Knowra Open-channel flow Open-channel flow Open-channel flow is liquid motion with a free surface exposed to a gas, driven mainly by gravity. It occurs in natural waterways and engineered channels.
Specific energy : The sum of flow depth and velocity head, measured relative to the channel bottom. It links flow depth and velocity and helps identify possible water-surface states.
Wetted perimeter : The length of channel boundary in contact with the flowing liquid. It helps define hydraulic radius and quantify boundary contact.
River engineering : The planning and design of works that manage rivers and their interactions with people and infrastructure. It applies channel-flow analysis to river training, flood management, and conveyance.
Pipe flow : Fluid flow inside a conduit that is usually full and bounded by a closed wall. A full pipe lacks the atmospheric free surface that defines open-channel flow.
Froude number : A dimensionless ratio comparing inertial effects with gravity-wave effects in a flow. It classifies open-channel flow as subcritical, critical, or supercritical.
Discharge : The volume of fluid passing through a cross-section per unit time. It is the conserved flow rate used to relate area and mean velocity.
Hydraulic structure : A built feature that controls, measures, or conveys water in an open channel. Such structures alter depth, velocity, or discharge in channel systems.
Pressurized flow : Fluid motion in a conduit where pressure, rather than a free surface, governs the boundary condition. It contrasts with channel flow, whose exposed surface can change elevation.
Manning formula : An empirical equation estimating uniform-flow velocity from channel geometry, slope, and roughness. It estimates discharge when gravity and boundary resistance balance.
Normal depth : The depth of uniform flow for a specified discharge, channel geometry, slope, and roughness. It describes the steady depth approached on a sufficiently long, uniform reach.
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