If you’re looking for a flume for your open channel flow operation, there are several issues you need to consider. While most of your time will be spent deciding the proper size of your flume and what style best meets your needs, you should also consider the height of your flume sidewalls.
In some situations, the standard sidewall height may be much more than you need, which is why you might consider installing a flume with a reduced height. Before you make this decision, you should learn more about flumes with reduced heights and where they can be used. Here is some information to help you decide if you should install a reduced height flume and some of the benefits of this flow management device.
Uses of Flumes with Reduced Heights
If you’re not familiar with flumes with reduced sidewalls, you probably don’t know they can serve several different purposes. Typically, you can find reduced height flumes in operations focused on apportioning water rights, although this isn’t always the case.
One of the main uses of flumes with shortened sidewalls is to control how much heat is generated upstream of the flume. If you need to install a flume in a natural channel with short banks, you might consider installing a smaller flume. While this makes a certain amount of sense, it can also result in increased head upstream of the flume that may cause your flow to overtop the channel. By reducing the height of the sidewalls instead of the overall size of the flume, you can lessen this risk.
Choosing reduced height flumes can also be a good choice if you’re looking to control the costs of your flow management device. In some cases, flumes with shorter sidewalls are more affordable than standard flumes, meaning they can be a good choice if you’re working with a tight budget. These flumes also tend to be more portable, which makes them a good fit if you don’t need a permanent flume installation.
Flumes that Offer Shorter Sidewall
Before you can install a reduced height flume in your system, you need to learn about the different flume styles that are available with shortened sidewalls. Unfortunately, reduced height sidewalls are only available with flumes that offer straight sidewalls. If you need to use a flume with curved or angled side walls, such as an RBC or Palmer-Bowlus flume, reduced height is not possible.
On the other hand, if you want to use a Parshall flume, or a modified version of this flume such as a Montana or Cutthroat flume, you can have your flume manufactured with reduced walls.
Shop for Flumes
Reduced height flumes can be extremely useful, particularly if you want to lower your costs or increase the accuracy of your natural channel measurements. If you’re interested in purchasing a flume with shortened sidewalls, then you need to browse the Tracom, FRP flow management device catalog.
We provide a huge selection of fiberglass flumes, including styles that are available with reduced sidewalls. Our team is here to answer all of your flume questions and to help you select the device that best fits your needs. Contact Tracom today.
