Sediment transport formulae for compound channel flows

Nine sediment transport formulae were reviewed and applied to both inbank and overbank flows in straight and meandering compound channels. The predictive capabilities of the formulae were evaluated using experimental data obtained from the large-scale UK Flood Channel Facility and the small-scale Ulster Channel. The Yang formula (1979) was found to give the best prediction for sediment discharge, performing well for both straight and meandering channels. The Schoklitch (1962) and Yang and Lim (2003) formulae also gave very good predictions for most of the data sets studied. The Ackers and White formula (1973) gave very good prediction for the large-scale facility but overpredicted the sediment discharge for the small-scale channel. The Karim and Kennedy (1981) formula could also be a good sediment discharge predictor, for the studied flow conditions, but the coefficient of proportionality used in the formula needs to be calibrated.