Lec r

Weirs for Flow Measurement

tu e 7

I. Introduction

Weirs are overflow structures built
across open channels to measure
Suppressed rectangular weir
the volumetric rate of water flow
The crest of a measurement weir i s

ut

usually perpendicular to the
direction of flow
If this is not the case, special
calibrations must be made to
develop a stage discharge
relationship
Oblique and duckbill weirs are
sometimes used to provide nearly
constant upstream water depth, b
they can be calibrated as measurement devices

Duckbill weir

Some general terms pertaining to weirs are:
notch....... the opening which water flows through


crest....... the edge which water flows over
nappe....... the overflowing sheet of water
length....... the width of the weir notch
BIE 5300/6300 Lectures 61 Gary P. Merkley
II. A vantages and Disadvantages of We

2
4
5
6 tructure

D
1
2
, otherwise the calibration will shift and the measurement
accuracy will be compromised

III. Types of Weirs

Weirs are identified by the shape of their opening, or notch
The edge of the opening can be either sharp- or broad-crested

(1) Sharp-crested weir
d irs

Advantages
1. Capable of accurately measuring a wide range of flows
. Tends to provide more accurate discharge ratings than flumes and orifices
3. Easy to construct
. Can be used in combination with turnout and division structures
. Can be both portable and adjustable
. Most floating debris tends to pass over the s
isadvantages

. Relatively large head required, particularly for free flow conditions. This
precludes the practical use of weirs for flow measurement in flat areas.
. The upstream pool must be maintained clean of sediment and kept free of
weeds and trash


A weir with a sharp upstream corner, or edge, such that the water
springs clear of the crest
Those most frequently used are sharp-crested rectangular, trapezoidal,
Cipoletti, and triangular or 90 V-notch weirs
According to the USBR, the weir plate thickness at the crest edges
should be from 0.03 to 0.08 inches
The weir plate may be beveled at the crest edges to achieve the
necessary thickness

(2) Broad-crested weir

A weir that has a horizontal or nearly horizontal crest sufficiently long in
the direction of flow so that the nappe will be supported and hydrostatic
pressures will be fully developed for at least a short distance
Broad-crested weirs will be covered in detail later in the course
Some weirs are not sharp- nor broad-crested, but they can be
calibrated for flow measurement
Gary P. Merkley 62 BIE 5300/6300 Lectures
We irs may also be designed as suppressed or contracted

(1) Suppressed weir

A rectangular weir whose notch (opening) sides are coincident with t
sides of the approach cha
he
nnel, also rectangular, which extend
It is the lateral flow contraction that is suppressed
(2) Contracted weir
unchanged downstream from the weir


tom
n unsuppressed weir

. Types of Flow

(1) Free flow

The sides and crest of a weir are far away from the sides and bot
of the approach channel
The nappe will fully contract laterally at the ends and vertically at the
crest of the weir
Also called a
Calibration is slightly more complex than for a suppressed weir
IV


Also called modular flow, is a condition in which the
into the air
This exists when the downstream water surface is lower than the lowest
Aeration is automatic in a contracted weir
In a suppressed weir the sides of the
e of the nappe should be
vented (if used for flow measurement)
If not vented, the air beneath the nappe may
reduction of pressure beneath the nappe, with a corresponding increase in

)
nappe discharges

point of the weir crest elevation

structure may prevent air from

circulating under the nappe, so the undersid
be exhausted, causing a
discharge for a given head
Submerged flow (2

w, is a condition in which the Also referred to as non-modular flo
discharge is partially under water, where changes in the downstream
ill affect the flow te
A condition which indicates the chan
is called transition submergence, where submergence is defined as the

For practical application of weirs as flow measurem
that they operate under free-flow conditions so tha
need be measured to arrive at a discharge value
depth w ra
ge from free-flow to submerged-flow
ratio of downstream to upstream specific energy (E
d
/E
u
)
ent devices, it is preferable
t only the upstream depth
BIE 5300/6300 Lectures 63 Gary P. Merkley
The calibration of free-flow weirs is more accurate that the calibration of
submerged-flow weirs

V. Approach Velocity and Gauge Location

Large errors in flow measurement can occur because of poor flow conditions,
high-velocity and turbulence in the a
In general, the approaching flow should be the same as the flow in a long,

rea just upstream of weir

straight channel of the same size

The upstream section of channel is sometimes called the weir pool
For best flow measurement accuracy, the velocity of approach to a weir should
be less than 0.5 fps, or about 0.15 m/s
This value is approximately obtained by dividing the maximum discharge by the
product of channel width and water depth (for a rectangular channel section),
which measured at the upstream point 4 to 6 times the weir head
This point is the preferred staff gauge location upstream of the weir
A tranquil flow condition should extend upstream from the weir a distance of 15
to 20 times the head on the weir
The weir pool can be a wide channel section just upstream, thereby obtaining a
sufficiently lo

w approach velocity
Never place a weir in an open-channel reach with supercritical flow; a hydraulic
jump will form upstream and the water surface at the weir will not be tranquil

You can install a weir in a supercritical channel and a hydraulic
jump will occur upstream of the weir, but there will be too much
turbulence (unless the sill is very high). Always check the
upstream Froude number in weir designs.

VI. Guidelines for Designing & Operating Weirs

1. The weir should be set at the lower end of a long pool sufficiently wide and deep
to give an even, smooth flow
2. The centerline of the weir notch should be parallel to the direction of the flow
3. The face of the weir should be vertical, not leaning upstream nor downstream
4. The crest of the weir should be level, so the water passing over it will be of the
same depth at all points along the crest (does not apply to V-notch weirs, but the
centerline of the V-notch opening should be vertical)
5. The upstream edge should be sharp so that the nappe touches the crest only at
the leading (upstream) edge
6. Ideally, though not always practical, the height of the crest above the bottom of
the pool, P, should be at least three times the depth of water flowing over the
weir crest (check this condition for the maximum flow rate) note that some
calibrations do not have this restriction, as described below
7. The sides of the pool should be at a distance from the sides of the crest not less
than twice the depth of the water passing over the crest (for unsuppressed
rectangular weirs):

Gary P. Merkley 64 BIE 5300/6300 Lectures

u
B L

2h

>

(1)

8.
2

For accurate measurements the depth over the crest should be no more than
one-third the length of the crest
9. The depth of water over the crest should be no less than two inches (50 mm), as
it is difficult to obtain sufficiently accurate depth readings with smaller depths
10. The crest should be placed high enough so w
aving an air space under the over-falling she
ater will fall freely below the weir,
et of water. If the water below the
d the weir is then
To prevent erosion by the falling and swirling water, the channel downstream
from the weir should be protected by loose r
le
weir rises above the crest, this free fall is not possible, an
operating under submerged-flow conditions.
11.
ock or by other material
12. You can assume that the discharge measurement accuracy of a sharp-crested
weir under free-flow conditions is within 2% under the best field conditions
13. Dont design a weir in which the minimum measurable flow rate is less than 2%
of the maximum flow rate, because you wil
such small flows.

l not be able to accurately measure

BIE 5300/6300 Lectures 65 Gary P. Merkley

en channels
Note that it is not always possible to achieve the above guidelines when using
sharp-crested weirs for flow measurement in op
But some things can be compensated for, such as an approach velocity which is
Also, the P > 3h restriction is not always necessary (e.g. the C
e
graphs below
ir is

VII e ns

ir
using numerical
In terms of one-dimensional flow, the Bernoulli equation can be written from a
follows:

greater than 0.5 fps (0.15 m/s), as described below

u
have h
u
/P up to a value of 2.4)
As the ratio of P/h
u
decreases, the calculated flow rate over the we
increasingly underestimated
Never let P < h
u
unless you are prepared to develop a custom calibration
. D rivation of the Free-Flow Weir Equatio
An equation for accurately describing the head-discharge relationship over a we
under free-flow conditions cannot be derived purely from theoretical
considerations assuming one-dimensional flow

Theoretical calibrations can be derived based on 3-D flow analysis and a few
assumptions, but so far this can only be done with models
approximations

point upstream of the weir to the crest location, as

2 2
u v
t t
V V
h h Ch h
2g 2g
= + = + +
L
(2)

Solving for the mean flow velocity at the vena contracta, V
v
,

Gary P. Merkley 66 BIE 5300/6300 Lectures
v t L
V 2g h (1 C) h = (3)
Taking the liberty to combine some terms,


v t
V C' 2gh (4)

From continuity, Q = A
v
V
v
, and expressing the area of the vena contracta in
terms of the weir opening, A
v
= C
c
A, where C
c
is the contraction coefficient,


c t
Q C AC' 2gh = (5)

Letting
d c
C C C' 2 = g ,

d t
Q C A h = (6)
For a horizontal-crested rectangular weir, A = hL. Therefore,

3/ 2
Q C Lh h C Lh =
d t d
(7)

For a V-notch weir, A = h
2
tan(/2), and,

2 5/ 2
d t d
Q C tan h h C tan h
2 2

=


(8)

Letting
dv d
C C tan
2
= ,

(9)

For field calibrations it is useful to apply Eq. 7 for rectangular weirs and Eq. 9 for
These coefficients will include the effects of approach velocity, nappe shape, weir

Note also that Eq. 9 is of the same form as the free-flow calibration equation for
nonorifice open-channel constrictions
The general form of Eq. 9 can be used to calib

5/ 2
dv
h Q C =

triangular weirs

opening contraction, and head loss

Note that Eqs. 7 and 9 are dimensionally correct for either cfs or m
3
/s, given the
above definition for C
d

rate most weirs, regardless of
whether they are sharp-crested or not, when both the coefficient and the
en to be calibration parameters (based on field exponent on the h term are tak
or lab data)
BIE 5300/6300 Lectures 67 Gary P. Merkley
VIII. Sharp-Crested Rectangular Weirs

A convenient method of including the variation in the velocity of approach and the
contraction of the water jet over the weir is to relate C
d
to the ratio h
u
/P, where P
is the vertical distance from the upstream channel bed to t
A larger discharge for a given h
u
would be passed when h
u
/P is large
In other words, when h
u
/P is large, the influence of the vertical component is
relatively small, and there is less contraction
d Carter (1957) weir equation, for Q in cfs:

Q C L =


he weir crest
This is done through a coefficient called C
e


indsvater an K
3 / 2
e e
h (10)

e
e L
L L K = + (11)


H e u
h h K = + (12)

here L
e
= the effective weir length
L = the measured weir length
h
e
= the effective head
h
u
= the measured head above the weir crest (ft)
C = the effective discharge coefficient
K correction to the measured head (ft)

pressed weirs)
w
e
H
= a small
For weirs with L/B = 1 (sup

vater and Carter tests:


(a) According to the Kinds
u
e
h
C 3.22 0.40
P
= + (13)

for K
H
= 0.003 ft and K
L
= -0.003 ft, with Q in cfs and head in feet.

(b) According to the Bazin (1886) tests:


u
e
h
C 3.25 0.445
P
= + (14)

for K
H
= 0.012 ft and K
L
= 0, with Q in cfs and head in feet.

(c) According to the Schroder and Turner (1904-1920) tests:


u
e
h
C 3.21 0.45
P
= + (15)
Gary P. Merkley 68 BIE 5300/6300 Lectures
for K
H
= 0.004 ft and K
L
= 0, with Q in cfs and head in feet.


(d) According to USBR tests:

u
e
h
C 3.22 0.44
P
= + (16)
n cfs and head in feet.

through 16 will give very similar results
mall, and often negligible
lationships were developed 100 years ago

For weirs with L/B < 1 (unsuppressed weirs)

for K
H
= 0.003 ft and K
L
= 0, with Q i
It is seen that Eqs. 13
Note also that K
L
is either zero or very s
You can see that some of the above re

se

tio L/B can be found in figures (see



Equations 10 - 12 still apply in this ca
The contraction effect is to decrease the magnitude of the coefficient, C
e

The relationship of C
e
to the constriction ra
below) presented by Kindsvater and Carter (1957)
The K
H
values remain the same (but multiply the respective K
H
values in Eqs. 13
- 16 by 0.3048 to use meters instead of feet)
K
L
values can also be determined graphically (see below)

Sharp-crested, rectangular weirs, English units:

3.4 3.4
3.6 3.6 C
e
3.8 3.8
4.0 4.0
4.2 4.2
0.010 0.010
-0.005 -0.005
0.000 0.000
0.005 0.005
0.015 0.015
3.2 3.2
3.0 3.0
0 0.4 0.8 1.2 1.6
h /
0 0.4 0.2 0.8 0.6 1.0
P
u
K (ft)
L
/B
=
1
.0
L
/B
=
0
.9
L
L/B = 0.2
L/B = 0.4
L/B = 0.6
2.0 2.4
L
/B
=
0
.8
L/B
h in ft, Q in cfs
u


BIE 5300/6300 Lectures 69 Gary P. Merkley
Sharp-crested, unsuppressed, rectangular weirs, metric units:

0.5
0.005 0.005
0.004
0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.0 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0
0.004
0.003 0.003
0.002
0.001
L
L/B
0.000
-0.001
-0.002

sion occurs at L/B = 1
0.002
K (m)
0.001
0.000
-0.001
-0.002
Note: suppres

Sharp-crested, unsuppressed, rectangular weirs, metric units:

2.30 2.30
0.0 0.2 0.4
L/B = 0.2
0.6 0.8 1.0
L
/
B

=

1
.
0
L
/
B

=

0
.
9
L
/B
=
0
.8
L/B
=
0
.7
L/B =
0.6
L/B =
L/B = 0.4
0.5
L/B = 0.3
1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2.0 2.2 2.4
h /P
u
1.
.
0
1.85
1.90 1.90
1.95 1.95
2.00 2.00
2.05
C
e
2.10 2.10
2.15 2.15
2. 2.20 20
2.25 2.25
70 1.70
1 1.75 75
1.80 1.8
1.85
2.05
h in m, Q in m /s
3

u
Gary P. Merkley 70 BIE 5300/6300 Lectures
Observe that the abscissa scale in the above graph for C
e
goes up to a maximum
of h
u
/P = 2.4, which exceeds the recommended maximum of 0.333, as discussed
previously in this lecture

e allows for h
u
/P > 0.333 Nevertheless, the above calibration procedur

B for Rectangular Weirs in Non-rectangular Sections

Note that rectangular-notch weirs in non-rectangular channel sections are always
unsuppressed
When applying the above calibrations to rectangular weirs in non-rectangular
channel sections, let B equal the width of the upstream cross-section at the
elevation of the weir crest

Equations Instead of Graphs

It may be more convenient to approximate the above graphical solutions for K
L

and C
e
by equations when applying the relationships on a computer or calculator
function fits the C
e
lines in the above graph (in metric units):

A rational

= +


u
e ce c
h
C
P

e

where C
e
is for Q in m
3
/s, and,


(17)

= +


ce
L
1.724 0.04789
B
(18)

and,


+


=

+


ce
2
L
0.00470432 0.030365
B
L L
1 1.76542 0.879917
B B
(19)

A combination of a straight line and a polynomial approximates the K
L
curve, for
K
L
in meters:

For 0 L/B 0.35:


= +


L
L
K 0.002298 0.00048
B
(20)

For 0.35 < L/B 1.00:

BIE 5300/6300 Lectures 71 Gary P. Merkley

= +



+


4 3
L
L L
K 0.10609 0.1922 0.11417
B B
L
0.028182 0.00006
B

2
L
B
Re e

indsvater and Carter (1957)

(21)

where K
L
is in meters

fer nces & Bibliography
K
Gary P. Merkley 72 BIE 5300/6300 Lectures