Subcritical Contraction for Improved Open-Channel Flow Measurement Accuracy with an Upward-Looking ADVM
Publication: Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Volume 136, Issue 9
Abstract
Acoustic Doppler velocity meters (ADVMs) provide an alternative to more traditional flow measurement devices and procedures such as flumes, weirs, and stage rating for irrigation and drainage canals. However, the requirements for correct calibration are extensive and complex. A three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was used to design a subcritical rapidly varied flow contraction that provides a consistent linear relationship between the upward-looking ADVM sample velocity and the cross-sectional average velocity in order to improve ADVM accuracy without the need for in situ calibration. CFD simulations validated the subcritical contraction in a rectangular and trapezoidal cross section by showing errors within and −2.2%. Physical testing of the subcritical contraction coupled with an upward-looking ADVM in a large rectangular flume provided laboratory validation with measurement errors within without calibration.
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Acknowledgments
Support for this research was provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under Grant No. UNSPECIFIEDEM-83335801. The writers gratefully acknowledge Mohamed Grissa for his participation in the laboratory experiments.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Volume 136 • Issue 9 • September 2010
Pages: 617 - 626
Copyright
© 2010 ASCE.
History
Received: Jul 20, 2009
Accepted: Jan 2, 2010
Published online: Jan 16, 2010
Published in print: Sep 2010
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