Blog

We often talk about how OCF tried to sweat the small things.  One of the items that we have focused on is our flow meter sensor mounting brackets.  Many of the designs currently on the market show, what we believe to be, a "good enough" philosophy - that the brackets…

The freeboard is the difference in height between the top of a flume or weir and the highest water level anticipated. Freeboard is a guard against overtopping by waves, unexpected rises in the water level, or miscalculation in the maximum anticipated flows.  Freeboard is…

During periods of rapid water level change, the level in a stilling well may lag behind those in the channel that it is measuring.  This phenomenon is known as stilling well lag and is a result of head loss in the intake system. Stilling well lag may occur when the water…

One problem that we see again and again is how to measure open channel flow in partially full pipes.  For applications where a device can extend off the end of the pipe a number of solutions are used, including:  California pipe (which is extends  vertically up…

For industries required to measure and / or sample their effluents prior to discharging to a municipal sewer system or surface water, finding sufficient area to install a primary device can be a struggle.  In many instances, it is difficult to find a site that provides…

Of all of Openchannelflow's products, our Weir Boxes receive the most calls for customization; more so than our flumes, manholes, or even equipment shelters.  Some of the customization possible includes:   Materials of construction Flow capacity  Flow…

The typical bracket used to mount an ultrasonic sensor over a flume or weir is a contractor fabricated one-off assembly.  These assemblies often mount the ultrasonic sensor too high, too close to the flume / weir sidewall, or aren't sufficiently rigid - making accurate…

Openchannelflow offers bolt-down covers as an option for flumes and weirs in fiberglass, Lexan, galvanized / stainless steel.  The covers are suitable whether the flume or weir is above grade, below grade, or installed in a Packaged Metering Manhole.  For…

Packaged Metering Manholes (PMMs) factory integrate a flow measurement flume / weir into a fiberglass manhole to provide a complete, turn-key solution to monitor industrial and municipal flows.  Openchannelflow Packaged Metering Manholes come complete and ready for…

The Iowa Institute of Hydraulic Research has posted an excerpt of one of their older videos, Fluid Motion in a Gravitation Field:  Flow Over Weirs.  The video, developed with the support of the National Science Foundation, covers, among other things, the need for…

In its simplest form a Packaged Metering Manhole (PMM) consists of a primary device (typically a flume or weir) molded into a fiberglass (FRP) manhole.  By directly factory integrating the primary device, a single-piece, drop in-place flow monitoring solution is…