ Rh A ⎠ ⎝ ( 0.637 ) ( 5.125 ) ⎟⎠
⎜ 2/3

9. (10) Water in a horizontal channel is flowing at a velocity of 2.6 m/s and a depth of 0.4 m. If
the channel width is 6.0 m, how much power would be dissipated in a hydraulic jump?

We can find the flow rate per unit channel width and the specific energy of the water
upstream of the jump as follows:

q = Vup yup = ( 2.6 m/s )( 0.4 m ) = 1.04 m2 /s

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 ( 2.6 m/s )
2
Vup2
Eup = yup + = 0.4 m + = 0.745 m
2g 2 ( 9.81 m/s 2 )

Because the flow rate and channel width are the same downstream as upstream, q remains
the same. The water depth, velocity, and specific energy after a hydraulic jump can
therefore be found as

⎞ 0.4 m ⎛⎜ (1.04 m 2 s )
⎞
2
yup ⎛ q2
ydown = ⎜ 1 + 8 3 − 1⎟ = 1+ 8 − 1⎟⎟ = 0.569 m
2 ⎜⎝ gyup ⎟
⎠ 2 ⎜ ⎜
⎝
9.81 m s ( 0.4 m )
2 3
( ⎟
⎠
)

Vdown =
Vup yup
=
( 2.6 m s )( 0.4 m )
= 1.83 m s
ydown 0.569 m

(1.83 m/s ) = 0.739 m

2
V2
Edown = ydown + down = 0.569 m +
2g 2 ( 9.81 m/s 2 )

The energy loss across the hydraulic jump is Eup − Edown, i.e.:

hL ,max = Eup − Emin = 0.745 m − 0.739 m = 0.006 m

⎛ N ⎞
P = γ QhL = ⎜ 9810 3 ⎟ ⎡⎣( 2.6 m/s )( 0.4 m )( 6.0 m ) ⎤⎦ ( 0.0053 m ) = 324 W
⎝ m ⎠

10. (25) Water is flowing with a depth of 2.5 ft and a flow rate of 270 ft3/s in a 20-ft-wide
rectangular channel. The channel then narrows to a width of 15 ft as the bottom drops by
0.2 ft. Assume that the frictional headloss is negligible during this transition.

(a) (4) Is the upstream flow sub-critical, critical, or super-critical?

The critical depth can be found as follows:

Q 270 ft 3 /s ft 2
q1 = = = 13.5
b1 20 ft s

⎛ (13.5 ft 2 /s )2 ⎞
1/3
1/3
⎛q ⎞
2
yc ,1 = ⎜ ⎟
1
=⎜ ⎟ = 1.78 ft
⎝ g ⎠ ⎜ 32.2 ft/s 2 ⎟
⎝ ⎠

The actual water depth (2.5 ft) is greater than yc,1, so the flow is sub-critical.

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(b) (7) What are the critical depth and the minimum specific energy needed for steady flow
after the channel geometry has changed?

The critical depth can be computed using the same equation as in part a, but for the new
geometry. The overall flow rate is the same as before the change in geometry, so the new
value of q and the corresponding yc are:

Q 270 ft 3 /s ft 2
q2 = = = 18
b2 15 ft s

⎛ (18 ft 2 /s )2 ⎞
1/3
1/3
⎛ q2 ⎞
yc ,2 =⎜ 2 ⎟ =⎜ ⎟ = 2.16 ft
⎝ g ⎠ ⎜ 32.2 ft/s 2 ⎟
⎝ ⎠

The minimum specific energy is 1.5 times yc,2, or:

Emin,2 = 1.5 yc ,2 = (1.5 )( 2.16 ft ) = 3.24 ft

(c) (7) Will there be ‘damming action’ (i.e., an increase in the water level) upstream of the
transition?

If the water has more than the minimum amount of specific energy needed to support the
given flow rate when the channel narrows, then no damming action will be observed. On the
other hand, if the water does not have that amount of specific energy, damming action will
cause water to build up behind the location where the stream narrows, thereby increasing
the upstream specific energy. We can find the upstream specific energy as follows:

(13.5 ft 2 /s ) ⎛ 1 ⎞2
2
q12 −2
E1 = y1 + y1 = 2.5 ft + ⎜ ⎟ = 2.95 ft
2g 2 ( 32.2 ft/s 2 ) ⎝ 2.5 ft ⎠

Because we are assuming that frictional energy loss is negligible, the change in specific
energy is entirely attributable to the change in elevation of the channel bottom, so:

E2 = E1 − Δzchannel = 2.95 ft − ( −0.2 ft ) = 3.15 ft

Because this computed value of E2 is less than the minimum required, damming action will
occur.

(d) (7) What will the water depth at the location where the channel has narrowed to its final
width?

Because damming occurs, the downstream flow would be critical, and the depth would be
the critical depth, as determined in part b (2.16 ft).