Search USGS⌕ Search

Geology topics

Winchell Smith

Publications and source records attributed to Winchell Smith.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2007

Application of an acoustic streamflow-measuring system on the Columbia River at The Dalles, Oregon

The need for accurate, independent records of flow on the Columbia River at The Dalles, Oregon, has been met by the installation of an acoustic streamflow-measuring system. This device provides an index of the velocity of flow by measuring the difference in traveltimes of acoustic pulses transmitted through the water in each direction along a diagonal path across the river. The flow of water along the path increases the speed of one signal and retards the speed of the other. The difference in time of travel is related linearly to the water velocity along the path. Installation of the system, which is the first application of an acoustic flowmeter in a large natural channel, was completed in April 1969. It has been in continuous operation since that date. The velocity index and water-surface elevation are used as a two-variable index in the computation of flow. These variables, correlated against current-meter measurements made by use of specialized boat equipment, provide a reliable basis for computations of instantaneous and daily mean discharges.

Oregon↗
USGS1983

Acoustic systems for the measurement of streamflow

The acoustic velocity meter (AVM), also referred to as an ultrasonic flowmeter, has been an operational tool for the measurement of streamflow since 1965. Very little information is available concerning AVM operation, performance, and limitations. The purpose of this report is to consolidate information in such a manner as to provide a better understanding about the application of this instrumentation to streamflow measurement. AVM instrumentation is highly accurate and nonmechanical. Most commercial AVM systems that measure streamflow use the time-of-travel method to determine a velocity between two points. The systems operate on the principle that point-to-point upstream travel-time of sound is longer than the downstream travel-time, and this difference can be monitored and measured accurately by electronics. AVM equipment has no practical upper limit of measurable velocity if sonic transducers are securely placed and adequately protected. AVM systems used in streamflow measurement generally operate with a resolution of ?0.01 meter per second but this is dependent on system frequency, path length, and signal attenuation. In some applications the performance of AVM equipment may be degraded by multipath interference, signal bending, signal attenuation, and variable streamline orientation. Presently used minicomputer systems, although expensive to purchase and maintain, perform well. Increased use of AVM systems probably will be realized as smaller, less expensive, and more conveniently operable microprocessor-based systems become readily available. Available AVM equipment should be capable of flow measurement in a wide variety of situations heretofore untried. New signal-detection techniques and communication linkages can provide additional flexibility to the systems so that operation is possible in more river and estuary situations.

Water Supply Paper↗
USGS1971

The acoustic streamflow-measuring system on the Columbia River at The Dalles, Oregon

Records of discharge on the Columbia River at The Dalles, Oreg., are vital to the management of the complex water-development projects in the Columbia River basin. Accurate discharge figures are needed for consistent day-to-day management and are required to meet treaty obligations with Canada. Because dams have been erected that completely control watersurface elevations at nearly all points in the river from Bonneville Dam to the Canadian border, conventional stream-gaging methods, used historically, are no longer adequate. Consequently, new techniques must be used to obtain the accurate discharge records required--records that are computed independently from the hydroelectric operation logs and that stand alone as the recognized flow records in the basin. This need for an accurate, independent gaging system has been met by the installation of an acoustic streamflow-measuring system in the river channel at The Dalles, Oreg. This device provides an index of water velocity by measuring the difference in traveltimes of acoustic pulses transmitted through the water in each direction along a diagonal path across the river. The flow of water along the path increases the speed of one signal and retards the speed of the other. The difference in time of travel is related linearly to the water velocity along the path. The velocity index and river stage are used as a two-variable index in the computation of flow. These variables, correlated against current-meter measurements made with specialized boat equipment, provide a reliable basis for computations of instantaneous and daily mean discharges. Installation of this sytem, which is the first application of an AVM (acoustic velocity meter) in a large natural channel, was completed in April 1969. It has been in continuous operation since that date. Performance has been satisfactory, and similar installations at other key points in the Columbia River basin are now under consideration. This paper covers the general theory behind acoustic velocity meters, tracing development from earlier concepts to the present commercially available system. Conclusions are that the AVM can now be considered as an operational instrument which permits accurate gaging of river discharge at many sites where conventional stream-gaging procedures have proved to be unreliable.

Oregon↗
USGS1971

Techniques and equipment required for precise stream gaging in tide-affected fresh-water reaches of the Sacramento River, California

Current-meter measurements of high accuracy will be required for calibration of an acoustic flow-metering system proposed for installation in the Sacramento River at Chipps Island in California. This report presents an analysis of the problem of making continuous accurate current-meter measurements in this channel where the flow regime is changing constantly in response to tidal action. Gaging-system requirements are delineated, and a brief description is given of the several applicable techniques that have been developed by others. None of these techniques provides the accuracies required for the flowmeter calibration. A new system is described--one which has been assembled and tested in prototype and which will provide the matrix of data needed for accurate continuous current-meter measurements. Analysis of a large quantity of data on the velocity distribution in the channel of the Sacramento River at Chipps Island shows that adequate definition of the velocity can be made during the dominant flow periods--that is, at times other than slack-water periods--by use of current meters suspended at elevations 0.2 and 0.8 of the depth below the water surface. However, additional velocity surveys will be necessary to determine whether or not small systematic corrections need be applied during periods of rapidly changing flow. In the proposed system all gaged parameters, including velocities, depths, position in the stream, and related times, are monitored continuously as a boat moves across the river on the selected cross section. Data are recorded photographically and transferred later onto punchcards for computer processing. Computer programs have been written to permit computation of instantaneous discharges at any selected time interval throughout the period of the current meter measurement program. It is anticipated that current-meter traverses will be made at intervals of about one-half hour over periods of several days. Capability of performance for protracted periods was, consequently, one of the important elements in system design. Analysis of error sources in the proposed system indicates that errors in individual computed discharges can be kept smaller than 1.5 percent if the expected precision in all measured parameters is maintained.

Water Supply Paper↗
USGS1969

Feasibility study of the use of the acoustic velocity meter for measurement of net outflow from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in California

A reliable measure of the fresh-water outflow from the Sacramento-San Joaquin delta is needed for the operation of the California Water Project and for the evaluation of the interrelated water problems of the delta and San Francisco Bay regions. The Chipps Island channel, immediately downstream from the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers, is the most promising site for this flow measurement, but the conventional techniques used for evaluating steady flows cannot be employed there because the channel reach is in the tidal zone, and reversals of flow occur during each tidal cycle. Net outflows, which may be as little-as 2,000 cubic feet per second must necessarily be computed as the difference between the large ebbflow and floodflow volumes that move back and forth between the delta region and San Francisco Bay. Discharges during peak periods of the ebb and flood tidal cycles may exceed 300,000 cubic feet per second. In consequence, a very high degree of precision must be maintained in the gross flow measurements if meaningful computations of net outflow are to be made. This report evaluates the probable accuracies that might be achieved by use of an AVM (acoustic velocity meter), a device which measures the stream velocity along a diagonal line across the channel. The study indicates that this line velocity will provide a stable index of the mean velocity in the channel and that such an index could be used as a primary parameter for the computation of discharge. Therefore, net outflows probably could be computed with the required accuracy by the use of such a device. The significant factors controlling the precision of measurement would be the stability of the channel geometry and streamline orientation, the precision with which the current-meter measurements needed for calibration of the system could be made, the instrumental calibration stability of the AVM system, and the length of period over which net outflows were computed. The AVM system developed by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the California Department of Water Resources and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers does not have the required instrumental stability for this precise flow measurement. However, other AVM systems now being produced commercially seem to have the desired error characteristics, and a system probably can be procured that will permit computation of the fresh-water outflow from the delta area.

Water Supply Paper↗
USGS1965

Study of intake lag in conventional stream gaging stilling wells

This study investigated the relation between lag, or head loss (h L ), in a typical stilling-well intake system of a stream-gaging station and rate of change of stage (ΔH/Δt) of the stream. The purpose of the study was to define such a relation in general terms and thus provide a rational procedure for intake design. The relation between head loss and rate change of stage was determined by isolating the effects of the various components in the intake system, so that equations could be derived that enable one to compute the head loss in an intake system composed of any combination of these components. In the derivation of the equations steady-state flow conditions were assumed, and the components considered were those most commonly used in Geological Survey gaging stations--static tubes, 3-way steamcock valvles, and side-outlet tees.

Open-File Report↗