River flow measurement technology - WSKEP
Transcript of River flow measurement technology - WSKEP
![Page 1: River flow measurement technology - WSKEP](https://reader031.fdocuments.us/reader031/viewer/2022021009/6203ad74da24ad121e4c2f83/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
River flow measurement technology Working with monitoring teams to improve efficiency and data
quality........
Nick Everard – Technical Adviser, Hydro-Acoustics
Environment Agency, United Kingdom
Chinese Ministry of Water Resources, October 11th 2013
![Page 2: River flow measurement technology - WSKEP](https://reader031.fdocuments.us/reader031/viewer/2022021009/6203ad74da24ad121e4c2f83/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
• 26 years experience working in
Hydrometry
• 6 years with Head Office team
• Leader on hydro-acoustic
technologies and techniques
“Improving river flow
measurement through”:
• Training and guidance
• Technical standards
• Equipment testing and
development
• Software testing and
development
• Liaison with manufacturers
• International liaison
Nick Everard
![Page 3: River flow measurement technology - WSKEP](https://reader031.fdocuments.us/reader031/viewer/2022021009/6203ad74da24ad121e4c2f83/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
Water security
If you don’t know how much water
you have, you can’t plan what to
do with it
River discharge and Water Security
![Page 4: River flow measurement technology - WSKEP](https://reader031.fdocuments.us/reader031/viewer/2022021009/6203ad74da24ad121e4c2f83/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
River flow gauging
transformed...
From this..........
From current meters to ADCPs
To this..........
..in just 15 years
![Page 5: River flow measurement technology - WSKEP](https://reader031.fdocuments.us/reader031/viewer/2022021009/6203ad74da24ad121e4c2f83/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
15 years ago, river gauging was tough.....
…It takes a long time.
I’m cold and wet and I
don’t know the results
until I’ve finished
And its scary
standing here over
the water …..
![Page 6: River flow measurement technology - WSKEP](https://reader031.fdocuments.us/reader031/viewer/2022021009/6203ad74da24ad121e4c2f83/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
Gauging required many
people and took a long time
Caused obstruction to
pedestrians….
And river users…..
Cable
across river
And it wasn’t much better
on big rivers…….
Often, only one site gauged
in a day, with 4-5 people
![Page 7: River flow measurement technology - WSKEP](https://reader031.fdocuments.us/reader031/viewer/2022021009/6203ad74da24ad121e4c2f83/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
Acoustic
Doppler
Current
Profiler
Then came ADCPs!
Efficiency much improved:
• 4-6 sites in a day
• 2 or 3 people Environment Agency
Gauging was safer,
easier and nicer
Introduced to Environment
Agency in 2002
• Pulses of sound measure
water speed and depth
• Now we have a complete
picture of flows in river
• Quicker (10 minutes!)
• Safer
• More accurate
• Fewer people required
![Page 8: River flow measurement technology - WSKEP](https://reader031.fdocuments.us/reader031/viewer/2022021009/6203ad74da24ad121e4c2f83/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
And put people at risk,
on the water…….
This had disadvantages:
• Transporting boat (trailer)
• Boat driver training
• Trailer driver training
But often we still had to use
manned boats
.........and.......
• Boat servicing
• Trailer servicing
• Launching boat……
![Page 9: River flow measurement technology - WSKEP](https://reader031.fdocuments.us/reader031/viewer/2022021009/6203ad74da24ad121e4c2f83/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
A collaboration between the
EA and HR Wallingford.
Optimised to Environment
Agency needs.
So we developed a remote control
ADCP boat..... The ARC-Boat
20 now is use, in
all EA regions Now selling
around the world
![Page 10: River flow measurement technology - WSKEP](https://reader031.fdocuments.us/reader031/viewer/2022021009/6203ad74da24ad121e4c2f83/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
RC boats benefits
• Quicker
• Safer
• Reduced manpower
• Improved data
• Gauge where you want to,
not just where the bridge is
****Save you money****
Opens up new applications for
your ADCPs (the big growth
area for ADCP use....?)
![Page 11: River flow measurement technology - WSKEP](https://reader031.fdocuments.us/reader031/viewer/2022021009/6203ad74da24ad121e4c2f83/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
Weirpool survey, River
Thames near Oxford
Goes where we don’t want to.....
Post-flood survey, Cumbria
Nasty, foamy mess, Nottingham
![Page 12: River flow measurement technology - WSKEP](https://reader031.fdocuments.us/reader031/viewer/2022021009/6203ad74da24ad121e4c2f83/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
A field
Get measurements you couldn’t
get before.......
The river
RC boat cruised
across river and field.
Highest ever
gauging at this site
20% of total flow
not in river.
![Page 13: River flow measurement technology - WSKEP](https://reader031.fdocuments.us/reader031/viewer/2022021009/6203ad74da24ad121e4c2f83/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
Move away from just ‘what is the
flow?’
to
‘What does that flow look like? How
does it influence morphology and
ecology? Will it support fish?’
More than just discharge
![Page 14: River flow measurement technology - WSKEP](https://reader031.fdocuments.us/reader031/viewer/2022021009/6203ad74da24ad121e4c2f83/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
Surveys for:
• Fish passage
• Hydro-power
• Water Framework Directive
• Dredging (navigation)
• Reservoir Act
• River channel enhancements
• Flow measurement sites
(Index velocity, transit time)
A survey solution
ADCP
+ remote control boat
+ high accuracy GPS
=
A great solution for
bathymetry and velocity
surveys
![Page 15: River flow measurement technology - WSKEP](https://reader031.fdocuments.us/reader031/viewer/2022021009/6203ad74da24ad121e4c2f83/html5/thumbnails/15.jpg)
• Information exchanges
• Training
• Instrumentation testing
• Software tools
• RC Boats
• Discussion groups (e-mail) We can all learn from
each other.......
Working with ADCPs:
Collaborating nationally
and internationally A strong community of
expertise, in the EA
and internationally
![Page 16: River flow measurement technology - WSKEP](https://reader031.fdocuments.us/reader031/viewer/2022021009/6203ad74da24ad121e4c2f83/html5/thumbnails/16.jpg)
Started 2011.
Developing expert users in all regions...
....and sharing with other agencies • Training workshops
• Equipment and software
testing
• Local guidance and leadership
• Managing the equipment
(service, repair, updates etc)
ADCP Technical leads
![Page 17: River flow measurement technology - WSKEP](https://reader031.fdocuments.us/reader031/viewer/2022021009/6203ad74da24ad121e4c2f83/html5/thumbnails/17.jpg)
• 50 ADCP systems tested
• Staff from all Environment Agency
regions
• Co-ordinated by Head Office
ADCP Performance Testing:
ADCP Regatta
Also, invited guests from:
• SEPA (Scotland)
• OPW (Ireland)
• SMHI (Sweden)
• NVE (Norway)
Making sure the instruments report flow correctly
Even the ADCP
manufacturers attend.
A great opportunity to
influence.
![Page 18: River flow measurement technology - WSKEP](https://reader031.fdocuments.us/reader031/viewer/2022021009/6203ad74da24ad121e4c2f83/html5/thumbnails/18.jpg)
ADCP Performance Testing
Even the ADCP manufacturers
attend.
A great opportunity to influence.
Jim Rogers, head of Water Resources
products, Teledyne RD Instruments, USA
Soon after the event, changes
made to software –
communications with ADCPs
much improved.
Hydro-Logic, UK
NVE, Norway
SMHI, Sweden
RDI, USA
OPW, Ireland
SEPA, Scotland
ADCP Performance Test 2012
A truly international event.......
And 30 Environment Agency
ADCP experts
![Page 19: River flow measurement technology - WSKEP](https://reader031.fdocuments.us/reader031/viewer/2022021009/6203ad74da24ad121e4c2f83/html5/thumbnails/19.jpg)
Training for
• EA Hydrometry staff
and overseas agencies:
• Norway
• Sweden
• Ireland
• Scotland
ADCP Training SMHI, Sweden 2011
Internal training delivery:
• Saves money
• Develops staff
• Boosts EA reputation
• Earns money (?!)
![Page 20: River flow measurement technology - WSKEP](https://reader031.fdocuments.us/reader031/viewer/2022021009/6203ad74da24ad121e4c2f83/html5/thumbnails/20.jpg)
River Wharfe, Yorkshire
Velocities in excess of 3
metres/second
Any questions?
Environment Agency