Hydraulic flow through a channel contraction: multiple steady states

We have investigated shallow water flows through a channel with a contraction by experimental and theoretical means. The horizontal channel consists of a sluice gate and an upstream channel of constant width $b_0$ ending in a linear contraction of minimum width $b_c$. Experimentally, we observe upstream steady and moving bores/shocks, and oblique waves in the contraction, as single and multiple steady states, as well as a steady reservoir with a complex hydraulic jump in the contraction occurring in a small section of the $b_c/b_0$ and Froude number parameter plane. One-dimensional hydraulic theory provides a comprehensive leading-order approximation, in which a turbulent frictional parametrization is used to achieve quantitative agreement. An analytical and numerical analysis is given for two-dimensional supercritical shallow water flows. It shows that the one-dimensional hydraulic analysis for inviscid flows away from hydraulic jumps holds surprisingly well, even though the two-dimensional oblique hydraulic jump patterns can show large variations across the contraction channel

FullSWOF: A free software package for the simulation of shallow water flows

Numerical simulations of flows are required for numerous applications, and are usually carried out using shallow water equations. We describe the FullSWOF software which is based on up-to-date finite volume methods and well-balanced schemes to solve this kind of equations. It consists of a set of open source C++ codes, freely available to the community, easy to use, and open for further development. Several features make FullSWOF particularly suitable for applications in hydrology: small water heights and wet-dry transitions are robustly handled, rainfall and infiltration are incorporated, and data from grid-based digital topographies can be used directly. A detailed mathematical description is given here, and the capabilities of FullSWOF are illustrated based on analytic solutions and datasets of real cases. The codes, available in 1D and 2D versions, have been validated on a large set of benchmark cases, which are available together with the download information and documentation at http://www.univ-orleans.fr/mapmo/soft/FullSWOF/.Comment: 38 page

Examination of the seepage face boundary condition in subsurface and coupled surface/subsurface hydrological models

A seepage face is a nonlinear dynamic boundary that strongly affects pressure head distributions, water table fluctuations, and flow patterns. Its handling in hydrological models, especially under complex conditions such as heterogeneity and coupled surface/subsurface flow, has not been extensively studied. In this paper, we compare the treatment of the seepage face as a static (Dirichlet) versus dynamic boundary condition, we assess its resolution under conditions of layered heterogeneity, we examine its interaction with a catchment outlet boundary, and we investigate the effects of surface/subsurface exchanges on seepage faces forming at the land surface. The analyses are carried out with an integrated catchment hydrological model. Numerical simulations are performed for a synthetic rectangular sloping aquifer and for an experimental hillslope from the Landscape Evolution Observatory. The results show that the static boundary condition is not always an adequate stand-in for a dynamic seepage face boundary condition, especially under conditions of high rainfall, steep slope, or heterogeneity; that hillslopes with layered heterogeneity give rise to multiple seepage faces that can be highly dynamic; that seepage face and outlet boundaries can coexist in an integrated hydrological model and both play an important role; and that seepage faces at the land surface are not always controlled by subsurface flow. The paper also presents a generalized algorithm for resolving seepage face outflow that handles heterogeneity in a simple way, is applicable to unstructured grids, and is shown experimentally to be equivalent to the treatment of atmospheric boundary conditions in subsurface flow models

The initial stages of cave formation: Beyond the one-dimensional paradigm

The solutional origin of limestone caves was recognized over a century ago, but the short penetration length of an undersaturated solution made it seem impossible for long conduits to develop. This is contradicted by field observations, where extended conduits, sometimes several kilometers long, are found in karst environments. However, a sharp drop in the dissolution rate of CaCO_3 near saturation provides a mechanism for much deeper penetration of reactant. The notion of a "kinetic trigger" - a sudden change in rate constant over a narrow concentration range - has become a widely accepted paradigm in speleogenesis modeling. However, it is based on one-dimensional models for the fluid and solute transport inside the fracture, assuming that the dissolution front is planar in the direction perpendicular to the flow. Here we show that this assumption is incorrect; a planar dissolution front in an entirely uniform fracture is unstable to infinitesimal perturbations and inevitably breaks up into highly localized regions of dissolution. This provides an alternative mechanism for cave formation, even in the absence of a kinetic trigger. Our results suggest that there is an inherent wavelength to the erosion pattern in dissolving fractures, which depends on the reaction rate and flow rate, but is independent of the initial roughness. In contrast to one-dimensional models, two-dimensional simulations indicate that there is only a weak dependence of the breakthrough time on kinetic order; localization of the flow tends to keep the undersaturation in the dissolution front above the threshold for non-linear kinetics.Comment: to be published in Earth and Planetary Science Letter

Momentum balance in flows over mobile granular beds : application of double-averaging methodology to DNS data

The authors gratefully acknowledge the Centre for Information Services and High Performance Computing (ZIH), Dresden, and the Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC) for providing computing time. The authors thank Markus Uhlmann and Clemens Chan-Braun for stimulating discussions on bed-load transport.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Developing Guidelines for Two-Dimensional Model Review and Acceptance

Two independent modelers ran two hydraulic models, SRH-2D and HEC-RAS 2D. The models were applied to the Lakina River (MP 44 McCarthy Road) and to Quartz Creek (MP 0.7 Quartz Creek Road), which approximately represent straight and bend flow conditions, respectively. We compared the results, including water depth, depth averaged velocity, and bed shear stress, from the two models for both modelers. We found that the extent and density of survey data were insufficient for Quartz Creek. Neither model was calibrated due to the lack of basic field data (i.e., discharge, water surface elevation, and sediment characteristics). Consequently, we were unable to draw any conclusion about the accuracy of the models. Concerning the time step and the equations used (simplified or full) to solve the momentum equation in the HEC-RAS 2D model, we found that the minimum time step allowed by the model must be used if the diffusion wave equation is used in the simulations. A greater time step can be used if the full momentum equation is used in the simulations. We developed a set of guidelines for reviewing model results, and developed and provided a two-day training workshop on the two models for ADOT&PF hydraulic engineers

Application of Lattice Boltzmann Method for Surface Runoff in Watershed

Derived from simplifications of the Saint-Venant equations, the kinematic wave model has the ability to describe the behavior of surface runoff in watersheds. This paper aims to obtain the numerical simulation of the flow routing in a natural watershed, by using lattice Boltzmann method. In the computational model, the surface of the basin will be represented by a V-shaped segmented in two lateral planes and one main channel. The simulation considers the effective precipitation flowing on the watershed per unit of width at the exit of each of the planes that represent the surface of the basin. The water flowing from the planes enters the main channel in the form of lateral contribution. Hydrograms of two rain events are obtained, which present the volume drained in the outlet corresponding to the whole basin in each event. Two equilibrium distribution functions were developed by Chapmann-Enskog expansion at time scales and model D1Q3, one suitable for flow on the basin surface and another for the main channel, in order to obtain the variables of interest in each case. The numerical results obtained were compared with the KINEROS2 hydrological model.Peer Reviewe