Flow Rate Sensitivity due to Parshall Flume Staff Gauge Location and Entrance Wing Wall Configuration
Publication: Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Volume 137, Issue 2
Abstract
Parshall flume tests were conducted to determine the sensitivity on indicated flow rate resulting from improperly located staff gauges and differing entrance conditions to the flume. An acrylic 2 ft (61 cm) Parshall flume was constructed to specified design dimensions and installed level in an 8 ft (243.8 cm) wide testing flume at the Utah Water Research Laboratory. Multiple stilling wells and two sliding point gauges were used to determine the head measurements from stilling well ports and water surface elevations along the wall and down the center of the converging approach section of the flume for multiple flow rates. The recommended radius wingwall, a 45° wingwall and no wingwall were also tested with and without offsets at the entrance to the flume. The laboratory tests indicated that head measurements taken at locations other than the location specified by Parshall can produce up to 60% errors in the flow measurement. Additionally, the lack of wingwalls and the incorrect design and installation of wingwalls cause standing waves to form in the throat of the flume which also affects flow measurement accuracies.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
Abt, S. R., Cook, C., Staker, K. J., and Johns, D. D. (1992). “Small Parshall flume rating correction.” J. Hydraul. Eng., 118(5), 198–803.
Abt, S. R., Florentin, C. B., Genovez, A., and Ruth, B. C. (1995). “Settlement and submergence adjustments for Parshall flume.” J. Irrig. Drain. Eng., 121(5), 317–321.
Abt, S. R., Genovez, A., and Florentin, B. (1994). “Correction for settlement in submerged Parshall flumes.” J. Irrig. Drain. Eng., 120(3), 676–682.
Abt, S. R., Ruth, B. C., Mitchell, C. M., and Lipscomb, C. M. (1997). “Condition assessment of Parshall flumes in Colorado, part 2.” Water Oper. and Main. Bull., No. 180, U.S. GPO, Washington, D.C.
Abt, S. R., and Staker, K. J. (1990). “Rating correction for lateral settlement of Parshall flumes.” J. Irrig. Drain. Eng., 116(6), 797–803.
Abt, S. R., and Staker, K. J. (1992). “Closure to ‘Discussion of rating correction for lateral settlement of Parshall flumes’.” J. Irrig. Drain. Eng., 118(2), 339–340.
Abt, S. R., Thompson, K., and Staker, K. (1989). “Discharge correction for longitudinal settlement of Parshall flumes.” Trans. ASAE, 32(5), 1541–1544.
Blaisdell, F. W. (1994). “Results of Parshall flumes tests.” J. Irrig. Drain. Eng., 120(2), 278–291.
Bos, M. G., ed. (1978). Discharge measurement structures, 2nd Ed., Publication No. 20, International Institute for Land Reclamation and Improvement/ILRI, Wegeningen, The Netherlands, 243–269.
Cone, V. M. (1917). “The Venturi fume.” J. Agric. Res., 9(4), 115–123.
Davis, R. W., and Deutsch, S. (1980). “A numerical-experimental study of Parshall flumes.” J. Hydraul. Res., 18(2), 135–151.
Genoves, A., Abt, S., Florentin, B., and Garton, A. (1993). “Correction for settlement in a Parshall flume.” J. Irrig. Drain. Eng., 119(6), 1081–1091.
Kruse, E. G. (1992). “Discussion of ‘Rating correction for lateral settlement of Parshall flumes’.” J. Irrig. Drain. Eng., 118(2), 337–339.
Parshall, R. L. (1926). “The improved Venturi flume.” Transactions, 89, 841–851.
Parshall, R. L. (1936). “The Parshall measuring flume.” Bull. No. 423, Agricultural Experiment Station, Colorado Agricultural College, Fort Collins, Colo.
Parshall, R. L. (1950). “Measuring water in irrigation channels with Parshall flumes and small weirs.” Circular No. 843, USDA, Soil Conservation Service, Washington, D.C.
Parshall, R. L. (1953). “Parshall flumes of large size.” Bull. No. 426-A, Agricultural Experiment Station, Colorado Agricultural College, Fort Collins, Colo.
Parshall, R. L., and Rohwer, C. (1921). “The Venturi flume.” Bull. No. 265, Agricultural Experiment Station, Colorado Agricultural College, Fort Collins, Colo.
Peck, H. (1988). “Submerged flows in Parshall flumes.” Proc., National Conf. of Hydraulics Division.
Robinson, A. R. (1965). “Simplified flow corrections for Parshall flumes under submerged conditions.” Civ. Eng. (N.Y.), 25(9), 75.
Skogerboe, G. V., Hyatt, M. L., England, J. D., and Johnson, J. L. (1967). “Design and calibration of submerged open channel flow measurement structures. Part 2: Parshall flumes.” Rep. WG31-3, Utah Water Research Laboratory, Utah State Univ., Logan, Utah.
U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation (USBR). (2001). Water measurement manual, 3rd Ed., U.S. GPO, Washington, D.C.
Wright, S. J., and Taheri, B. (1990). “Limitations to standard Parshall flume calibrations.” Proc., National Conf. on Hydraulic Engineering, 915–920.
Wright, S. J., and Taheri, B. (1991). “Correction to Parshall flume calibrations at low discharges.” J. Irrig. Drain. Eng., 117(5), 800–804.
Wright, S. J., Tullis, B. P., and Long, T. M. (1994). “Recalibration of Parshall flumes at low discharges.” J. Irrig. Drain. Eng., 120(2), 348–362.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Volume 137 • Issue 2 • February 2011
Pages: 94 - 101
Copyright
© 2011 ASCE.
History
Received: Sep 24, 2009
Accepted: Jun 29, 2010
Published online: Jan 14, 2011
Published in print: Feb 2011
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.