Historic Discharge Measurements in Three Rhine Branches
Publication: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 132, Issue 2
Abstract
Flow velocity measurements on several Rhine branches near the Dutch–German border were carried out in 1790 and 1792. Original description of the velocity instrument and original measurement techniques were evaluated to assess the reliability of the instrument and data. The operation of the instrument is based on a dynamic balance between drag force on a submerged vertical plate and gravitational force on a weight above the water surface. Uncertainty in measured velocities caused by friction of the instrument is negligible. Consequently, velocities measured with this instrument are realistic and can be used for detailed analysis of river flow parameters. The original aim of the 1790–1792 campaign was to determine the new discharge distribution of the Rhine branches after construction of groynes at the bifurcations in 1784. The measurements showed that discharge distribution had improved. The analysis herein of instrument operation and accuracy justifies this conclusion.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The writers hereby thank Bas van Dam (Department of Physical Geography) and Rob Klopping (Instrumentation Group, Department of Physics) of Utrecht University who helped them in realizing the mechanical merits of Brunings’ flow velocity instrument. Ward Koster, Hans Middelkoop, and Jeroen Schokker (Department of Physical Geography, Utrecht University) and Ernst Homburg (Department of History, Maastricht University) kindly reviewed earlier drafts of this paper. This paper benefitted greatly from the critical and constructive comments of the anonymous reviewers. The study was funded by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO), Project No. UNSPECIFIED750-19-611.
References
Bosch, A., and Van der Ham, W. (1998). Twee eeuwen Rijkswaterstaat. 1798–1998 (Two centuries Directorate-General of Public Works and Water Management. 1798–1998), Europese Bibliotheek, Zaltbommel, The Netherlands (in Dutch).
Brunings, C. (1798). “Beschryving van het werktuig tot het meeten der snelheden van stroomende rivieren op allerleije diepten, mitsgaders van de wyze, waar op de proeven met denzelven genomen zyn (Description of the flow velocity instrument and the way of experimentation).” Rep., Inventory Number 151, Archive of Directorates for Public Works and Water Management, General State Archive in The Hague, The Netherlands (in Dutch).
Brunings, C., Engelman, J., and Conrad, F. W. (1790). “Verbaal van de proeven omtrend de snelheden der Boven-Rivieren […] (Report on the flow velocity experiments in the upper Rhine branches).” Rep., Inventory Number 54, Archive of Directorates for Public Works and Water Management, General State Archive in The Hague, The Netherlands (in Dutch).
Brunings, C., Engelman, J., and Conrad, F. W. (1792). “Proeven wegens de snelheden der Boven Rivieren [Experiments on velocities in the upper Rhine branches].” Rep., Inventory Number 54, Archive of Directorates for Public Works and Water Management, General State Archive in The Hague, The Netherlands (in Dutch).
Conrads, F. W. (1798). “Aftekening van den stroom-meter tot het neemen der proeven wegens de snelheid van den stroom [Drawing of the flow velocity instrument].” Inventory Number 137, Supplement of the map collection of Hingman, General State Archive in The Hague, The Netherlands (in Dutch).
Engelman, J. (1793). “Kaart van den Rhijnstroom van boven de stad Emmerik tot beneden de stad Arnhem [Map of the river Rhine from upstream of Emmeric to downstream of Arnhem].” Inventory Number 250, Map collection of Hingman, General State Archive in The Hague, The Netherlands (in Dutch).
Kleinhans, M. G., and Ten Brinke, W. B. M. (2001). “Accuracy of cross-channel sampled sediment transport in large sand-gravel-bed rivers.” J. Hydraul. Eng., 127(4), 258–269.
Lely, C. (1890). “Rivier en rivierwerken. Tweede deel, le aflevering, afd XI [River and river works].” Waterbouwkunde, N. H. Henket, C. M. Schols, and J. M. Telders, eds., Van Cleef, ’s Gravenhage, The Netherlands (in Dutch).
Middleton, G. V., and Southard, J. B. (1977). “Mechanics of sediment movement.” Lecture Notes for Short Course No. 3, Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists. Univ. of Binghamton, Binghamton, N.Y.
Van de Ven, G. P. (1976). “Aan de wieg van Rijkswaterstaat. Wordingsgeschiedenis van het Pannerdens Kanaal [Foundation of the Directorates for Public Works and Water Management, history of the Pannerden Canal].” Gelderse Historische Reeks VIII, Walburg Pers, Zutphen, The Netherlands (in Dutch).
Van de Ven, G. P. (2004). “Man-made lowlands: history of water management and land reclamation in the Netherlands.” Matrijs, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Verhoeff, J. M. (1982). “De oude Nederlandsche maten en gewichten [Old Dutch measures and weights].” Publicaties P.J. Meertens Instituut voor Dialectologie, P.J. Meertens Instituut voor Dialectologie, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (in Dutch).
Zierep, J., and Bühler, K. (1989). “Strömungsmechanik [Flow mechanics].” Die Grundlagen der Ingenieurwissenschaften, H. Czichos, ed., Springer, Berlin, Germany (in German).
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 132 • Issue 2 • February 2006
Pages: 140 - 145
Copyright
© 2005 ASCE.
History
Received: Aug 7, 2001
Accepted: Jan 24, 2005
Published online: Feb 1, 2006
Published in print: Feb 2006
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.