Hydraulics Engineering

Lec #5: Broad Crested Weirs and

Venturi Flumes
Department of Civil Engineering
Steady Flow in Open Channels

• Specific Energy and Critical Depth

• Surface Profiles and Backwater Curves in Channels of

Uniform sections

• Flow over Humps and through Constrictions

• Hydraulics jump and its practical applications.

• Broad Crested Weirs and Venturi Flumes

Broad Crested Weirs and Venturi Flumes

• Flow Measurement in Open Channels

• Temporary Devices
• Floats
• Pitot Tube
• Current meter
• Salt Velocity Method
• Radio Active Tracers
Broad Crested Weirs and Venturi
• Permanent Devices
Flumes are extensively used for
• Sharp Crested Weir/Notch discharge measurement in open
• Broad Crested Weir channel.
• Venture Flume Broad Crested Weirs and Critical
• Ordinary Flume flumes are based and worked on the
• Critical Depth Flume principle of occurrence of critical
depth.
Broad Crested Weir
• A weir, of which the ordinary dam is an
example, is a channel obstruction over which
the flow must deflect. For simple geometries
the channel discharge Q correlates with
gravity and with the blockage height H to
which the upstream flow is backed up above
the weir elevation. Thus a weir is a simple
but effective open-channel flow-meter.
• Figure shows two common weirs, sharp-
crested and broad-crested, assumed. In both
cases the flow upstream is subcritical,
accelerates to critical near the top of the
weir, and spills over into a supercritical
nappe. For both weirs the discharge q per
unit width is proportional to g1/2H3/2 but with
somewhat different coefficients Cd.
• Broad crested weirs are robust structures
that are generally constructed from
reinforced concrete and which usually span
the full width of the channel. They are used
to measure the discharge of rivers, and are
much more suited for this purpose than the
relatively flimsy sharp crested weirs
Broad Crested Weir
Applying Energy Equation ignoring h L
V2 Vc2
H+Z+  Z  yc 
2g 2g Vc
V y 2 y1
For Critical flow  c
c

2g 2 Z>Zc
2 2 2
V 2V V
 H+  c c

2g 2 g 2 g V  Velocity of approach =Q/By1

H= Head over the crest
2  V  2
B= Width of Channel
Vc  gH  
1
3  2g 
Since Q act =Cd Q
Vc2 BVc3
Since : Q  BycVc  B Vc 
3/ 2
 V2 
g g  Qact  1.7Cd B  H   in SI
 2g 
3 3/ 2

B 2  V2   Qact

 3.09Cd B  H 
V2 
 in FPS
Q   gH    2g 
g 3  2g  
 
3/ 2
 V2 
Q  1.7 B  H   in SI
 2g 
3/ 2
 V2 
Q  3.09 B  H   in FPS
 2g 
Broad Crested Weir
Coefficient of Discharge, Cd also called Weir Discharge Coefficient Cw

• Cw depends upon Weber number

W, Reynolds number R and weir
geometry (Z/H, L, surface
roughness, sharpness of edges etc). Vc

It has been found that Z/H is the

most important. The Weber Z>Zc
number W, which accounts for
surface tension, is important only
at low heads. In the flow of water
over weirs the Reynolds number, R The Weber Number is the ratio
is generally high, so viscous effects between the inertial force and the
are generally insignificant. For surface tension force and
Broad crested weirs Cw depends on the Weber number indicates whether
length for. Further, it is
considerably sensitive to surface the kinetic or the surface tension
roughness of the crest. energy is dominant.

Rn=-Inertial forces/Viscous forc

Cd=Qact/Qth
 Comparison with weirs

• Venturi flumes have two advantages over weirs where the critical
depth is created by a vertical constriction.
• First, the hydraulic head loss is smaller in flumes than in weirs.
• Second, there is no dead zone in flumes where sediment and debris
can accumulate; such a dead zone exists upstream of the weirs.
Venturi Flume
Ordinary Flume
• An ordinary flume is the one in which a stream line contraction of width is provided so
that the water level at the throat is drawn down but the critical depth doesn’t occur.
Continuity Equation
B1 y1v1  B2 y2v2
Bernoulli ' s Equation
2 2 B1 B2
v v
y1   y2 
1 2
2g 2g
Using both equations, we get
 
 
 2 gH  y1 y2
Q=B2 y 2 v 2 =B2 y 2  2
1   B2 y2  
yc
  B1 y1  
H = y2-y1
Venturi Flume
Critical Depth Flume (Standing Wave Flume)

• A critical depth flume is the one in which either the width is contracted to such
an extent that critical depth occurs at the throat or more common both a
hump/weir in bed & side contractions are provided to attain critical depth with
hydraulic jump occurrence at d/s of throat.

Continuity Equation B1 B2

Q  B1 y1v1  B2 y2v2
Bernoulli ' s Equation V1 H
2
v 2 vc
v y1 yc
ZH   Z  yc 
1 c
Z
2g 2g
Using both equations, we get
Q=B2 y c v c
Problem: 12.66
• A broad crested weir rises 0.3m above the bottom of channel. With a measured
head of 0.6m above the crest, what is rate of discharge per unit width? Allow for
velocity of approach.

Z  0.3m
H  0.6 m
y1  Z  H
q  ???
As we know that;
3/ 2
 V  2
Qact  1.7Cd B  H  
 2 g 
3/ 2
 Q2 
Qact  1.7Cd B  H  
 By 2 g 
Since B  1; using Trial and Error
Qact = q =0.505 m 3 / sec/ m
Problem: 12.67
• A broad crested weir of height 0.6m in a channel 1.5m wide has a flow over it of
0.27m3/sec. What is water depth just upstream of weir?

Z  0.6m
H  y1  0.6
B  1.5m
Q  0.27 m3 / sec
Cd  0.62
As we know that;
3/ 2
 Q2 
Qact  1.7Cd B  H  
 By1 2 g 
3/ 2
 0.27 2
0.27  1.7 x0.62 x1.5  y1  0.62  
 1.5 y1 2 g 
Solving above equations reults
y1  0.905m
Example 3
A rectangular channel 6m wide carries 168 lits/min at a depth of 0.9m. What height of a
rectangular weir must be installed to double the depth? Discharge coefficient of weir may
be taken as 0.85.
Solution:
The discharge for a broad crested weir is given by,
3
 V  2 2
Q  1.7Cd Lw .  H  
a

 2g 

Here, Q  168 m 3 min  2.8 m3 s ; Lw  6m ; Cd  0.85

Then,
2 2
V 2
 Q  3
 2.8  3
H a
     0.47m
2g  1.7Cd Lw   1.7  0.85  6 
The depth of the flow required = 2  0.9 = 1.8m
The velocity of approach is given by,
Q 2.8
Va    0.26 m s
6  1.8 6  1.8
Va2
ha   0.0034m
2g
H  0.47  0.0034  0.4666m
Height of the broad crested weir = 1.8 – 0.4666 = 1.3334m.
Assignment
• Problem: A venturi flume is placed in a channel 1.83m wide in which the
throat width is 1.07m & the floor is effectively horizontal. Calculate the flow
when the depth at the throat is 0.84 m with
• No standing wave beyond the throat
• Standing wave is produced beyond the throat.
If the depth at upstream is 0.91m.

• Date of Submission:
Questions