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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Maricopa, Arizona » U.S. Arid Land Agricultural Research Center » Water Management and Conservation Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #238838
Title: Winflume: Windows-based Software for the Design and Calibration of Long-throated Measuring Flumes

Author
item WAHL, TONY - Us Bureau Of Reclamation
item Clemmens, Albert
item REPLOGLE, JOHN - US Department Of Agriculture (USDA)
item BOS, MARINUS - International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) - The Netherlands

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/20/2008
Publication Date: 10/25/2008
Citation: Wahl, T.L., Clemmens, A.J., Replogle, J.A., Bos, M.G. 2008. Winflume: Windows-based Software for the Design and Calibration of Long-throated Measuring Flumes [CD-ROM]. In: ICID Book Chapter, "Water Saving in Agriculture."

Interpretive Summary: The total demand for water in the Western United States exceeds the available supply. Our ability to determine the amount of water diverted for various uses is crucial. There are many locations where measurement of water is either inaccurate or difficult and expensive. An existing water measurement device for open channels, the long-throated flume, has been made more practical, more accurate, less expensive, more adaptable, and easier to design and calibrate due to the development of new software, called Winflume. This software provides a convenient method for design and calibration so that the flume can be adapted to the specific site. A new book has been written to describe the theory behind these flumes and to demonstrate the wide range of applications. This paper briefly describes these flumes, the book, and the software for interested users. These results should be of use to irrigation districts, consultants, municipalities, and federal agencies dealing with water issues, for example; the Bureau of Reclamation, Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Geological Survey, etc.

Technical Abstract: Long-throated flumes and broad-crested weirs provide a practical, low-cost, flexible means of measuring open-channel flows in new and existing irrigation systems, with distinct advantages over other flume and weir devices. A primary advantage is the fact that these structures can be custom-designed and calibrated with a computer program based on well-established hydraulic theory. This allows the design of structures that meet unique operational and site requirements, and eliminates the need for laboratory calibration. In addition to the WinFlume computer software, a number of other tools have been developed in recent years to facilitate the use of long-throated flumes. These include a book providing design and construction guidance, spreadsheets to assist with estimation of construction quantities and design of downstream energy dissipation structures, and published tables of precomputed flume designs for typical installations.