Esmaya, Myra Lee ChE 135 07 March 2017

Santillan, Jestoni

Suquib, Keith Danae

FLOW THROUGH WEIRS

Introduction

Liquids flow in open channels rather than in closed conduits in most of the chemical
engineering processes. To measure flow rates, weir devices are used. A weir is a dam, which the
liquid flows. The two main types of weirs are the rectangular weir and triangular weir as shown
in Figure 1. Both weirs are often used in water supplies; wastewater and sewage systems and
they consist of a sharp- edged plate with a rectangular or triangular profile for water flow. The
reliability of weir measurement is affected by construction and installation, but when properly
constructed and installed, weirs are one of the simplest and most accurate methods of measuring
water flow.

The flow over the weir can be determined by a single measurement: the upstream
submergence or weir head or height h0, which is measured above the flat base or notch as shown.
The weir head is the results of the installation of the weir. The flow rate over the weir is a
function of the weir head (Geankoplis, 2003). However, before the flow can be determined
through the submergence, the weir must be calibrated. The calibration process entails
establishing the discharge coefficient, Cd, which adjusts the theoretical discharge equation to

obtain the actual discharge.

(a) (b)

Figure 1. Types of Weirs: (a) Rectangular, (b) Triangular or V-notch

Calculations of theoretical flow over a weir requires assumptions such as the Bernoullis
assumption that states streamlines are straight and parallel (no head loss), the velocity
distribution upstream from the weir is uniform, fluid particles move horizontally as they pass the
weir crest and the influences of viscosity, turbulence and surface tension are negligible.

For a rectangular notch, velocity is given by

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 Equation 1. Velocity of fluid v 2 gh

The theoretical discharge is equal to equation 2 where Q flow rate, Lw crest length (m), g
acceleration due to gravity (9.81 m/s2) and h height below the surface or head.
ho
2
Qtheo Lw 2 g h 0.5 dh Lw 2 g H 3 2
3
Equation 2. Theoretical 0

discharge over a rectangular weir

In applications, the flow of water through the notch will not be parallel and normal to the
plane of weir. The free surface is not horizontal thus; viscosity and surface tension will have an
effect. There will be a considerable change in the shape of the nappe as it passes
through the notch with curvature of the stream lines in both vertical and horizontal
planes as indicated in Figure 2, in particular the width of the nappe is reduced by
the contractions at each end.

Napp
e

Weir
Crest
Figure 2. Shape of a nappe in rectangular weirs

Due to these curvature effects, the discharge of the rectangular notch will be approximately
60% lesser than that of the theoretical analysis. A coefficient of discharge (C d) is therefore
introduced so that Qtheo=Qactual. Qactual is therefore given by equation 3.

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Qactual Cd Lw 2 g H 3 2
3
Equation 3. Actual Flow rate
over a rectangular weir

Getting the natural logarithm of both sides of the equation to form a linear equation
y=mx+intercept,

2 3
ln Qactual ln Cd Lw 2 g ln ho
3 2
Equation 4. Actual Flow
rate in a linear form of equation in a rectangular notch

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 where the intercept and mx Thus, 23
ln CdlnLhw o 2 g
the equation for discharge 3 2
coefficient from the equation of the line is

e int ercept
Cd
Equation 5. Coefficient of discharge for a rectangular 2 notch
Lw 2 g
3

On the other hand, for

) tan h
AL 2(2h(oho h)htan
triangular or V-notch weir with w 22
an included angle of as shown
in Figure 1b, again considering an element h at a depth h, the breadth element is
.Hence, the area element of A is . With the same velocity, the discharge through
the element between h=0 and ho= h is shown in equation 6&7.

Equations 6 & 7.
Theoretical discharge

Introducing the coefficient of discharge then following the steps in calculating C d, the following
equations are obtained

Equation 8. Actual flow rate

in a triangular notch

Equations 9&10. Actual Flow rate in a

linear form of equation in a triangular
notch.

Equation 11. Coefficient of discharge for a triangular notch

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 Because of the shape of the nappe of the triangular notch, it has advantages
over the rectangular one. The shape of the nape does not change with head thus,
coefficient of discharge does not vary much. A triangular notch can also
accommodate a wide range of flow rates.

Main Objective

To determine the coefficient of discharge for different types of weirs.

Specific Objectives

1. To determine the coefficient of discharge for rectangular and triangular weirs;

2. To study the discharge head characteristics of different types of weirs; and,

3. To determine the significance of calculating the coefficient of discharge of weirs.

Scope and Limitations

This experiment aimed to determine the coefficient of discharge for different types of weirs
specifically the rectangular and triangular weirs. The set-up was ensured to be horizontal without
angle of inclination. The determination of C d involved manual measurement of the water level or
the head. Flow rates were measured manually using a measuring pail and a stopwatch. The
experiment was conducted at the School of Technologys Unit Operations laboratory,
UPV, Miag-ao, Iloilo thus materials and equipment were limited to those available in
the Unit Operations laboratory.

Framework:

Independent variable Dependent variable

Type and shape of weir Coefficient of discharge

-Rectangular

-Triangular

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Methodology

Materials:

Rectangular and triangular weirs

Weir channel apparatus
Ruler
Pail
Stopwatch
Graduated cylinder
Thermometer
Procedure:
1. The temperature of the water was taken using a thermometer then necessary
dimensions such as the L or crest length of rectangular weir and the angle in
triangular weir (See figure 2) were measured using a tape measure.
2. The weir of interest was placed in the holder as shown in figure 3. The weir was
attached to the holder and that the weir channel apparatus was slightly leveled
horizontally but the weir channel set-up in the School of Technology Laboratory had
some slight inclination.
3. The main valve was opened and the set-up was filled with water until such time that
the water overflowed over the weir.
4. ho or the head rise in the weir was then measured using a ruler (See figure 2) and flow
rate of the water was adjusted such that a readable maximum head rise was achieved.
5. The volumetric flow rate was measured at the discharge point of the water. (See flow
measurement.*)
6. Different flow rates were tested and steps 5 and 6 were repeated five times.

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 Figure 3.Weir Dimensions for (a) Rectangular and (b) Triangular weirs.

Flow Measurement*

Water that overflowed on the weir discharged from the set-up to a measuring bucket. A
considerable amount of water was collected in the bucket in certain amount of time. This volume
of water shall was then measured using a graduated cylinder. The total volume of the water
collected divided by the time it took to collect it is the volumetric flowrate q.

Results and Discussion

In this experiment, two types of weirs were used namely the rectangular and triangular
weirs. The number of flow rates used was considered as the number of trials for the calculation
of the coefficient of discharge. The coefficient of discharge serves as the correction factor for the
flow of water as it passes over a weir with a different shape, in particular the width, of the nappe.
This will also take into account the nonparallel flow in the notch due to effects of viscosity and
surface tension which are considered as negligible for the theoretical computations. C D
established that the actual flow rate is equal to the theoretical flow rate with the difference by a
factor of the discharge coefficient.

Five trials were conducted for each type of weir. Calculated flow rates for five trials and
values needed to compute for coefficient of discharge for flow over a rectangular weir are listed
on Table 1.

Table 1. Calculated flow rate, natural logarithm of flow rate (q) and weir head (h0), theoretical
and experimental CD and their percent error for rectangular weir with crest length of 0.165 m.

Trial Flow rate ln(q) ln(h0) CD CD % Error

(q) Theoretical Experimental
Rate 1 0.00027508 -8.19845 -
3.47376807 704.99193
4 0.01316868 0.106006815 17
Rate 2 0.00029279 -8.13605 -
3.35240721 614.21988
7 0.01316868 0.094053334 53

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 Rate 3 0.00032203 -8.04085 -
3.29683736 622.72424
6 0.01316868 0.095173247 68
Rate 4 0.00033582 -7.99893 -
3.24419363 596.44115
3 0.01316868 0.09171211 46
Rate 5 0.000350 -7.95702 -
19 3.19418321 573.76310
2 0.01316868 0.08872571 11

Table 1.1 Data for rectangular weir plotted on a graph(figure 4)

Trial ln(flowrate) ln(h0)

X values Y values
1 -8.19845 -3.473768074

2 -8.13605 -3.352407217

3 -8.04085 -3.296837366

4 -7.99893 -3.244193633

5 -7.95702 -3.194183212

y-intercept: 5.2793 slope: 1.065 slope percent error:

Due to the large percent error on the calculated experimental coefficient of discharge, the
experimental slope was calculated and compared to the theoretical slope equal to 3/2. The natural
log of q and ho are then plotted on a graph (figure 4) where the y-axis are values of ln(h o) and x-
axis are values of ln(q). The relationship between the natural log of flow rates and h o is linear.
The positive slopes of the lines shows that there is a direct relationship between flow rate and
pressure head. So, as the flow rate increases, the head will also increase.

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 Figure 4.
Graph of ln(Q) as a
function of ln(h0)
for rectangular weir

ho

Table 2 shows
the flow rates for 5 trials and the values involve in the computation of coefficient of discharge for
flow over a triangular weir. Theoretical C D was solved using equation 11 with slope and
intercepts given by equations 9 and 10.

Table 2. Calculated flow rate, natural logarithm of flow rate (q) and weir head (h0), theoretical
and experimental CD and their percent error for triangular weir with = ______.

Trial Flow ln(q) ln(h0) CD CD % Error

rate (q) Theoretic Experimental
al

Rate 1 - -
0.000097 9.2447417 3.2188758 1.7174578
9 2 26 0.315577782 81.6253
Rate 2 - -
0.000109 9.1219294 3.1700856 1.7174578 81.6099
1 6 26 0.315842023 1
Rate 3 - -
0.000197 8.5337224 3.0159349 1.7174578 77.4746
9 8 26 0.38686368 3
Rate 4 - -
0.000245 8.3160285 2.9759296 1.7174578 74.6615
4 4 26 0.435177064 6

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Rate 5 - -
0.000528 7.5465083 2.6592600 1.7174578 75.2167
8 3 26 0.425642217 3

Figure 5. Graph of ln(Q) as a function of ln(h0) for triangular weir

Based on the results and calculated errors, the %error in rectangular weir is greater than that
of the triangular weir and this may be due to the shape of the nappe for flow over rectangular
weir which changes considerably compared to triangular weirs. In addition, the inclination of the
hydraulic bench might have contributed to the large error obtained from the experiment.
Furthermore, it was observed that there is a leak in the bottom of the weir holder that might have
caused to add to the error calculated.

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Conclusion and Recommendation

The coefficient of discharge for flow is used to determine the actual flow rate from the
experimental flow rate. It can be concluded that the head at the discharged point is dependent on
the flow rate of fluid in open channels and also on the type of weir. Due to lower coefficient of
discharge, the rectangular weir results to lower actual flow rates.

For further studies about flow over weirs, it is recommended to use hydraulic benches that
doesnt have any angle of inclination to avoid inaccurate results and prevent large errors. The
volume measurement should be accurately measured using a graduated cylinder for convenience.
Due to very minimal changes in the discharge head produce by the flow rates, measurement of
height of water for the discharge head is difficult thus, it is strongly recommended to use a ruler
or measuring tape with small graduations to obtain accurate data. Lastly, the placement of weir in
the holder must be tightened properly to avoid leaks that will cause considerable error in the
results. Good points should be continued and improved if possible.

References

Alastal, K. & Mousa, M. (no date). Experiment (6): Flow over weirs.
Geankoplis, C. J. (2003). Principles of transport processes and separation process
(4th Ed.). Prentice Hall Professional Technical Reference: Upper Saddle
River, New Jersey.

Godmalin, M. (19 July 2010). Flow of water over weirs. Scribd. Retrieved from:
www.scribd.com/doc/34695544/Flow-of-Water-Over-Weirs

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