Portable Water Measurement Display Flume

The portable display flume demonstrates both open channel and closed pipe water measurement devices. This flume can be set up at schools, conferences, and exhibits to demonstrate flow measurement principles .

Photograph of portable water measurement demonstration flume with a long throated flume in the open channel and a acoustic flowmeter in the pipe section below.

How the flume works---

Water is supplied by a submersible pump in the supply tank. The water circulates through a clear tank at one end, then through the pipe and open channel sections where the flow measurement devices are demonstrated, and returns to the supply tank.
Open channel devices include---

Cipoletti weir, 90-degree V-notch weir, submerged rectangular orifice, contracted rectangular weir, supressed rectangular weir, vertical slide gate, and a custom designed long-throated flume.

The closed pipe includes an end of pipe orifice. Other closed pipe devices such as propeller meters and acoustic flowmeters can also be demonstrated in the pipe section.
The flow measurement devices can be inserted and removed from the open channel section while the model is running.
A 200 gallon opaque plastic tank serves two purposes in the demonstration flume--
The clear Plexiglass channels, pipe, and tanks that make up the model , plus flow measurement devices and miscellaneous equipment are disassembled and packed in the 2-ft wide- by 3-ft high- by 4-ft long tank for shipping. The entire model (packed in a padded cardboard box) may be shipped by freight or locally in a van or truck.
When assembled the tank acts as the water reservoir and base for the recirculating demonstration model. The reservoir is filled with a garden hose and pumps out through the same hose when it is disassembled.

A recent addition available for the demonstration flume is an automatically controlled radial gate module (inserts in place of the long throated flume in the picture) This feature demonstrates automatic upstream or downstream water level control with a PID (proportional/integral/derivative) control algorithm. A small RTU (Remote Terminal Unit) stores the algorithm and controls the gate movements through a relay and switch box. A personal computer can be connected to display a graph of the water levels and gate position as the algorithm controls the water levels.

Additional Pictures

Photos of Typical Procedure for Packing and Shipping

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Last reviewed: 01/10/05