A Parshall flume is a type of

A Parshall flume is a type of

• A. Orifice
• B. Submerged nozzle
• C. Venturi
• D. Weir requiring free-fall discharge

Answer: (C)

A Parshall flume operates on Venturi principles. It has a converging section that narrows the channel, speeding up the water and lowering pressure in the throat. This change in velocity and pressure creates a predictable relationship between the upstream water depth (head) and the discharge. In open-channel flow, that head is measured in a stilling well or upstream chamber, and the discharge is calculated from the flume’s geometry. It’s not simply an orifice, not a submerged nozzle, and not a weir that relies on free-fall over a crest, so the Venturi-type description best fits how a Parshall flume meters flow.

A Parshall flume operates on Venturi principles. It has a converging section that narrows the channel, speeding up the water and lowering pressure in the throat. This change in velocity and pressure creates a predictable relationship between the upstream water depth (head) and the discharge. In open-channel flow, that head is measured in a stilling well or upstream chamber, and the discharge is calculated from the flume’s geometry. It’s not simply an orifice, not a submerged nozzle, and not a weir that relies on free-fall over a crest, so the Venturi-type description best fits how a Parshall flume meters flow.