JT607 WATER ENGINEERING

WE-3 WATER FLOW MEASUREMENT BUCKET, FLOATING AND CURRENT FLOW METER

EXPERIMENT
TITLE
DURATION
PAGE
1.0

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WE -3
WATER FLOW MEASUREMENT BUCKET, FLOATING
AND CURRENT FLOWMETER
2 HOURS
1 0F 6

Experiment outcomes
At the end of the lab/practical session, students should be able to:

2.0

i)

Measure a basic water flow discharge

ii)

conduct appropriately the flow measument test in group according to the

bucket, floating and current flow meter method.

iii)

analyse the experimental data and get the flow velocity of the stream.

iv)

write properly the appropriate report based on the experiment results.

Theory
Flow is classified into open channel flow and closed conduit flow. Open channel flow
conditions occur whenever the flowing stream has a free or unconstrained surface
that is open to the atmosphere. In hydraulics, a pipe is any closed conduit that
carries water under pressure. The filled conduit may be square, rectangular, or any
other shape, but is usually round. If flow is occurring in a conduit but does not
completely fill it, the flow is not considered pipe or closed conduit flow, but is
classified as open channel flow.
Most devices measure flow indirectly. Flow measuring devices are commonly
classified into those that sense or measure velocity and those that measure pressure
or head. The head or velocity is measured, and then charts, tables, or equations are
used to obtain the discharge.
Some water measuring devices that use measurement of head, h, or pressure, p, to
determine discharge, Q, are:
i. Weirs
ii. Flumes
iii.Orifices
iv. Venturi meters
Head, h, or depth commonly is used for the open channel devices such as flumes and
weirs. Either pressure, p, or head, h, is used with tube-type flowmeters such as a
venturi.
i. Devices that sample or sense velocity are:
ii. Current meters
iii. Propeller meters
iv. Float and stopwatch
A. BUCKET METHOD
The bucket method is a simple way of measuring flow in very small streams using
household items. The entire flow is diverted into a bucket or barrel and the time for

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JT607 WATER ENGINEERING

WE-3 WATER FLOW MEASUREMENT BUCKET, FLOATING AND CURRENT FLOW METER

EXPERIMENT
TITLE
DURATION
PAGE

:
:
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WE -3
WATER FLOW MEASUREMENT BUCKET, FLOATING
AND CURRENT FLOWMETER
2 HOURS
2 0F 6

the container to fill is recorded. The flow rate is obtained simply by dividing the
volume of the container by the filling time. Flows of up to 20 l/s can be measured
using a 200-litre oil barrel. It requires a stopwatch, a large bucket, and preferably
two to three people.

B. FLOAT METHOD
The principle of all velocity-area methods is that flow Q equals the mean velocity
Vmeans times cross-sectional A:
Q=A Vmean (m3/s)
One way of using this principle is for the cross-sectional profile of a stream bed to be
charted and an average cross-section established for a known length of stream. A
series of floats, perhaps convenient pieces of wood, are then timed over a measured
length of stream. Results are averaged and a flow velocity is obtained. This velocity
must then be reduced by a correction factor which estimates the mean velocity as
opposed to the surface velocity. By multiplying averaged and corrected flow velocity,
the volume flow rate can be estimated.

Version : 021211_0.0 _Effective:Jun 2012

JT607 WATER ENGINEERING

WE-3 WATER FLOW MEASUREMENT BUCKET, FLOATING AND CURRENT FLOW METER

EXPERIMENT
TITLE
DURATION
PAGE

:
:
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:

WE -3
WATER FLOW MEASUREMENT BUCKET, FLOATING
AND CURRENT FLOWMETER
2 HOURS
3 0F 6

C. CURRENT METERS
These consist of a shaft with a propeller or revolving cups connected to the end. The
propeller is free to rotate and the speed of rotation is related to the stream velocity. A
simple mechanical counter records the number of revolutions of a propeller placed at
a desired depth. By averaging readings taken evenly throughout the cross section, an
average speed can be obtained which is more accurate than with the float method.

3.0

Apparatus/Equipments

A. BUCKET METHOD
1. Bucket/pail 5 liter
capacity
2. Water source from
tap

B. FLOAT METHOD

C. CURRENT METERS

1. Float

1. current flowmeter set

2. Measuring tape

2. Data given below

3. Stop watch

3. Stop watch

4.0

Safety Precautions

1. Act safely at all times, using appropriate precautions when necessary.

2. Only work in the lab with proper supervision from the instructor.

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JT607 WATER ENGINEERING

WE-3 WATER FLOW MEASUREMENT BUCKET, FLOATING AND CURRENT FLOW METER

EXPERIMENT
TITLE

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DURATION
PAGE

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WE -3
WATER FLOW MEASUREMENT BUCKET, FLOATING
AND CURRENT FLOWMETER
2 HOURS
4 0F 6

3. Obey all instructions from the laboratory instructor.

4. Take care all equipment used.
5.0

Procedures
A. BUCKET METHOD
To measure the flow rate using the bucket method:
1. Measure the volume of the bucket or container.
2. Find a location along the stream that has a waterfall. If none can be
found, a waterfall can be constructed using a water hose.
3. With a stopwatch, time how long it takes the waterfall to fill the bucket
with water. Start the stopwatch simultaneously with the start of the
bucket being filled and stop the stopwatch when the bucket fills. The
bucket should not be filled by holding it below the surface of the stream
because it is not the true flow rate.
4. Record the time it takes to fill the bucket.
5. Repeat steps two and three about six or seven times and take the
average. It is a good idea to do a few trial runs before recording any data
so that one can get a feel for the timing and measurements required.
6. Only eliminate data if major problems arise such as debris from the
stream interfering with the flow.
7. The flow rate is the volume of the bucket divided by the average time it
took to fill the bucket.
B. FLOAT METHOD
1.
2.

Measure off at least 50 feet along the bank of a straight section of

stream. If possible, string a rope across each end of the 50-foot length.
Estimate the cross-sectional area of the stream at one of these ends by
using the total stream width and the average depth. (Calculate the
average depth from depths measured at 1- to 2-foot intervals.)
Total width (ft) x Average depth (ft) = area (ft2)

3.

4.

5.

Release the float at the upstream site. Using a stopwatch, record the time
it takes to reach the downstream tape. (If the float moves too fast for an
accurate measurement, measure off 75 or 100 feet instead of 50). Repeat
the measurement two more times for a total of three measurements.
Calculate the velocity as distance traveled divided by the average
amount of time it took the float to travel the distance. If the distance
roped off is 50 feet and the orange took an average of 100 seconds to get
there, the velocity is 0.5 ft/sec.
Correct for the surface versus mid-depth velocity by multiplying the
surface velocity by 0.85.
0.5 x 0.85 = 0.43 ft/sec

Version : 021211_0.0 _Effective:Jun 2012

JT607 WATER ENGINEERING

WE-3 WATER FLOW MEASUREMENT BUCKET, FLOATING AND CURRENT FLOW METER

EXPERIMENT
TITLE

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DURATION
PAGE

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WE -3
WATER FLOW MEASUREMENT BUCKET, FLOATING
AND CURRENT FLOWMETER
2 HOURS
5 0F 6

C. CURRENT METERS
1.
2.
6.0

Observe the current flowmeter component.

Analyse data from figure G and fullfill the table H

Result/Data
A. BUCKET METHOD

B. FLOAT METHOD

Bucket Method Data for Flow

Trial
Numb
er

Time
(seconds)

Bucket
Volume
(L)

Float Method Data for Flow

Trial
Numb
er

C. CURRENT METERS

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Time
(seconds)

Bucket
Volume
(L)

JT607 WATER ENGINEERING

WE-3 WATER FLOW MEASUREMENT BUCKET, FLOATING AND CURRENT FLOW METER

EXPERIMENT
TITLE

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DURATION
PAGE

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WE -3
WATER FLOW MEASUREMENT BUCKET, FLOATING
AND CURRENT FLOWMETER
2 HOURS
6 0F 6

Figure G

Current flowmeter Method Data for Flow and Discharge

1
Sectio
n

Flow velocity (m/s)

0.2D

1
2
3
4
5
6
7

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0.8D

mean

Depth
(m)

Width
(m)

Area
(m2)

Flow
(m3/s)

JT607 WATER ENGINEERING

WE-3 WATER FLOW MEASUREMENT BUCKET, FLOATING AND CURRENT FLOW METER

EXPERIMENT
TITLE
DURATION
PAGE

:
:
:
:

WE -3
WATER FLOW MEASUREMENT BUCKET, FLOATING
AND CURRENT FLOWMETER
2 HOURS
7 0F 6
Total

D is the depth of the stream at the mid-point of each section

Table H

7.0

Data Analyse / observation / Discussion

8.0

Conclusion and Recommendation

Your conclusion should be related to your practical and theoretical understanding on
the related topic.

9.0

References

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