Water Velocity Measurements in Open Channels Using Volumetric Current Meter (VCM)

Abstract

An innovative Volumetric Current Meter (VCM) was designed in order to allow quick velocity measurements in open channels. At first, the coefficient of velocity (<em>C_v</em>) of the device was determined through calibration under different water velocities in the laboratory. The measurement performance was verified by measurements performed in similar flows in irrigation channels using an ordinary current meter. The obtained results showed that the new device can be used to measure the discharge with an acceptable precision (RMSE and MAD equal to 5.353% and 0.027, respectively compared to a digital flow meter). It was shown that velocity computation by using this device will result in a lower precision in higher water velocities.