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Flow-Measuring Structures

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Abstract

The discharge in a river or canal can be measured indirectly using weirs and flumes, which enable measured water levels to be related to discharge through known rating functions. A single upstream water level measurement is sufficient if the structure operates as a control, but the downstream level is also required under submerged conditions. Rating functions are provided for different types of weir, including sharp-crested horizontal and triangular weirs, broad-crested weirs and Crump weirs with horizontal and V-shaped crests. A general formulation for flumes is presented, followed by design details for the Parshall and cutthroat flumes. A procedure is described for estimating the discharge error in terms of the water level measurement error.

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James, C.S. (2020). Flow-Measuring Structures. In: Hydraulic Structures. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-34086-5_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-34086-5_7

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

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