Dimensionless Specific Energy Diagrams for Open Channel Flow

Energy conservation is an important concept when analyzing open channel flows. For the purposes of the following analysis, energy is conserved for a fluid in an open channel flow, and head losses due to friction will be neglected. The energy calculated at one location in the flow will be equal to the energy calculated at any other location in the same flow.

${\displaystyle E_{1}=E_{2}}$

 

 

 

 

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The energy for the flow will have a potential energy component calculated from the depth of water in the flow, a pressure component, and a kinetic energy component calculated from the velocity of the flow moving through the channel. This is depicted through the Bernoulli equation:

${\displaystyle E={\frac {v^{2}}{2g}}+y+{\frac {p}{\gamma }}}$

 

 

 

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