ERT 246 HYDROLOGY AND

WATER RESOURCES
ENGINEERING

Ms Siti Kamariah Bt Md Sa’at

School of Bioprocess Engineering
sitikamariah@unimap.edu.my
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DISCHARGE MEASUREMENT
TECHNIQUE
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Streamflow and Measurement

 Stream flow is one of the most important

topics in engineering hydrology because it
directly relate to water supply, flood control,
reservoir design, navigation, irrigation,
drainage, water quality, and others.
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Need for Streamflow

Measurements

 Floodplain management
 Flood forecasting & analysis
 Reservoir operations
 Low flows – water quality concerns
 Design structures – culverts, bridges,
stormwater systems
 Evaluate changes in land use on watersheds
and/or changes in climatic regimes
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Floods
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Streamflow Measurements

 Serves as the basis for many water

resources engineering designs
 Three approaches
– Measurement of water stage (water level)
– Measurement of flow velocity
– Hydraulic Structure
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Streamflow Measurements

 Measurement of Water Stage

– Water stage: the elevation above some arbitrary
datum of water surface at a station
– Types of Gages Measuring River Stage:
 Staff gage – vertical or inclined
 Suspended – weight gage
 Recording gage (automatic data logger)
 Crest – stage gage ( used to indicate high water mark)
– Pressure sensor
– Float
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Figures of Stream Gauges

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Stream gauges
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Streamflow Measurements

 Measurement of Flow Velocity

– Current meter
– Dilution
– Manning Equation
– Floats: Suitable for straight channel, V = L/T
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Current Meters
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Area-Velocity
Method
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Discharge (Q) Measurement

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Discharge (Q) Measurement

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Measuring
Streamflow in
small streams
with a pygmy
current meter
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Discharge (Q)
Measurement

Large rivers –
from bridges or
boats
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Current Meter Method

 3 types of current meter

– Propeller type : for high discharge
– Price type using anemometer
– Electromagnetic type : for low river flow
V = a + bN
where V = flow velocity;
a = starting velocity to overcome
mechanical friction;
b = equipment calibration constant;
N = revolutions/sec.
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Current Meter Method

 Rating curve for current meter:

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For streamflow measurement, we

need:

 Wading
 Bridges
 Boat
 Cablecar
 cableway
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Velocity-Area Method

 Mostly/frequently used
 River cross-section determined
 Velocity measured using
– Float (for linear channel)
– Current meter
 Vertical velocity measured at 0.2d and 0.8d if
depth,d >0.6m. If d<0.6m, velocity measured
at 0.6dm.
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Velocity-Area Method

 Q = [Velocity x Area]
– Need to know width of channel (w), Depth of
channel (d), and Velocity of flow (V) (ft/s or m/s)
– Area = w x d
 Because depth & velocity vary across a
channel:
(1) Important to divide the channel into manageable
segments (slices); Typically use 10-20 segments
(2) For each segment measure depth, width and
velocity
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Measuring Streamflow Discharge

 Procedure: at each segment measure depth then

velocity
 If Depth < 0.6m, take one reading @ 60%
depth

 If Depth > 0.6m take 2 measurements and

compute the average
– One @ 20% depth
– One @80 % depth
– Average the two readings
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Mean Flow Velocity Estimation

 Velocity Profile

Deph < 0.6m VV ; 0.6 water depth from the water surface
0.6d

V V
0.6m  Depth  2m V 0.2d 0.8d
2

V  2V V
Depth  2m V 0.2d 0.6d 0.8d
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Measuring Streamflow Discharge

 Two method of measurement

– Mean section method
– Mid section method
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Mean section

b
A  (d  d )
i 2 i i 1
1
V  ( V  Vi  1)
i 2 i
Q VA
i i i
Q  Q
i
i
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Mid section

A  bd
i i
Q VA
i i i
Q  Q  V A
i i i
i
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Dilution gauging

 Using tracer/chemical at upstream

 For uneven stream base and stones stream
 Q can be determined by tracer quantity and
concentration at upstream and downstream (after
dilution) using mass transfer equation.
 Example of tracer:
– Chemical: Sodium cloride,sodium dicromat,manganese
sulphate
– Dye: sodium fluoroscein, Rhodamine-WT
– Radioactive: Bromine-82,Sodium-24,Iodine-132
 2 method
– Sudden injection
– Constant rate injection
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Hydraulic Structures

 Used for small watersheds – such as

experimental watersheds – where need
accurate, continuous flow measurements.
Two types:

– Weirs

– Flumes
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Weirs

 Obstruct flow and

force
 it through a notch
 Stage-Q relationship
established
mathematically for
different types of
notches
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Weirs

 Generally used in small streams

 Various types
– V-notch for accurate low flow
– Rectangular
 Handles higher flows
 Less accurate at low flows
– Trapezoidal -- an intermediate weir
 Concerns
– Sediment & debris are trapped
– Leakage
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Trapezoidal Weir
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Trapezoidal Weir
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Rectangular Weir
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90 degree V-notch Weir

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V-notch Weir

 For small river

 Q (m3/s) can be determine using equation:

8  52
Q  Cd 2 g tan H
15 2
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90º V-notch Weir

Q = 2.5H2/3
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Flumes

• An artificial open channel built to contain flow

within a designed cross-section and length

• No impoundment

• Water height in flume measured with a stilling

well
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Flumes

 Used to measure flow in:

– water and wastewater treatment plants
– irrigation channels
– agricultural runoff
– runoff plots – research applications
– small watersheds
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Large Crest Flumes

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Long-throated Flume
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Short-throated Flume
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Parshall Flume
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H Flume
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Estimating Discharge (Q) from channel

features: Manning’s Equation

1 2 3 12
v R S
n

• v = average velocity (ft/s)

• R = hydraulic radius
= [Area/wetted perimeter]
• S = Energy gradient, Approximated by water surface slope
• n = Manning’s roughness coefficient
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Manning’s roughness “n” values

 Pg. 446 (TABLE 7.1)

– Channel rough coefficient, n
Thank You

See you!!

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