Channel Flow

Consider the flow of water in a channel of arbitrary shape. The

area between the free surface of the water and the bed of the
channel is A, which depends on the height of the water y above
the bottom of the channel. An average depth d can be defined
by d = A/y. It is the depth which, when multiplied by a certain
height of the water, gives the area. Let the total amount of flow
be Q cm3/s. A more practical unit is m3/s or ft3/s, often written
cfs (the unit "second-foot" means the same as cfs, but should
be deprecated). 1 m3/s = 35.31 cfs = 106 cm3/s. An acre-foot
is 43,560 ft3, so a flow of an acre-foot per day is 0.504 cfs. A
U.S. gallon is 231 in3, so 1 cfs = 7.48 gal/s or 449 gal/min.

If we know the discharge Q and the area A, we can calculate a

quantity V = Q/A with the dimensions of a velocity. If the
velocity were uniform over the cross-section A, then this would
be the velocity that would give the observed discharge. The
velocity is actually zero at the wetted boundary of the channel,
and increases to a maximum at the centre of the channel and a
little distance beneath the surface. The region near the wetted
boundary is called the boundary layer, and most of the change
in velocity takes place across it. This means that the quantity V
is close to the velocity of most of the water, and we use it as if
this were true.

In fact, the kinetic energy per unit mass, v2/2g, when averaged
over the cross-section, is V2/2g, where is a correction factor
a little larger than unity (1.1 is typical), which we can use if we
require more accuracy in expressing the kinetic energy in
terms of V. Similarly, the average momentum per unit volume
is V, where is a correction factor usually less than . The
approximate independence of our results on the actual velocity
distribution is a consequence of the tbinness of the boundary
layer. We replace all the complexity of the velocity distribution
by one number, the average velocity V, and in most of our work
it can even be taken to be the actual water velocity.
The surface velocity of, say, a river can be measured by timing
a float placed in the center of the stream. The distance
between two points established by poles on either side of the
river, divided by the time required for the float to cover the
distance, gives the surface velocity. The old rule of thumb was
that V is 0.8 of the surface velocity. Then, if you measure the
depth of the river at good points in a cross section, its flow area
A is known, from which the discharge is Q = AV. Discharge is
more accurately measured by a sharp-ceested weir, and
approximate gauging is now done by a propeller or other device
similar to an anemometer that measures the velocity at some
selected point and is calibrated for the particular stream.