Wetted perimeter

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The term wetted perimeter is common in Civil Engineering and also in heat transfer applications; it is associated with the hydraulic diameter. The term is simply defined using the example of a cross section of a river. The wet perimeter is, as it sounds, the perimeter of the cross sectional area that is "wet". In a practical experiment one is able to measure the wetted perimeter with a tape measure weighted down to the river bed to get the true measurement.

• WP = W + 2D

The wetted perimeter in the figure to the right can simply be calculated by: b + c + d

Note: a is not included because it is a free surface.

[edit] See also

• Surface water hydrology
• Hydrological transport model
• Circumference
• Pythagorean Theorem
• Perimeter