A flume is a human-made watercourse, in the form of an open declined gravity chute whose walls are raised above the surrounding terrain, in contrast to a trench or ditch.
Many flumes took the form of wooden troughs elevated on trestle support, often following the natural contours of the land. Originating as a part of a mill race, they were later used in the transportation of logs in the logging industry, known as a log flume. They were also extensively used in hydraulic mining and working for gold, tin and other heavy minerals.
Etymology
The term
flume comes from the Old French word
flum, from the Latin
flumen, meaning a river. It was formerly used for a stream, and particularly for the tail of a
mill race. It is used in America for a very narrow gorge running between precipitous rocks, with a stream at the bottom, but more frequently is applied to an artificial channel of wood or other material for the diversion of a stream of water from a river for purposes of irrigation, for running a sawmill, or for various processes in the hydraulic method of gold-mining.
Types of flumes
Millrace
A diversionary flume is used to transfer water from one body to another, such as between two reservoirs.
Log flume
Log flumes use the flow of water to carry cut logs and timber downhill, sometimes many miles, to either a sawmill or location for further transport.
Flow measurement flume
Some varieties of flumes are used in measuring water flow of a larger channel. When used to measure the flow of water in open channels, a flume is defined as a specially shaped, fixed hydraulic structure that under free-flow conditions forces flow to accelerate in such a manner that the flow rate through the flume can be characterized by a level-to-flow relationship as applied to a single head (level) measurement within the flume. Acceleration is accomplished through a convergence of the sidewalls, a change in floor elevation, or a combination of the two.
[ Flumes, Openchannelflow.com]
Flow measurement flumes typically consist of a converging section, a throat section, and a diverging section. Not all sections, however, need to be present. In the case of the Cutthroat flume, the converging section directly joins the diverging section, resulting in a throat section of no length (hence the term "Cutthroat"). Other flumes omit the diverging section (Montana, USGS Portable Parshall, and HS / H / HL flumes).[ Sections of a Flume - Their Location and Function, Openchannelflow.com]
Flumes offer distinct advantages over sharp-crested weirs:
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For the same control width, the head loss for a flume is about one-fourth of that needed to operate a sharp-crested weir
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The velocity of approach is part of the calibration equations for flumes
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Unauthorized altering of the dimensions of constructed flumes is difficult (and therefore unlikely)
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Most flume styles readily allow for the passage of sedimentation and floating debris – reducing the time and effort associated with maintaining a flume installation
Styles of flow measurement flumes include: Cutthroat flume, HS / H / HL-type, Khafagi, montana flume, RBC, Parshall flume, Palmer-Bowlus, Trapezoidal, and Venturi Flume.
Navigable canal flume
In some nineteenth-century canals, a bypass flume diverted water around a lift lock from the
Canal pound above to the level below the lock, so that the level below would have sufficient water.
[ p. 270]
Recreational flumes
In competitive swimming, specialized flumes with transparent sides are often employed by coaches to analyze a swimmer's technique. The speed of the flow is variable to accommodate the full spectrum of swimming styles and ability.
Gallery
Flume, Hafren Forest - geograph.org.uk - 228904.jpg|Measuring flume in the UK
Gold Creek, AK, with pipe.jpg|Flume outflow
Creek diversion above the southern portal of Woy Woy tunnel.jpg|A temporary flume in New South Wales
See also
Further reading
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http://www.openchannelflow.com/blog/article/sections-of-a-flume-their-location-and-function Sections of a Flume - Their Location and Function
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http://www.openchannelflow.com/blog/article/anatomy-of-a-flume Anatomy of a Flume
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External links
