Irrigation and Drainage Engineering

Dr. Tariq Hussein

3rd Year

Types of open channels

Open channels are classified according to their origin, which may be natural or
artificial.

 Natural channels. They include all the watercourses that exist naturally
on earth. They could be varying in sizes from tiny hillside rivulets,
through brooks, streams, small and large rivers.

Underground water with free surface is also considered an open channel.

The hydraulic properties of natural channels are usually irregular.

 Artificial channels. Those are constructed or developed by human

intrusion. They include navigation channels, irrigation canals and flumes,
drainage ditches, spillways, etc. They are usually designed with sections
of regular shapes. In engineering practice, artificial channels are given
different names, such as:

Canals: They are usually long, mild sloped channels built in the ground, which
maybe unlined or lined.

Flumes: They could be channels of wood, concrete or masonry. They are usually
supported on or above the ground surface to carry water across a depression.

Culverts: They are covered channels of relatively short lengths built to drain water
through highways and railroads.

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 Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Dr. Tariq Hussein
3rd Year

Classification of Canals

Canals are generally trapezoidal in shape constructed on the ground to carry water
to the fields either from the river or from a tank or a reservoir.

They are generally classified in the following ways:

a) Classification based on the source of supply:

1- Permanent canals, when they are fed by a permanent source of supply.
2- Inundation canals, they draw their supply from rivers when there is a
high stage of water.
b) Classification based on the function of the canal:
1- Irrigation canals, carry water to the agricultural fields.
2- Carrier canals, besides doing irrigation, they carry water for other canals.
3- Feeder canals, constructed with idea of feeding two or more canals.
4- Navigation canals.
5- Power canal.
c) Classification based on the boundary surface of the canal:
1- Alluvial canals, excavated in alluvial soils, such as silt.
2- Non-alluvial canals, excavated in non-alluvial soils, such as loam, clay, rock.
3- Rigid boundary canals, they have rigid sides and rigid base, such as lined
canals.
d) Classification based on relative importance in a given network of canals:
1- Main canal, carries water directly from the river of reservoir and they cannot
be used for direct irrigation due to their heavy supplies.
2- Branch canals, they are branches of main canals which feed major and minor
distributaries, they cannot provide direct irrigation unless exceptional
circumstances when direct outlets may be provided.

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 Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Dr. Tariq Hussein
3rd Year

3- Major distributary, they take off branch or main canals but their discharge is
usually less than that of branch canals.
4- Minor distributary, they take off branch canals or major distributaries. They
supply water to the water courses through outlets.
5- Water course, they are sometimes called field channels, small canals which
ultimately supply water to the field.

Canal cross section elements

F.S.L: Full supply level,

b: Canal bed,

1:Z : Side slope,

Bern or Berm: A narrow strip of land, made on both sides of a channel at G.L. Its
width depends on the size of the channel.

Why berms are used?

1- They prevent the earthwork from falling inside the canal.

2- They provide a scope for future widening of the canal.

Free board (F): It is the vertical distance between F.S.L and top of the lowest bank
of the channel.

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 Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Dr. Tariq Hussein
3rd Year

Free board (f1): The distance between the water level and canal surface for the
protection of over-topping.

Free board (f2): The distance between the berm level and bank level for the
protection of flooding.

𝐹= 𝑓 + 𝑓, 𝑓 = 0.2 + 0.1 𝑑, 𝑓 + 𝑓 = 𝑑,

f2 = * d – 𝑓 , should not be less than 0.2m.

Design of open channels

1- Non-alluvial channels

One of the most important equations for channel’s design is Manning’s formula:

, which is used in two methods:

 Method of permissible velocity

Procedure:

Step1: Given Q, n, So, Z, V

Step2: Based on 𝑄 = 𝑉. 𝐴, compute A.

Step3: Compute R from Manning’s equation.

Step4: Find 𝑃 =

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 Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Dr. Tariq Hussein
3rd Year

Step5: From A and P, find b and d simultaneously by geometry.

Step6: Add free board.

Ex: Design an irrigation channel to carry a discharge of 15 cumecs (m3/sec) with a

permissible velocity of 0.75m/sec, assume bed slope of 1/3600, Manning’s
coefficient of 0.03 and a side slope of 1:1.

Ans./ 𝐴 = = = 20 m2 Since A=b.d+z.d2,

.

then 20= b.d+d2 ………………….. (1)

/ . / ( / ) .
From Manning’s eq. 𝑉 = 0.75 =
.

R = 1.568m

P= = = 12.755m
.

Since P = b+2d √1 + 𝑧 12.755 = b+ 2d √1 + 1

‫ ؞‬b = 12.755 – 2.828 d ……….. (2)

Substituting in eq. (1) 20 = (12.755-2.828 d) + d2

‫ ؞‬d = 4.6m or d = 2.38m.

If d = 4.6m then b = -0.254m (Neglected)

Or d = 2.38, then b = 6m.

The free board: f1= 0.2 + 0.1 d = 0.2 + 0.1 * 2.38 = 0.438 m

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 Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Dr. Tariq Hussein
3rd Year

f1+f2= d f2 = * 2.38 – 0.438 = 0.355m.

 Method of (b/d) ratio

Procedure:

Step1: Given Q, n, So, and Z

Step2: Assume b/d as follows:

-Q < 1 m3/sec = 2 tan

- Q = (1-10) m3/sec = (1-3)

- Q > 10 m3/sec = (3-10)

/ .
Step3: Use Manning’s eq. 𝑄=

Step4: b is rounded, return to Manning’s eq. to find d.

Step5: Check minimum permissible velocity, and Fr.

-Vmin = 0.46 m/sec For lined channels

- Vmin = 0.76 m/sec For unlined channels

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 Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Dr. Tariq Hussein
3rd Year

And Fr = must be ≤ 0.6

If Fr = 1, then critical flow,

Fr < 1, subcritical flow, For design, use Fr < 0.6

Fr > 1, supercritical flow

𝐴
𝐷=
𝑇

Step6: Adding the free board.

Ex: Given the following information about a lined irrigation canal, water level at
k0.0 = 32.3m, required water level at k4.8 = 27.5m, max. allowable slope =
75cm/km, min. allowable slope = 15cm/km, side slope 1.5:1, design discharge =
28m3/sec, and n = 0.015. Design the following:

a- The proper longitudinal slope for the canal.

b- The canal cross-section if = 3.

Ans./

. .
a- So = = 1m/km but max. allowable is 75cm/km!! Not ok!
.

Then use So= 75cm/km.

/
/ . . ( )
b- 𝑄 = .
= +𝑍 𝑑 ∗
( )∗

/
∗ . ( . )
= (3 + 1.5)𝑑 ∗
( ) . ( . )∗

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 Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Dr. Tariq Hussein
3rd Year

/
.
15.336 = 4.5𝑑 ∗ d = 1.74m,
( . )∗

and b = 3*1.74 = 5.23m ≈ 5.25m

Substitute value of b= 5.25m in Manning’s eq. to find d.

/ . /
( . . )
𝑄= 15.336 = (5.25𝑑 + 1.5𝑑 ) ∗
( . . )

d = 1.739m ≈ 1.74m.

𝑉= = = 2.05 > 0.46 Ok.

. ∗ . . ∗( . )

Fr = , and 𝐷 = ,

.
Fr = = 0.5 < 0.6 Ok.
. ∗ . . ∗ .
. ∗( )
. ∗ . ∗ .

Add free board:

f1= 0.2 + 0.1 d = 0.2 + 0.1 * 1.74 = 0.37m ≈ 0.4m

f1+f2= d f2 = * 1.74 – 0.4 = 0.18 < 0.2m, then use f2=0.2m

H.W: Given Q=12.5m3/sec, Z=1, n=0.0225 and So=30cm/km. Design the canal
cross-section and check the design if the min permissible velocity =0.76m/sec.

Ans. (d=2.69, V=0.94m/sec, Fr=0.227)

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