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Lecture 12 - Mass Balance Approach

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708 views18 pages

Lecture 12 - Mass Balance Approach

Uploaded by

Ashhad Shafique
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Mass Balance in Hydrologic Systems

 General form: Rate of accumulation of mass in system = Input


rate - output rate ± reaction
 Hydrologists: Change in storage = Inflow - Outflow
 Assumptions:
 no reaction
 volumes, pressure, temperature do not change
Mass Balance Equation for a Lake

Mass rate of accumulation  (Qin  R  Qout )  water


 ( P  I in  E  ET  I out )  As   water
 1 m  1 h 
  
 1000 mm  3600 sec 
Mass Balance Terms

 Qin = stream flow into lake (m3/h)


 Qout = stream flow out of lake (m3/h)
R = runoff (m3/h)
E = evaporation (mm/h)
 P = precipitation (mm/h)
 ET = evapotranspiration (mm/h)
 Iin = seepage into lake (mm/h)
 Iout = seepage out of lake (mm/h)
 As = area of lake (m2)
 ρwater = density of water (kg/m3)
Problem
Clear Lake has a surface area of 708,000 m 2. In May, the Bubbling
Brook flows into the lake at an average rate of 1.5 m 3/s. The Meandering
River flows out of Clear Lake at an average rate of 1.25 m 3/s. The
evaporation rate was measured as 14.0 cm/mo. A total of 22.5 cm of
precipitation fell in May. Seepage losses are negligible. The average
depth in the lake on May 1 was 19 m. What was the average depth on
May 30th?
What do we know?
• Surface area of lake = 708,000 m2
• Average depth on May 1 = 19 m.

 Inputs to the lake  Outputs to the lake


Average inflow = 1.5 Average outflow = 1.25
m3/s m3/s
P = 22.5 cm/mo E = 14.0 cm/mo
Seepage = 0
Picture of System
Assumptions

 Flow into the lake is only from the river, no overland flow
 Seepage is negligible
 Can use average values
Solving the problem

 Need to write equation:

Inflow - outflow + Precipitation - Evaporation


= Change in volume of water in the lake
during this month = S = change in storage
 Need to worry about units, since some values are given in units of
volume/sec, others in depth/mo.
Solving the problem


The equation: S = I – O + P – E =
(1.5 m3/s)(86,400 s/day)(30 d/mo) – (1.25 m 3/s)(86,400 s/day)(30
d/mo) + (22.5 cm/mo)(m/100 cm)(708,000 m 2) - (14.0 cm/mo)
(m/100 cm)(708,000 m2) = 3,888,000 m3/mo – 3,240,000 m3/mo +
159,300 m3/mo – 99,120 m3/mo


Solving the above equation, yields
S = 708,180 m3/mo
Solving the problem


SinceS = 708,000 m3/mo and the average
surface area is 708,000 m2 , the change in
depth during the month
= (708,000 m3/mo)/708,000 m2 = 1 m or
about 3.28 ft.
 Note S is positive, this means that the
volume increases and therefore the depth
increases. The new average depth on May
30th would be 20 m.
Watersheds

(From: Introduction to Environmental Engineering, Davis and Cornwell, 3rd. Ed., Mc-
Graw Hill Pub., ©1998)
Watersheds Original Partially Fully
(natural) developed developed

(a) (b) (c)

(From: Hydrology and


Q Floodplain Analysis, 2nd
ed. P.B. Bedient and W.C.
Huber, Addison-Wesley
Pub. © 1992)
Hydrologic Continuity Equation

 Same concept can be applied to a watershed


 At any given time:

Accumulated inflow - Outflow =  Storage


Hydrologic Continuity Equation

 Rainfall accumulates on surface (surface detention)  storage


increases
 Rain stops  storage decreases as water flows out of the system
Problem

In a given year, the Great Northern


watershed, with an area of 2500 km2,
received 150 cm of precipitation. The
average rate of flow measured in the Red
Oak River, which drained the watershed,
was 40 m3/s. Seepage is estimated to
occur at a rate of 9.2 x 10-7 cm/s.
Evapotranspiration was estimated to be
45 cm/yr. What is the change in storage
in the watershed?
Solution

 Draw picture
 List information
 Write question in symbolic form
Known Data

 Area = 2500 km2


P = 150 cm/yr
 Seepage= Infiltration=
Groundwater flow =
9.2 x 10-7 cm/s
 ET = 45 cm/yr
 Assume all flow in river
is due to runoff R = Qout
Qout = 40 m3/s
Hydrologic Continuity Equation -
Solution

 S = P - ET - G - R

cm cm   7 cm  sec  min  24hr  days 


150  45   9.2 x10  60  60   365   R
yr yr  sec  min  hr  day  yr 

3
 m 3  sec  days  cm 
 40  86,400  365 100 
cm cm cm  sec  day  yr  m
150  45  29 
 
2
yr yr yr

2500 km2 1000 m
2

km 
100 
cm
m

= 150 - 45 -29 - 50.5 = 25.5 cm/yr = S

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