Engineering Hydrology

(ECIV 4323)

CHAPTER 6:
Hydrographs
Instructor:

Prof. Dr. Yunes Mogheir

2020

-1
Introduction
 Previous Chapter estimation of
long-term runoff was examined

 the present chapter examines in

detail the short-term runoff
phenomenon by the storm
hydrograph or flood hydrograph or
simply Hydrograph

 The runoff measured at the

stream-gauging station will give a
typical hydrograph as shown in
Fig. 6.1
- The flood hydrograph is formed as
a result of uniform rainfall of
duration, D,. over a catchment.

- The Hydrograph (Figure 6.1) has

three characteristic regions:
(i) the rising limb AB, joining point
A, the starting point of the rising
curve and point B, the point of
inflection,
(ii) the crest segment BC between
the two points of inflection with a
peak P in between,
(iii) the falling limb or depletion
curve CD starting from the second
point of inflection C.
Factor Influencing the Hydrograph:

- Generally, the climatic factors control the

rising limb
- Catchment characteristics determine the
recession limb
The shape of the basin: influences the time taken for water from the remote parts
of the catchment to arrive at the outlet. Thus the occurrence of the peak and hence
the shape of the hydrograph are affected by the basin shape. Fan-shaped, i.e.
nearly semi-circular shaped catchments give high peak and narrow hydrographs
while elongated catchments give broad and low-peaked hydrographs.

SIZE:
•The peak discharge is less in small catchment.
•The time base of the hydrographs from larger basins will be larger than
those of corresponding hydrographs from smaller basins.
•The duration of the surface runoff from the time of occurrence of the peak
will be higher in large catchments.
SLOPE:
• Large stream slopes give rise to quicker depletion of storage and hence result in
steeper recession limbs of hydrographs. This would obviously result in a smaller
time base.

• The basin slope is important in small catchments where the overland flow is
relatively more important. In such cases the steeper slope of the catchment results
in larger peak discharges.

DRAINAGE DENSITY
•A large drainage density creates situation conducive
for quick disposal of runoff down the channels. This
fast response is reflected in a pronounced peaked
discharge.
•In basins with smaller drainage densities, the
overland flow is predominant and the resulting
hydrograph is squat with a slowly rising limb (Fig.
6.3).
6.3 COMPONENTS OF A HYDROGRAPH
the essential components of a hydrograph are:
(i) the rising limb,
(ii) the crest segment, and
(iii) the recession limb.
crest

Rising Falling limb

limb Inflection Point

Q (m3/s)
D.R.

baseflow

Time
Concentration Recession
curve curve
Rising Limb

 The rising limb of a hydrograph (concentration curve) represents the

increase in discharge due to the gradual building up of storage in
channels and over the catchment surface.
 As the storm continues more and more flow from distant parts reach
the basin outlet. At the same time the infiltration losses also decrease
with time.

Crest
 The peak flow occurs when the runoff from various parts of the
catchment at the same time contribute the maximum amount of flow
at the basin outlet.
 Generally for large catchments, the peak flow occurs after the end of
rainfall,
 the time interval from the centre of mass of rainfall to the peak being
essentially controlled by basin and storm characteristics.
Recession Limb
 It extends from the point of inflection at the end of the crest segment to
the start of the natural groundwater flow

 It represents the withdrawal of water from the storage built up in the

basin during the earlier phases of the hydrograph.

 The starting point of the recession limb (the point of inflection)

represents the condition of maximum storage.

 Since the depletion of storage takes place after the end of rainfall, the
shape of this part of the hydrograph is independent of storm
characteristics and depends entirely on the basin characteristics.

 The storage of water in the basin exists as

- surface storage, which includes both surface detention and
channel storage,
-interflow storage, and
-groundwater storage, i.e. base-flow storage.
 Barnes (1940) showed that the recession of a storage can be
expressed as

which Q0: the initial discharge and

Qt :are discharges at a time interval of t days;
K: is a recession constant of value less than unity.

 Previous Equation can also be expressed in an alternative form of the

exponential decay as

where a =-In K,

 The recession constant K; can be considered to be made up of three

components to take care of the three types of storages as:
K= Krs . Kri . Krb

where Krs = recession constant for surface storage (0.05 to 0.20),

Example
Kri= recession constant for interflow (0.50 to 0.85) and
6.1
Krb = recession constant for base flow (0.85 to 0.99)
 6.4 Base Flow Separation
• In many hydrograph analyses a
relationship between the surface flow
hydrograph and the effective rainfall
(i.e. rainfall minus losses) is sought to
be established.
• The surface flow hydrograph is
obtained from the total storm
hydrograph by separating the quick-
response flow from the slow response
runoff. It is usual to consider the
interflow.

• The base flow is to be deducted

from the total storm hydrograph to
obtain the surface flow hydrograph
in three methods
METHODS OF BASE-FLOW SEPARATION

Method I: Straight line method

- Draw a horizontal line from start of runoff to intersection
with recession limb (Point A).
- Extend from time of peak to intersect with recession limb
using a lag time, N.
N =0.83 A0.2
Where: A = the drainage area
in Km2 and N = days where
Point B can be located and
determine the end of
the direct runoff .
 Method II:
- In this method the base flow
curve existing prior to the
beginning of the surface runoff is
extended till it intersects the
ordinate drawn at the peak
(point C in Fig, 6.5). This point is
joined to point B by a straight
Q
line. N
B
A

- Segment AC and CB separate C

the base flow and surface runoff. time

- This is probably the most widely

used base-flow separation
procedure.
 Method III
- In this method the base flow recession
curve after the depletion of the flood
water is extended backwards till it
intersects the ordinate at the point of
inflection (line EF in Fig. 6.5), Points A
and F are joined by an arbitrary
smooth curve.
- This method of base-flow separation is
realistic in situations where the
groundwater contributions are
significant and reach the stream
quickly.
- The selection of anyone of the three
methods depends upon the local
practice and successful predictions
achieved in the past.
- The surface runoff hydrograph
obtained after the base-flow separation
is also known as direct runoff
hydrograph (DRH).
 6.5 EFFECTIVE RAINFALL
- Figure 6.6. show, the hyetograph of a
storm. The initial loss and infiltration
losses are subtracted from it. The
resulting hyetograph is known' as
effective rainfall hyetograph (ERH). It
is also known as hyetograph of rainfall
excess or supra rainfall.

- Both DRH and ERH represent the

same Total quantity but in different
units

- ERH is usually in cm/h against time

- The area multiplied by the catchment

Area gives the total volume of
the direct runoff ( total area of DRH)
 6.6 UNIT HYDROGRAPH
• The problem of predicting the flood hydrograph resulting from a
known storm in a catchment has received considerable
attention. A large number of methods are pro- posed to solve
this problem and of them probably the most popular and widely
used method is the unit-hydrograph method.

• A unit hydrograph is defined as the hydrograph of direct

runoff resulting from one unit depth (1 cm) of rainfall excess
occurring uniformly over the basin and at a uniform rate for a
specified duration (D hours).

• The term unit here refers to a unit depth of rainfall excess

which is usually taken as 1 cm.

• The duration, being a very important characteristic, is used as

indication to a specific unit hydrograph. Thus one has a 6-h
unit hydrograph, 12-h unit hydrograph, etc. and in general
a D-h unit hydrograph applicable to a given catchment.
 The definition of a unit hydrograph implies the following:

- It relates only the direct runoff to the rainfall excess.

Hence the volume of water contained in the unit
hydrograph must be equal to the rainfall excess.

As 1 cm depth of rainfall excess is considered the area of

the unit hydrograph is equal to a volume given by 1cm
over the catchment.

- The rainfall is considered to have an average intensity of

excess rainfall (ER) of l/D cm/h for the duration D-h of the
storm.

- The distribution of the storm is considered to be uniform

all over the catchment.
- Fig 6.9 shows a typical 6-h unit hydrograph. Here the duration of the rainfall
excess is 6 h

Area under the

unit hydrograph
= 12.92 X 106 m3
Two basic assumptions constitute the foundations for the unit-
hydrograph theory:
(i) the time invariance and
(ii) the linear response.

Time Invariance

This first basic assumption is that the direct-runoff response to

a given effective rainfall in a catchment is time-invariant.
This implies that the DRH for a given ER in a catchment is
always the same irrespective of when it occurs.
Linear Response

- The direct-runoff response to the rainfall excess is

assumed to be linear. This is the most important
assumption of the unit-hydrograph theory.

- Linear response means that if an input xI (t) causes an

output yI (t) and an input .x2 (t) causes an output y2 (t),
then an input xl (t) +x2 (t) gives an output y1 (t) +y2(t).

- Consequently, if x2 (t) = r XI (t), then y2 (t) = r yI (t).

- Thus if the rainfall excess in a duration D is r times the

unit depth, the resulting DRH will have ordinates bearing
ratio r to those of the corresponding D-h unit hydrograph.
- Since the area of the resulting DRH should increase by
the ratio r, the base of the DRH will be the same as that
of the unit hydrograph.

- If two rainfall excess of D-h duration each occur

consecutively, their combined effect is obtained by
superposing the respective DRHs with due care being
taken to account for the proper sequence of events.
(The method of superposition )
- The desired ordinates of the DRH
are obtained by multiplying the
ordinates of the unit hydrograph by
a factor of 3.5 as in Table 6.3.
- Note that the time base of DRH is
not changed and remains the
same as that of the unit
hydrograph.
Application of U-Hydrograph
- D-h U-hydrograph and storm
hyetograph are available
- ERH is obtained by deducting the
losses
- ERH is divided by M blocks of D-h
duration
- Rainfall excesses is operated upon
unit hydrograph successively to
get different DHR curves
Solution of Ex.6.6
6.7Derivation of Unit Hydrographs
 The area under each DRH is evaluated and the volume of the direct
runoff obtained is divided by the catchment area to obtain the depth of
ER.
 The ordinates of the various DHRs are divided by the respective ER
values to obtain the ordinates of the unit hydrograph.
Solution of Example 6.7

- However, N =2.91 days is adopted for

convenience.
- A straight line joining A and B is taken as
the divide line for base-flow separation.
- The ordinates of DRH are obtained by
Subtracting the base flow from the ordinates of the storm hydrograph.
6.8 Unit Hydrographs of Different Duration
 Unit hydrograph are derived from simple isolated storms
and if the duration of the various storms do not differ two
much (20% D) >>>> make the average duration of D h.

 In practice the unit hydrographs of different duration are

needed (nD).

 Two methods are available

1. Method of Superposition
2. the S-Curve
6.8 Unit Hydrographs of Different Duration
 Unit hydrograph are derived from simple isolated storms
and if the duration of the various storms do not differ two
much (20% D) >>>> make the average duration of D h.

 In practice the unit hydrographs of different duration are

needed (nD).

 Two methods are available

1. Method of Superposition
2. the S-Curve
 1. Method of Superposition

 D-H unit duration is

available and it is
needed to make UH
of nDH, where n is
and integer
 Superposing n UH
with each graph
separated from the
previous one by
D h.
2- The S-Curve
Solve Example 6.9 by S-curve method
Solution of Example 6.9 by S-curve method