96962 - Environmental Hydraulics and Hydrology

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student will acquire the fundamentals of hydraulics, hydrostatics and hydrodynamics of both closed conduits (pipes) and open channels (rivers and streams). The student will learn also about sediment transport, hydrographic basins characterization, hydrological processes and flood hydrology.

Course contents

Educational requirements

The student who accesses this course must have good knowledge of mathematics and physics, as well as be familiar with the use of electronic (eg. Excel) and video-writing (eg. Word) tools.

Unit 1 – Environmental hydraulics (18 hours)

• Introduction - Fundamentals of hydraulics, fundamental physical quantities and units.
• Hydrostatics - Physical properties of fluids; Stevin's law; energy grade line; flow pressure devices; hydrostatic pressure distribution; hydrostatic force on plane surfaces; calculation of the center of pressure.
• Hydrodynamics - Types of fluid flow; Bernoulli's principle and continuity equation for ideal and real fluids.
• Hydraulics of closed conduit systems- Fluid flow regimes; pressure and flow rate meters; friction and local losses in pipe systems; hydraulic grade line and energy line.
• Hydraulics of open channel systems - Uniform flow; construction features of open channels; design and flow rate calculation; correlation curves between flows and water levels; specific energy of water flow; mild and steep open channels; hydraulic jump; gradually varied flow and flow surface profiles (subcritical flow to supercritical flow due to slope variation; water flow over a weir; water flow between bridge piers, water flow under a floodgate in mild and steep open channels); channel bed erosion due to bridge piers.

Acquired skills in unit 1

The student will be able to recognize fluid characteristics and properties. The student will also be able to study the fluids at rest as well as the fluids in motion in both closed conduits and open channels. The student will also be able to classify flow surface profiles in open channel systems.

Unit 2 – Tutorial session (12 hours)

• Hydrostatics - Exercises on hydrostatic pressure distribution and analysis of forces on plane surfaces; calculation of the center of pressure.
• Open channel systems - Design and verification exercises.

Acquired skills in unit 2

The student will be able to apply the hydrostatics principles and analyse forces to solve problems in fluids at rest. The student will also be able to design and verify the open channel systems.

Unit 3 – Environmental hydrology (15 hours)

• Introduction - Fundamentals of hydrology; hydrological cycle components: precipitation, evaporation and evapotranspiration.
• Characteristics of watersheds and streams – Water balance; definition of watershed; hydrographic network; hypsographic curve; stream representation (planimetries, longitudinal profiles, cross-sections); and streams classification.
• Hydrological information - Instruments and methods for measuring hydrological variables; sources of information.
• Introduction to probability theory and statistics - Probability definitions; estimation of parameters and hydrological variables; statistical tests, probability distributions.
• Flood hydrology: fundamentals of statistics; pluviometry; runoff and streamflows; peak flow estimation.
• Sediment transport in open channels, rivers and streams.

Acquired skills in unit 3

The student will know the main proccesses involved in the hydrological cycle. The student will also be familiar with hydrological information with particular emphasis on application aspects related to the environmental hydrology sector.

Unit 4 – Tutorial session (15 hours)

• Hydrology - Runoff and peak flow estimation; statistical analysis of precipitation.

Acquired skills in unit 4

The student will be able to elaborate hydrological data and to estimate runoff and peak flow.

Readings/Bibliography

• Slide provided by the professor
• FERRO V. (2013). Elementi di idraulica e idrologia: per le scienze agrarie, ambientali e forestali – McGraw-Hill.
• CITRINI D., NOSEDA G. (2009). Idraulica – Casa Editrice Ambrosiana Milano.
• MOISELLO U., Idrologia tecnica, La Goliardica Pavese, Pavia, 1997.

Teaching methods

The course is divided into four units. Unit 1 and 3 are theoretical and are preparatory to face the practical units 2 and 4, respectively. The course will include lectures and tutorial sessions, and will be supported by the provision of slides. Students are invited to follow the lessons, which could include group work activities during the tutorial sessions.

Assessment methods

The verification of the learning consists in an oral examination and it will focus on all the units of the course. The student will be asked to answer questions of a theoretical and practical-applicative nature. During the examination, the student can be asked to solve short problems as addressed during the tutorial sessions.

Students wishing to take the examination in English are allowed; in this case a communication is needed in advance.

Teaching tools

Slide, blackboard, computer, teaching material.

Office hours

See the website of Giuseppe Mancuso