Determining Erodibility, Critical Shear Stress, and Allowable Discharge Estimates for Cohesive Channels: Case Study in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming
Publication: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 134, Issue 12
Abstract
The continuous discharge of coalbed natural gas-produced (CBNG-produced) water within ephemeral, cohesive channels in the Powder River Basin (PRB) of Wyoming can result in significant erosion. A study was completed to investigate channel stability in an attempt to correlate cohesive soil properties to critical shear stress. An in situ jet device was used to determine critical shear stress and erodibility ; cohesive soil properties were determined following ASTM procedures for 25 reaches. The study sites were comprised of erodible to moderately resistant clays with ranging from and ranging from . A relationship between five cohesive soil characteristics and was developed and presented for use in deriving for similar sites. Allowable discharges for CBNG-produced water were also derived using and the tractive force method. An increase in the allowable discharge was found for channels in which vegetation was maintained. The information from this case study is critical to the development of a conservative methodology to establish allowable discharges while minimizing flow-induced instability.
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Acknowledgments
The writers gratefully acknowledge the financial and technical support received from the WYDEQ-Water Quality Division, Lowham Engineering LLC, and the College of Engineering at the University of Wyoming. They further extend their gratitude to Dr. Gregory Hanson for his invaluable support, guidance, and technical assistance with the submerged jet device and application. They would also like to recognize Dr. Quentin Skinner in the Department of Renewable Resources at The University of Wyoming for his invaluable assistance with the vegetative analyses component of this investigation. Finally, The writers would like to thank the editor and the anonymous reviewers for providing thorough and insightful comments that led to significant improvement of this paper.
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Received: Aug 14, 2007
Accepted: Apr 22, 2008
Published online: Dec 1, 2008
Published in print: Dec 2008
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