Design options for self-cleansing storm sewers

A list of available codes of practice for self-cleansing sewers is presented and a review of appraisals of minimum velocity criterion is summarised. Comparisons of newly developed “minimum velocity” criteria and “minimum shear stress” criterion are presented. Some design charts are also given. These charts are applicable to non-cohesive sediments (typically storm sewers). It appears that sediment size and concentration need to be taken into account, and that a limited depth of sediment bed is recommended for large pipes (diameters > 1000 mm) to maximise their transport capacity.