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Advanced Modelling Strategies for Hydraulic Engineering and River Research

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A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Hydraulics and Hydrodynamics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2021) | Viewed by 28814

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Michael Tritthart

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Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and River Research, BOKU University, Am Brigittenauer Sporn 3, 1200 Vienna, Austria
Interests: fluvial hydraulics; numerical modelling; hydrodynamics; sediment transport; hydraulic engineering; ecohydraulics; river restoration
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Our society, as a whole, and the work environment in particular, are currently undergoing large-scale digital transformation. This development is particularly beneficial for the field of water-related engineering. Advances in computer power have led to the evolvement of numerical methods, providing solutions to issues in hydraulic engineering and river research that were considered intractable in the past.

While 2D or 3D Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) methods are often the first choice for numerically tackling problems in applied hydraulics, high-resolution techniques such as Large Eddy Simulations (LES) have also been employed successfully for ever larger modelling domains. Advances in particle-based methods, such as Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) or Lattice Boltzmann Methods (LBM) could yield robust and highly accurate results. Also, strategies involving machine learning and artificial intelligence have matured in recent years. Further highly promising modelling strategies are the extension of numerical models to the physical domain by hybrid models, and the dissemination of results to a broader public audience by real-time virtual and augmented reality.

This Special Issue invites contributions related to the development or employment of advanced modelling strategies, such as (but not limited to) the aforementioned techniques, to solve applied issues involving hydraulic structures, rivers or reservoirs. This particularly applies to processes related to hydrodynamics, sediment transport (bedload, suspended load), sedimentation, erosion, morphodynamics, pollutant transport, density-driven currents, and flow–vegetation interactions, and potentially entails further ecological processes in an interdisciplinary view.

Dr. Michael Tritthart
Guest Editor

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Keywords

numerical modelling
hydraulic engineering
rivers
reservoirs
hydrodynamics
sediment transport

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Editorial

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3 pages, 176 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Advanced Modeling Strategies for Hydraulic Engineering and River Research

by Michael Tritthart

Water 2021, 13(22), 3261; https://doi.org/10.3390/w13223261 - 17 Nov 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1818

Abstract

Our society in general and the work environment in particular are currently undergoing a large-scale digital transformation [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Modelling Strategies for Hydraulic Engineering and River Research)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

13 pages, 2857 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Morphodynamic Modelling with Uncertain Geometry Input

by Jakob Siedersleben, Stefan Jocham, Markus Aufleger and Robert Klar

Water 2021, 13(16), 2248; https://doi.org/10.3390/w13162248 - 17 Aug 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1969

Abstract

For morphodynamic modelling, riverbed survey data are essential as the basis for the evaluation of temporal riverbed development, mesh creation, and model calibration. To study the effects of uncertain geometry input on these issues, datasets of different spatial resolutions were analysed. As a result, cross-profile data were derived from high-resolution survey data, which are available for a river reach in the Upper Danube in Bavaria for several periods. Finally, the prediction quality of simulations based on cross-profile and high-resolution spatial data was assessed. The analysis of both datasets shows continuous riverbed erosion but of different magnitudes. However, complex riverbed geometry due to, e.g., scours, is depicted poorly by cross-profile data. In more homogenously characterised reaches, cross-profile data significantly more closely represents the riverbed geometry than the high-resolution spatial data base. Local misinterpretation of riverbed geometry by cross-profile data leads to deviations of calibration parameters in the entire study area. Consequently, these deviations in calibration outcome effect the model predictions. In this case, cross-profile calibration generally induces higher transport capacities, leading to more erosion in the study area compared to the model based on high-resolution spatial calibration. The general shape of predicted riverbed geometries is found to be similar but with local deviations, which are not limited to areas with complex river geometry. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Modelling Strategies for Hydraulic Engineering and River Research)

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22 pages, 2861 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Enhanced Treatment of Boundary Conditions for 2D RANS Streamwise Velocity Models in Open Channel Flow

by Juan Alfonso Figuérez, Álvaro Galán and Javier González

Water 2021, 13(7), 1001; https://doi.org/10.3390/w13071001 - 6 Apr 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2782

Abstract

A 2D streamwise velocity model based on the Reynolds Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) is a useful approach to predict the boundary shear stress and the streamwise velocity in a free surface stream where secondary flows are not relevant. Boundary conditions treatment is a key aspect implementing these models. A low computational cost and fully predictive numerical model with a novel treatment of boundary conditions is presented. The main features of the modified model are the employment of a modified law of the wall valid for any roughness condition, the estimation of the boundary shear stress is done only focusing on the near-contour region, the use of a full-predictive physical based model for the eddy viscosity distribution and the incorporation of the free surface shear stress due to water–air interface. The validation of the proposed changes was performed with a substantial number of experimental cases available in the literature using different cross-section shapes (circular, rectangular, trapezoidal and compound section) and roughness condition with quite good agreement. Preliminary results suggest that the influence of the free surface boundary layer has a significant impact on the results for both the streamwise velocity and boundary shear stress in windy conditions. The proposed approach allows its considerations in practical applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Modelling Strategies for Hydraulic Engineering and River Research)

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15 pages, 3425 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

A Simple Method for the Control Time of a Pumping Station to Ensure a Stable Water Level Immediately Upstream of the Pumping Station under a Change of the Discharge in an Open Channel

by Peiru Yan, Zhao Zhang, Xiaohui Lei, Ying Zheng, Jie Zhu, Hao Wang and Qiaofeng Tan

Water 2021, 13(3), 355; https://doi.org/10.3390/w13030355 - 30 Jan 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2909

Abstract

For an open channel with cascade pumping stations, the water level immediately upstream of the pumping station should be kept constant to ensure pumping stability and lining safety. In this study, a simple method was proposed to determine the control time of the pumping station to ensure a stable water level immediately upstream of the pumping station using reverse analysis. The variable discharge process and fixed water level were taken as the upstream and downstream boundaries of the one-dimensional open channel hydrodynamic model, and the discharge process of the pumping station was obtained under ideal conditions. The control time was determined by the equivalent water volume change considering the step change of the discharge of the pumping station. A case study was performed using the Jiaodong water diversion project from Songzhuang sluice to Huibu pumping station (G1–P1), and the effects of the initial discharge, variable discharge, and downstream water level on the control time were investigated. The results show that (1) the larger the initial discharge, the shorter the control time; (2) increasing the upstream discharge reduced the control time, while decreasing the upstream discharge increased the control time; (3) the control time decreased with the increase of the water depth immediately upstream of the pumping station. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Modelling Strategies for Hydraulic Engineering and River Research)

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16 pages, 3044 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Interaction of Very Large Scale Motion of Coherent Structures with Sediment Particle Exposure

by Sencer Yücesan, Daniel Wildt, Philipp Gmeiner, Johannes Schobesberger, Christoph Hauer, Christine Sindelar, Helmut Habersack and Michael Tritthart

Water 2021, 13(3), 248; https://doi.org/10.3390/w13030248 - 20 Jan 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2844

Abstract

A systematic variation of the exposure level of a spherical particle in an array of multiple spheres in a high Reynolds number turbulent open-channel flow regime was investigated while using the Large Eddy Simulation method. Our numerical study analysed hydrodynamic conditions of a sediment particle based on three different channel configurations, from full exposure to zero exposure level. Premultiplied spectrum analysis revealed that the effect of very-large-scale motion of coherent structures on the lift force on a fully exposed particle resulted in a bi-modal distribution with a weak low wave number and a local maximum of a high wave number. Lower exposure levels were found to exhibit a uni-modal distribution. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Modelling Strategies for Hydraulic Engineering and River Research)

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21 pages, 2736 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modelling Mechanically Induced Non-Newtonian Flows to Improve the Energy Efficiency of Anaerobic Digesters

by Andrew Oates, Thomas Neuner, Michael Meister, Duncan Borman, Miller Camargo-Valero, Andrew Sleigh and Paul Fischer

Water 2020, 12(11), 2995; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12112995 - 26 Oct 2020

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2711

Abstract

In this paper, a finite volume based computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model has been developed for investigating the mixing of non-Newtonian flows and operating conditions of an anaerobic digester. A CFD model using the multiple reference frame has been implemented in order to model the mixing in an anaerobic digester. Two different agitator designs have been implemented: a design currently used in a full-scale anaerobic mixing device, SCABA, and an alternative helical ribbon design. Lab-scale experiments have been conducted with these two mixing device designs using a water-glycerol mixture to replicate a slurry with total solids concentration of 7.5%, which have been used to validate the CFD model. The CFD model has then been scaled up in order to replicate a full-scale anaerobic digester under real operating parameters that is mechanically stirred with the SCABA design. The influence of the non-Newtonian behaviour has been investigated and found to be important for the power demand calculation. Furthermore, the other helical mixing device has been implemented at full scale and a case study comparing the two agitators has been performed; assessing the mixing capabilities and power consumption of the two designs. It was found that, for a total solids concentrations of 7.5%, the helical design could produce similar mixing capabilities as the SCABA design at a lower power consumption. Finally, the potential power savings of the more energy efficient helical design has been estimated if implemented across the whole of the United Kingdom (UK)/Austria. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Modelling Strategies for Hydraulic Engineering and River Research)

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21 pages, 17197 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Improved Meshless Divergence-Free PBF Framework for Ocean Wave Modeling in Marine Simulator

by Haijiang Li, Hongxiang Ren, Xingfeng Duan and Chang Wang

Water 2020, 12(7), 1873; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12071873 - 30 Jun 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2059

Abstract

It is a challenging work to simulate wind and waves in virtual scenes of marine simulators. In this paper, a divergence-free position based fluid (DFPBF) framework is introduced for ocean wave modeling in marine simulators. We introduce a set of constant density constraints and divergence-free velocity constraints to enforce incompressibility. By adjusting the position distribution of fluid particles, the particle density is forced to be constant. Constraining the divergence-free velocity field can keep the density change rate at zero. When correcting the position and velocity of particles, we introduced a relaxation correction scheme to accelerate the convergence of the framework. The simulation results show that as the scene scale expands and the number of fluid particles increases, this acceleration effect will be more significant. Secondly, we propose a novel particle-based three-dimensional stochastic fluctuating wind field. The Perlin noise is introduced to disturb the constant horizontal wind field to form a stochastic wind field. On this basis, a stochastic fluctuating wind field simulation framework is proposed. By adjusting the pulse period and pulse width, users can flexibly control the fluid turnover under the action of the wind field. This wind field framework can be easily integrated into the DFPBF model. Based on this wind field model, we simulated some typical wind wave scenarios, including interaction scenarios with lighthouse and lifebuoy, and verified the effectiveness of the wind field model. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Modelling Strategies for Hydraulic Engineering and River Research)

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22 pages, 2187 KiB

Open AccessArticle

CFD Modelling of Particle-Driven Gravity Currents in Reservoirs

by Daniel Wildt, Christoph Hauer, Helmut Habersack and Michael Tritthart

Water 2020, 12(5), 1403; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12051403 - 15 May 2020

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3216

Abstract

Reservoir sedimentation results in ongoing loss of storage capacity all around the world. Thus, effective sediment management in reservoirs is becoming an increasingly important task requiring detailed process understanding. Computational fluid dynamics modelling can provide an efficient means to study relevant processes. An existing in-house hydrodynamic code has been extended to model particle-driven gravity currents. This has been realised through a buoyancy term which was added as a source term to the momentum equation. The model was successfully verified and validated using literature data of lock exchange experiments. In addition, the capability of the model to optimize venting of turbidity currents as an efficient sediment management strategy for reservoirs was tested. The results show that the concentration field during venting agrees well with observations from laboratory experiments documented in literature. The relevance of particle-driven gravity currents for the flow field in reservoirs is shown by comparing results of simulations with and without buoyant forces included into the model. The accuracy of the model in the area of the bottom outlet can possibly be improved through the implementation of a non-upwind scheme for the advection of velocity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Modelling Strategies for Hydraulic Engineering and River Research)

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17 pages, 2481 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Comparison of Local and Global Optimization Methods for Calibration of a 3D Morphodynamic Model of a Curved Channel

by Vahid Shoarinezhad, Silke Wieprecht and Stefan Haun

Water 2020, 12(5), 1333; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12051333 - 8 May 2020

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3251

Abstract

In curved channels, the flow characteristics, sediment transport mechanisms, and bed evolution are more complex than in straight channels, owing to the interaction between the centrifugal force and the pressure gradient, which results in the formation of secondary currents. Therefore, using an appropriate numerical model that considers this fully three-dimensional effect, and subsequently, the model calibration are substantial tasks for achieving reliable simulation results. The calibration of numerical models as a subjective approach can become challenging and highly time-consuming, especially for inexperienced modelers, due to dealing with a large number of input parameters with respect to hydraulics and sediment transport. Using optimization methods can notably facilitate and expedite the calibration procedure by reducing the user intervention, which results in a more objective selection of parameters. This study focuses on the application of four different optimization algorithms for calibration of a 3D morphodynamic numerical model of a curved channel. The performance of a local gradient-based method is compared with three global optimization algorithms in terms of accuracy and computational time (model runs). The outputs of the optimization methods demonstrate similar sets of calibrated parameters and almost the same degree of accuracy according to the achieved minimum of the objective function. Accordingly, the most efficient method concerning the number of model runs (i.e., local optimization method) is selected for further investigation by setting up additional numerical models using different sediment transport formulae and various discharge rates. The comparisons of bed topography changes in several longitudinal and cross-sections between the measured data and the results of the calibrated numerical models are presented. The outcomes show an acceptable degree of accuracy for the automatically calibrated models. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Modelling Strategies for Hydraulic Engineering and River Research)

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21 pages, 1193 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Intuitionistic Fuzzy Based Decision-Making Method for River Operation Management: Practice from China

by Wujuan Zhai, Zhuofu Wang, Jiyong Ding and Xun Liu

Water 2020, 12(5), 1322; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12051322 - 7 May 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1957

Abstract

River course is the path of carrying river flow and the blood of modern economic and social development. River operation management has attracted great attention from governments and water conservancy circles all over the world. In China, the river operation management mode refers to the combination of two dimensions: The organization method of river operation management and the bearing and use method of river maintenance fund. Based on the practice of China, we used a two-dimensional matrix method to construct a feasible mode set, including 12 modes, according to the various organization methods of river operation management and the bearing and use methods of river maintenance fund over the years in China. We also compared and analyzed the advantages, disadvantages, and applicable conditions of these 12 river operation management modes. In particular, we investigated the main rivers of 19 provinces and municipalities in China, identified the main factors of the river operation management mode, further identified 5 key indexes, and constructed a decision-making index system for the river operation management mode. We used the intuitionistic fuzzy hybrid average (IFHA) and intuitionistic fuzzy weighted average (IFWA) operators to construct a set of river operation management mode selection method based on intuitionistic fuzzy decision-making. A case study was conducted to select the operation management mode for the Heilongjiang section of Songhua River, using the method put forward in this paper. This study can promote water resource management research and prepare for a possible future sustainability emergency. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Modelling Strategies for Hydraulic Engineering and River Research)

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21 pages, 3486 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Prediction–Correction Solver for Real-Time Simulation of Free-Surface Flows in River Networks

by Dechao Hu, Chengwei Lu, Shiming Yao, Shuai Yuan, Yonghui Zhu, Chengkun Duan and Yi Liu

Water 2019, 11(12), 2525; https://doi.org/10.3390/w11122525 - 29 Nov 2019

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2306

Abstract

A prediction–correction solver is presented here for rapid simulation of free-surface flows in dendritic and looped river networks. Rather than solving a large global algebraic system over the entire domain of river networks, the model solves subsystems for subdomains of branches in two steps: prediction and correction. With the help of the prediction–correction method (PCM), the partial linearization technique, the semi-implicit method, and the Eulerian–Lagrangian method (ELM), the model only needs to solve tridiagonal linear systems for branches and is free of any iteration. The new model was tested using a hypothetical looped river network with regular cross sections, the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) dendritic river network, and the Jing-south looped river system (with seasonally flooding branches). In the first test, a time-step sensitivity study was conducted and the model was revealed to produce accurate simulations at large time steps when the condition for application of the PCM to river networks was satisfied. In the TGR test, the PCM model provided almost the same histories of water levels and discharges as those simulated by the HEC-RAS model. In the Jing-south test, the mean absolute error in simulated water levels was 0.07–0.24 m, and the relative error in simulated cross-section water flux was 0.5–4.9% compared with field data; the conservation error was generally 2 × 10⁻⁴ to 3 × 10⁻⁴. The PCM model was revealed to be 2–4 times as fast as a reported model, which solves local nonlinear subsystems using two-layer iterations, and 1.2–1.4 times as fast as the HEC-RAS. Using a time step of 1200 s, it took the sequential code 26.8 and 23.1 s to complete a simulation of a one-year unsteady flow process, respectively, in the TGR river networks (with 588 cells) and the Jing-south river system (with 662 cells). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Modelling Strategies for Hydraulic Engineering and River Research)

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