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CEB703 Water Resources Engineering Convolution Method: A Presentation On

The document discusses the convolution method for calculating direct runoff from rainfall data using a unit hydrograph. Convolution involves multiplying rainfall excess by the ordinates of the unit hydrograph, translating the hydrograph in time, and adding the results. This process of multiplication, translation and addition derives a design runoff hydrograph from rainfall excess and the unit hydrograph. The document provides examples of applying convolution to different rainfall excess scenarios to illustrate how the runoff hydrograph is calculated.

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167 views13 pages

CEB703 Water Resources Engineering Convolution Method: A Presentation On

The document discusses the convolution method for calculating direct runoff from rainfall data using a unit hydrograph. Convolution involves multiplying rainfall excess by the ordinates of the unit hydrograph, translating the hydrograph in time, and adding the results. This process of multiplication, translation and addition derives a design runoff hydrograph from rainfall excess and the unit hydrograph. The document provides examples of applying convolution to different rainfall excess scenarios to illustrate how the runoff hydrograph is calculated.

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A PRESENTATION ON

CEB703
Water Resources Engineering

Convolution method

1
The process by which the design storm is combined with the transfer function to produce the direct
runoff hydrograph is called convolution.

Analytically speaking, convolution is referred to as the theory of linear super-positioning.

Conceptually, it is a process of multiplication, translation with time, and addition. That is, the first
burst of rainfall excess of duration D is multiplied by the ordinates of the unit hydrograph (UH). The
UH is then translated for a time length of D, and the next burst of rainfall excess is multiplied by the
UH. After the UH has been translated for all bursts of rainfall excess of duration D, the results of the
multiplications are summed for each time interval. This process of multiplication, translation, and
addition is the means of deriving a design runoff hydrograph from the rainfall excess and the UH.
The convolution process is best introduced
using some very simple examples that
illustrate the multiplication-translation-
addition operation. First, consider a burst of
rainfall excess of 1 in. that occurs over a
period D. Assuming that the UH consists of
two ordinates, 0.4 and 0.6, the direct runoff
is computed by multiplying the rainfall
excess burst by the UH; this is best
presented graphically as in Figure.

 It is important to note that the depth of


direct runoff equals the depth of rainfall
excess, which in this case is 1 in.
If 2 in. of rainfall excess occurs over a
period of D, the depth of direct runoff
must he 2 in. Using the same UH as
the previous example, the resulting
runoff hydrograph is shown in Figure. In
both this example and the previous
example, computation of the runoff
hydrograph consisted solely of
multiplication; the translation and
addition parts of the convolution
process were not necessary because
the rainfall excess occurred over a
single time interval of D.
Consider 2 in. of rainfall excess that occurs
uniformly over a period 2D. This gives an
intensity of 1 in. per time interval. In this case,
the direct runoff will have a depth of 2 in., but
the time distribution of direct runoff will differ
from that of the previous example because the
time distribution of rainfall excess is different.
Figure shows the multiplication-translation-
addition operation. In this case, the time base
of the runoff hydrograph is 3 time units (3D). In
general, the time base of the runoff (tbRo) is
given by

in which tbPE and t, are the time bases of the


rainfall excess and unit hydrograph,
respectively.
The depth of rainfall excess equals 3
in., with 2 in. occurring in the first time
unit. The computation of the runoff
hydrograph is shown in Figure. In this
case, the second ordinate of the runoff
hydrograph is the sum of 2 in. times the
second ordinate of the UH and 1 in.
times the first ordinate of the translated
UH:
Example
PE = { 2, 1} inch

QUH = {10, 15, 5} cfs

Determine VDRH, QDRH and Awatershed


∆t = 15 min

Note: Volume of UH is 1 inch


Solution
nPE = 2, nUH = 3 ; Therefore, nDR = 4
Runoff depth DRH = Rainfall excess PE = 3
inch
QDR = {20, 40, 25, 5} cfs
QDR1 = P1U1
Runoff depth = Runoff Volume/ Awatershed
QDR2 = P1U2 + P2U1
Therefore, Awatershed = Runoff Volume/Runoff depth
QDR3 = P1U3 + P2U2
= 324,000 sq. ft = 7.4 ac
QDR4 = P2U3

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