Estimation of one-dimensional velocity distribution by measuring velocity at two points

The measurement of the velocity distribution and discharge in the open channels has always been an important issue in hydraulics. Unfortunately, flow measurement in the open channel is often expensive and sometimes produces poor results. There are many empirical methods to estimate the velocity distribution in a conduit, however, these methods are often applicable only to a narrow range of open channel conditions. In this paper, considering velocity as a random parameter, one-dimensional velocity distribution in open-channel has been derived based on the entropy concept and the principle of maximum entropy (POME). The entropy indexes (M, G, lambda(2) and lambda(*)) are important parameters in entropy method to estimate velocity distribution and discharge in a conduit. A new approach is presented in this work for estimating the entropy parameters based on two-point velocity measurements. The approach for estimating the entropy parameters is tested for laboratory observations and velocity distribution and discharge are determined using Shannon, Renyi and Tsallis entropy methods. The present approach has shown good agreement with measured data. Also, the results showed that Tsallis entropy method is more accurate than other forms of entropy and the calculated values of NRMSE for estimated velocity profile and discharge are 7.86 and 8.8% respectively, showing a good simulation.