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Key Concepts: Open channel flow involves a free surface. The liquid is not confined by
boundaries
such as in pipe flow. The free
surface occurring in open channel flow complicates its analysis. Examples include rivers, canals,
irrigation systems, dams, spillways, etc.
An important parameter governing open channel flow is the Froude
number, Fr. It represents the ratio
of the
inertial
force divided by the gravitational force.
Fr = V/√gL It also represents the ratio of the
flow
velocity to the wave velocity.
The
basic principles of conservation of mass, linear momentum, and energy used
in pipe flow
still
apply to the analysis of open channel flow and will be used in its analysis.
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