CEG8102 : Introduction to Practical Hydraulics
- Offered for Year: 2025/26
- Module Leader(s): Professor Adam Jarvis
- Lecturer: Dr Manuel Herrera, Professor Thomas Curtis, Dr Vassilis Glenis
- Owning School: Engineering
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 10 |
| ECTS Credits: | 5.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
A sound understanding of practical hydraulics, i.e., the physics of water, has always been useful for
those working in the water industry and / or whose work involves the water environment. Therefore, all who enter the industry should be aware of the physical properties and behaviour of water. For example, environmental design is often underpinned by physical factors rather than biological or chemical phenomena. However, many people who now enter the water sector are unaware of, and even intimidated by, hydraulic principles that are extremely useful. This course is designed to be an accessible and practical introduction to this area. It will introduce the founding concepts of hydraulics and show how they can be applied to problems in drainage, sewers, pipelines, water supply systems, and the specification of pumps. It will also introduce hydraulic concepts as they apply to open channel flow (i.e. streams, rivers and channels), including techniques for the measurement of flow (discharge), and will briefly introduce groundwater hydraulics.
Outline Of Syllabus
Conceptual basics: Statics, the conservation of mass and energy (Bernoulli's equation), ideal and non-ideal flow Reynolds number. Pipe Flow: Empirical and theoretical equations, simple pipes, branched networks, circular networks, flow measurement. Open channel flow: Uniform flow and Manning's equation, non-uniform flow, the design of drainage networks, and flow measurement. Pumps: Pump types, optimal selection and management. Network analysis: An introduction to hydraulic network optimization will be provided, using EPANET for water distribution systems. Assessed lab practicals: The results of practical classes on (1) friction loss in pipes and (2) flow measurement using sharp-crested weirs will form the basis of the coursework assignment for this module.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 16 | 1:00 | 16:00 | 16 x 1.0 hr lectures across the week |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 25:00 | 25:00 | Lab practical report interpreting results of 2 practical sessions in the lab |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 24:00 | 24:00 | Revision for and completion of final exam |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Practical | 3 | 3:00 | 9:00 | 2 lab practicals, 1 computer practical on EPANET |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 5 | 1:00 | 5:00 | Tutorials - Working sessions with demonstrators to assist in solving practice calculations |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 1 | 21:00 | 21:00 | N/A |
| Total | 100:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Basic principles will be provided in the lectures and physical practice provided in laboratory. Problem solving ability and confidence will be built up in the tutorials and through independent study, which will be followed up with face-to-face tutorials, workshop activity, and practicals. Practical activity includes work with EPANET software in the computer cluster and guided desk-based problem-solving sessions on pipe flow, open channel flow and groundwater flow. The exam and lab report will be used to revise, reinforce and apply learned materials from the lectures.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Exams
| Description | Length | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written Examination | 120 | 1 | A | 60 | An exam assessing quantitative work |
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | 1 | M | 40 | Submitted report on the interpretation of results from two lab practicals. |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The exam assesses the students’ ability to perform hydraulic calculations in practical problems and qualitative knowledge related to professional elements of the class (M1, 2, 3, 5, 6). The report assesses the ability to write a report, perform hydraulic calculations and apply knowledge gained in the lectures to interpret results (M1, 2, 3, 4, 12).
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- CEG8102's Timetable