OPEN CHANNEL FLOW

Applications to Fluid Flow

Mr G Pahla
 INTRODUCTION

Flow of a liquid in a channel or conduit that is not completely

filled and has a free surface exposed to the atmosphere
Main driving force:
fluid weight

Shear forces between fluid and channel

surface provides restraining force

Since a free surface exists in a channel: Δp (outlet - inlet) = 0

Can not impose

Major driving pressure gradient in
force: Δp flow direction in
open channels, due
to free surface
 FLOW CLASSIFICATION:
According to fluid depth

Variation of fluid depth, y, with time, t, and distance along the

channel, x, is used to partially classify a flow

Steady flow: depth at

given location does
not change with time

Uniform flow: depth

constant along
channel (dy/dx = 0)

Non-uniform or varied dy dx  0
flow (VF): (dy/dx = 0) dy dx  1 dy dx  1
 FLOW CLASSIFICATION:
According to Re number

 VR h Rh is the hydraulic radius of

Re 
 channel

cross - sectional area of flow A

Rh   P does not include free-
wetted perimeter P surface

If Re<500 flow is laminar

If Re>12,500 flow is turbulent

If 500<Re<12,500 flow is in
transitional region
 SURFACE WAVES

Free surface can deform from its undisturbed relatively flat

configuration to form waves

The character of an open-channel flow may depend strongly

on the fluid speed relative to the typical wave speed i.e.
whether a small disturbance can travel upstream or not
Wave propagation determined by the Froude number

Fr  V  g l 
speed of flow

12

speed of amplitude waves

l characteristic length of flow
Fr = 1: critical flow
Fr<1: subcritical (mild or tranquil)
Fr>1: supercritical (rapid)
ENERGY CONSIDERATIONS

z1  z 2
So 
l
So
ENERGY CONSIDERATIONS
ENERGY EQUATION

If there is no head
loss: S f  0

If it’s a
horizontachannel: S o  0
 UNIFORM DEPTH FLOW

Irrigation canals are designed by:

Adjusting the channel bed slope until its equal to the energy slope

Balance between the potential energy lost by the fluid as it

coasts downhill and the energy that is dissipated by viscous
effects =UNIFORM DEPTH FLOW

Maximum velocity occurs at some point near the surface due to air
resistance and surface tension
 CHEZY AND MANNING EQUATIONS

For steady uniform flow, x-component of momentum equation becomes:

Force balance in x-direction:

 CHEZY AND MANNING EQUATIONS

S o  sin   tan 
Rh  A P
W  A 

Open-channel flows are turbulent and Re is quite large.

For such cases f is independent of Re and depends on ε/D and proportional
to dynamic pressure 1 16
C  Rh Manning Equation
n
Chezy Equation

n values 1 23 12
V  Rh S 0 SI units
tabulated n
CHEZY AND MANNING EQUATIONS
 Example

Water flows in the canal of trapezoidal cross section shown

in below. The bottom drops 0.43m per 304.8m of length.
The canal is lined with new finished concrete.

1ft = 0.305m

Determine (c) the depth of the

(a) the flowrate and flow if Q=10/m3 and
(b) the Froude number for this the canal lining is
flow. weedy