KB5025 - Hydraulics and Hydrology

The module will include a range of learning materials such as presentations, notes, seminar questions for you to answer, and other resources such as video links, spreadsheets and specific software-related files. All these resources will be arranged in a convenient learning journey, giving you a clear expectation of the material to be studied and tasks to be completed on a week-by-week basis. You will be expected to complete the appropriate tasks in your weekly journey before attending programmed sessions. You will take part in lectures to develop your knowledge and understanding of the module material and in seminars, where you will learn to apply the concepts learned to engineering problems. You will participate in practical classes to further cement your learning of theoretical principles and to research relevant physical phenomena. You will attend IT workshops where you will have the opportunity to apply computer modelling solutions to problems. There may be occasions within the semester where normal teaching will be suspended to allow your learning to be supplemented by a range of activities such as design workshops, guest presentations, professional body events, site visits and field work.

Support will include feedback from tutors during seminars, lectures, and practical sessions to clarify and deepen your understanding of the module material. In addition, tutors will use the University’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) to provide electronic versions of module material. The University’s VLE offers remote access to materials and aids for reinforcing your learning. All of these support mechanisms and learning and teaching approaches will help to you to prepare for the assessments and prepare you for further learning in the programme.

The module and the wider programme teams will provide a supportive approach, enabling you to quickly and easily access and speak to any member of the programme team, as required.The University Library and other student services also offer a variety of academic skills training both online and face to face, which you can access as needed.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:
1. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of open channel flow and the concepts of uniform and critical flow and the analysis of flow conditions.
2. Discuss the hydrological cycle, its associated processes and the collection of hydrological data.
3. Demonstrate knowledge of the sustainability issues associated with flooding while also being able to use hydrological data to identify flood risk and demonstrate the application of hydraulic and hydrological routing methods.


Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
4. Demonstrate knowledge and application of the appropriate analysis/experimental techniques to assess and design simple hydraulic systems

Formative Assessments
You will be formatively assessed on all learning outcomes throughout the module, with informal assessment and review practices integrated into the structured seminar programme and workshops in order to assist your development and preparation for summative assessment. Feedback and guidance will be provided by academic staff during the seminar and workshop sessions.

Summative Assessment
You will be summatively assessed by Coursework and Examination.

Coursework: The coursework will consist of a report of up to 2500 words equivalent, covering MLO 4 and will be worth 30% of the module marks.
You will receive individual feedback with marks and comments for this assignment. Your feedback will give generic consideration of your work, highlighting those areas that you completed successfully and those not so successfully. The intention will be to inform your future coursework and to clarify points of learning that have not been fully assimilated

Examination: The examination will assess your ability to satisfy MLOs 1, 2 and 3. It will be of 2.5 hours duration and be worth 70% of the module marks. Feedback on this will feed into future assessments as well as supporting your future learning.

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Civil engineering hydraulics includes the engineering of pipe systems such as water supply and drainage and of open channel flows such as rivers and irrigation channels, all of which are vital to human society and the natural environment. Hydrology is the science of water resource management, covering how to predict the amount of water which can be captured and stored for uses, understanding how water moves through the environment, as well as understanding the occurrence and effects of extreme events such as floods and droughts. The module will be based around a simplified design problem, requiring you to study the underlying theoretical principles and then apply them to realistic scenarios. Lectures will highlight the key issues, and work on the design problems will be supported by seminar sessions. The programmed sessions such as laboratory demonstrations and practical classes, will allow you to experience key phenomena at first hand. There may also be the opportunity for field trip/s to further reinforce learning of topics such as the basics of catchment characterization and stream flow measurement. The module will introduce you to much of the work carried out by civil engineers employed in the water industry. Assessment in this module is through a combination of coursework and examination. Supportive individual feedback will be provided for each assessment which will identify areas of merit and offer guidance for future improvement.