Investigation of flow properties in natural streams using the entropy concept

This paper examines the discharge and velocity distributions in natural open channel flows using the entropy theory. Flow measurements were carried out at four different cross-sections in central Turkey. The mean and maximum velocities at these stations exhibited a linear distribution and the entropy parameter was calculated to be M=1.31. Using this value, discharges for all flow conditions were calculated as a function of the measured maximum velocities (umax). It was observed that the umax/H and zmax/H ratios remained relatively constant when 0.2=y/T=0.8, especially for the wider channels. Using these constant values for each station, umax and zmax could be determined solely as a function of the water depth H. Although the calculated velocities were higher than those measured at some verticals, the entropy-based approach presents an attractive alternative to the traditional flow-measurement techniques for the determination of flow properties because of its simplicity and quick application