This course will provide students with a fundamental understanding of fluid flows in the environment. The course will provide a foundational understanding of fluid statics and dynamics which respectively relate to pressure forces exerted by standing bodies of water (i.e. in dams and pipe networks) and the behaviour of moving fluids. This will extend into an exploration of boundary layer flows, an understanding of which is essential for predicting mass transport, shear forces, and heat transfer processes at fluid interfaces. Environmental topics such as rocks and soils will be introduced as well. Building on these foundational elements, students will investigate the application of fluid dynamics to environmental systems through the study of closed-channel (pipes and ducts) and open-channel (rivers and irrigation) flows, and flows in porous media, which is of relevance to the study of groundwater and drainage. The course will connect and discuss the interaction of these macro-scale fluid flows to global-scale fluid flows. This course will provide an important focus on indigenous perspectives and contributions to this field of study. Students will be able to draw on course materials that provide diverse gender, cultural, and geographical perspectives on these topics.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Interpret and explain environmental water flows at small, large and global scale.
- Explain the physical principles of convection, fluid momentum, viscous forces, drag and diffusion.
- Calculate the static and dynamic forces on engineering structures due to water flows.
- Design pipe and channel sizes for specified water flows
- Evaluate the environmental impact on water flows of engineered water management systems (including dams, pipes and channels).
Indicative Assessment
- Quizzes (10) [LO 1,2,3,4,5]
- Assignment (20) [LO 2,3,4]
- Weekly Workshop Competencies (30) [LO 1,2,3,5]
- Final exam (40) [LO 1,2,3,4,5]
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Workload
130 hours per semester consisting of the following activities each week:
- 48 hrs of Lectures and Workshops
- 82 hrs of pre-reading and self-directed study
Inherent Requirements
Information on inherent requirements for this course are currently not available
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
Shalaby, Ahlam I. (2018) Fluid Mechanics for Civil and Environmental Engineers (1st ed.) CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781315156637
Preliminary Reading
Cengel, Y., Cimbala, J. (2019) Fluid Mechanics in SI Units. McGraw-Hill Education
Assumed Knowledge
Prior knowledge of Year 11 / 12 chemistry is advantageous but not required.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 2
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
