LACY'S SILT THEORY

LACY'S SILT THEORY

• One of the drawbacks in Kennedy's theory is that
the silt supporting power depends only on the bed
width. Kennedy assumed that the silt was
supported by the eddies caused by the bed only
but the eddies are also caused by the sides too.

– Therefore, wetted perimeter should have been used

instead of bed width only.
– The other drawback is that the velocity of water was
assumed to be directly proportional to some power of
depth 'D'.
LACY'S SILT THEORY
• In 1929 Lacy put forward his theory. He made a
systematic study of the observed data and derived some
empirical relations and gave the concept of 'Regime'
theory for unlined channels.
• According to Lacey the regime conditions, i.e. stable
conditions, bed-width, depth and slope, that is zero net
erosion, or deposition over a hydrological cycle, shall be
established when
• i. Discharge should be constant.
• ii.Loose granular alluvium material which can be scoured
out as easily as it is deposited should be of same
characteristics.
• iii.Silt grade and silt charge are constant.
 LACY'S SILT THEORY

• Obviously all the above requirements are unlikely to be

fulfilled in nature, and therefore, regime conditions may
not be obtained.
• Lacey, therefore, classified the regime conditions as
below:
True Regime
• This is obtained when the above conditions are fulfilled.

• This happens most often in sandy rivers in alluvial plains

which have lateral freedom and by meandering adjust
their length and slope, which is determined solely by
discharge and silt grade.

• Artificial channels with no freedom of lateral movement

can never achieve true regime. They may achieve initial
regime but only rarely final regime.
 Initial Regime
• Channels excavated in the first instance with defective
slopes and with narrow dimensions, can by immediately
throwing down incoherent (disjointed, illogical) silt on the
bed, increase their slopes and by the generation of
increased velocity achieve a non-silting equilibrium which
may be termed initial regime.
• Such channels are subject to lateral restraint in that the
scouring of the banks is not allowed. They attain a working
stability and therefore, neither silt nor scour but they are
not in final regime.
• Their slopes and velocities are higher and the cross-
section narrower than they would have been if the sides
were not rigid.
 Final Regime
• If the continuous action of the current eventually
overcomes the resistance of the sides and set up
a condition where the channel adjusts its
perimeter, depth and slope according to
discharge and silt grade, final regime conditions
are said to have been achieved.
 Lacy's Equations
• Lacy worked on that canals which were at the final regime
conditions.
• He gave various formulae to design bed slope, bed width
and other parameters of channels.
• In this case no hit and trail method is used.
• Lacey studied the observations on channels recorded by
researchers in various parts of the world and concluded
that the non silting, non scouring velocity is a function of
hydraulic mean depth R and not depth D as shown by
Kennedy.
Lacy's Equations
• The equations given by Lacey are
V = 1.1547  f R
• Where
• V = non-silting, non-scouring velocity,
• R = Hydraulic mean depth,
• f = Lacey's silt factor.
• If the particle sizes are increasing, the value of 'f' will also
increase and vice versa. The values of 'f' for various
materials was given by Lacy. (see page 114, in Book by
Iqbal Ali).
• Now according to Kennedy's theory
Vc = m x 0.84 D0.64
Lacy's Equations
• Where m = Critical velocity ratio (CVR) and it is equal
to the square root of Lacey's silt factor i.e.
f = m2
____ ____
• P = 8/3 Q = 2.67  Q
• Where
• P = wetted perimeter and Q = discharge
S = (f (5/3) )/(1844 Q(1/6)) where S = Bed slope
• V = (1.346/Na) R(3/4) S(1/2) where Na the roughness of
material = 0.0225cf

• The other formulae for design are the modified form of

Manning’s Formula
Lacy's Equations
• Manning's formula:
• V =(1.36/Na)[R (3/4) S (½ ) ]

• Where Na = 0.0225 (f)(1/4)

PROBLEM:
• Design an irrigation channel in alluvial soil
according to Lacey's theory, given the
following data: Q = 500 cfs, and Lacey's
silt factor, f=1.00 (for Punjab)
Assignment
• Design an unlined canal as per Lacey’s theory to
carry a discharge of 100 cusecs with longitudinal
slope of 1ft/canal mile. Use n = 0.0225

• Design an unlined canal as per Lacey’s theory to

carry a discharge of (60+Regd. No) cusecs with
longitudinal slope of 1ft/canal mile. Use n = 0.05

• Design an unlined canal as per Lacey’s theory to

carry a discharge of (10 x Regd. No) cusecs with
longitudinal slope of 1ft/canal mile. Use n = 0.0225
Silt control in Irrigation
Canals
Silt control in Irrigation Canals

• The problem of sediment transport and its control has always

been a challenge to designers of irrigation systems.

• Unlined canals canget choked or silted by sediment

brought by the river water.

• Some examples are discussed as to highlight how enormous is

the magnitude of silt tonnage is
The River Sutlej transports around 35 millions tons
of sediment per year to Sulamanki Barrage,
River Indus carried a total load of 440 millions tons
per year at Tarbela.
River Jhelum carries 70 millions tons
approximately annually.
The Warsak reservoir on River Kabul built in 1960, had
initial live storage of 23,000 acre feet which in the first
ten years reduced to a residual minimum of 10,000
acre feet.
Silt control in Irrigation Canals
● Tarbela reservoir with initial live storage of 9.3 million acre
feet when completed in 1975, will reduce to one million acre
feet in fifty years.

● The Mangla reservoir willloose 30% of its live storage in

same period.

● Yangteze River is called Yellow River because of its colour

due to heavy sediment load it carries all the year averaging 61
lbs per cu.ft of water.
Silt control in Irrigation Canals
● The construction of the Mangla and Tarbel
reservoirs on the two main Rivers has a
reduced the silt, but the problem of silting of the
partly
canal system continues to persist to a great extent.
● The intake of Upper Bari Doab (UBD) canal
on Sutlej River at Madhopur in India got
silted up soon
completely after the construction
permanent of a weir in 1870. The
entering UBDamount
canal hasofbeen
silt estimated at 168,000
cu ft to 2268000 cu ft per day ( in years of 1939 to
1949)
Silt control in Irrigation Canals
● The Marala Ravi link Canal taking off at Marala barrage
on the river Chenab has silted up to depth of 9 ft
(maximum) out of a total design depth of
14.5 ft in its upper reach.
 Silt control in Irrigation Canals
● On contrary the building of High Aswan dam on the Nile, has
created erosion problems in the canal system downstream.

● The lake of High Aswan dam excludes the silt from flowing
downstream, depriving the farmers of the rich soil they used to
receive along with the irrigation water, in addition to serious
problems of deep scouring of the foundations of hydraulic
structures located downstream of the dam.
Silt control in Irrigation Canals
● Here we will discuss various methods that have been adopted
to exclude and eject silt from canal or to distribute it in such a
manner that all the silt entering the canal passes on the fields
to add the fertility of the soil. There are four possible methods
● i) arranging the head works as to exclude the silt as much as
possible from the canal

● ii) To make arrangements to eject the silt which has already

entered the canal, or properly distribute it to the off taking
distributary
Silt control in Irrigation Canals
● iii) to design an unlined canal which will produce the required
non silting and non scouring velocity, in other words a design
that will ensure that the amount of the silt entering the canal is
passed on to the field.

● iv) to design the outlets and their setting so as to draw an

equitable share of silt.
Silt control in Irrigation Canals

● The following diagram summarizes the approach to the

problem of silt control

By By ejection By proper By proper

exclusion of silt channel design and
of silt at from the design setting of
the canal outlets
entrance
Exclusion of Silt at Entrance

Divide Training Silt

Wall and wall and Excluder
Pocket river bend
Divide Wall and pocket
● A divide wall parallel to the head regulator creates a pocket in
front of the canal entrance where silt is deposited in the river bed
due to reduction in velocity.
● This measure was first proposed by Kennedy in 1904 when
Sirhind canal threatened almost to choke the regulator due to
excessive silt.
● A divide wall was suggested and along with an undersluice to
clear the deposited silt.
● The undersluice gates are closed when the water is flowing into
the canals. The necessary pond level is maintained by working
the gates of normal weir section.
Divide Wall and pocket
Divide Wall and pocket
● The sediment deposited in the pocket is washed away by closing
the canal regulator gates and opening the undersluices gates.
Training wall and River Bend
● Curved training wall in front of the head regulator on
small canals where flow rate and sediment discharge
both fluctuate have been used successfully by USBR.
The Woodstone diversion dam on the south fork, River
Solomon, Kansas is an example.
● In order to work the system properly, the structure
must have enough water available for sluicing.
Training wall and River Bend
● Natura river curvature can be exploited with an
ladvantage as a silt exclusion device by locating the
barrage on the bend and the canal regulator on the
outside of the curve.
● The heavy load swept inside the curve and the
sediment concentration on the outside is lower than at
other points.
● This effect is due to the spiral flow as explained
by Thompson.
 Silt Excluders
● The idea of the silt excluder was first presented by
Elsdon in his Irrigation Branch paper No. 5 in 1992. the
first silt excluder was designed by Nicolson at Khanki
head works in 1934.
● The basic idea behind the design is that the lower layers
of the flowing water carry higher concentration of silt
and therefore of the upper layers of the water only can
be skimmed into the canal, all the rolling bed silt and
the silt in the lower layers is excluded.
 Silt Excluders
● This is achieved by a silt excluder. This is a diaphragm
slab supported on a number of tunnels. Tunnels are
placed parallel to head regulator and discharge d/s
through the undersluice.
● The water above the silt excluder slab containing less
silt is then diverted into the canal. The following points
should be kept in mind while designing a silt excluder.
Silt Excluders
Silt Excluders
 Silt Excluders
● 1. The tunnel discharge through the under-sluice is
recommended to be 20% of the canal discharge.
● 2. The silt excluder should cover only two bays of the
under-sluice as this was found to be more efficient in the
model studies of Kalabagh barrage than a silt excluder
covering four bays.
● 3. The approach channel need not be lined.
● 4.The divide wall should be 1.2 to 1.4 times the head
regulator length.
 Silt Excluders
● 5. The top of the silt excluder slab should be flushed with
the head regulator crest, i.e. the clear height of the tunnels
would be 1/3 the depth of the water minus the slab
thickness.
● 6. The roof slab should be designed to carry a full water
load in case the tunnels are empty.
● 7. The first tunnel should cover all the head length.
● 8. The discharge through the tunnels will depend upon
the head measured above the centre line of the tunnel.
Tunnels can be treated as box culverts.
● 9. The velocity in tunnels should be 6 ft/sec to 10 ft/sec.
 Silt Ejector
● It employees the same principle of sediment removal as
the silt excluder except that it is placed in the bed of
the canal and is located about 1000 yards d/s of the
head regulator.
● It consists of a horizontal slab a little above the canal
bed, which separates out the bottom layers. Under the
slab there are tunnels to eject heavy silt laden bottom
water in an escape channel. For designing of silt ejector
the following points should be kept in mind
Silt Ejector
 Silt Ejector
● 1. It should be located about 1000 yards d/s of the head
regulator.
● 2. The bed width of the canal is divided into a number
of tunnels. These tunnels curve to right or left and pass
under the canal bank to terminate in a regulator, which
is provided with gates to regulate the discharge
● 3. The height of the tunnel should be 20 to 25% of the
design depth of water in canal.
● 4. The top slab of the tunnels usually project 1.5 ft to 2 ft
U/S at the entrance.
 Silt Ejector
● 5. 20% of the canal discharge is usually diverted into
the ejector. This means that 20% additional discharge
over and above the canal design discharge is allowed to
enter the canal at the head regulator.
● 6.The method of calculating the discharge is the
same as that for the silt excluder.
● 7. Normally a minimum head of at least 2.5 ft is
required to operate the ejector.
● 8.A velocity of 8 ft to 10 ft/sec through the tunnel is
adequate to move sand size sediment.
Any Questions?