CHNHYD: a channel hydrodynamic model for simulating flows and water surface elevations in a stream/river network

Technical Report · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1982

OSTI ID:5213888

Yeh, G T

A description is given of the development of a channel hydrodynamic model for simulating the behavior of flows and water surface elevations in a river network that may consist of any number of joined and branched rivers/streams, including both tidal and nontidal rivers. The model employs a numerical method, an integrated compartment method (ICM). The basic procedures of the ICM are first to discretize the river/stream system into compartments of various sizes, then to apply three integral theorems of vectors to transform the n-dimensional volume integral into an (n - 1)-dimensional surface integral, and finally to close the system by using simple interpolation to relate the interfacial values in terms of the compartment values. Thus, the method greatly facilitates the setup of algebraic equations for the discrete field approximating the corresponding continuous field. Most of the possible boundary conditions that may be anticipated in real-world problems are considered. These include junctions, prescribed flow, prescribed water surface elevation (or cross-sectional area), and rating curve boundaries. The use of ICM makes the implementation of these four types of boundary conditions relatively easy. The model is applied to two case studies: first to a single river and then to a network of five river channels in a watershed. Results indicate that the model can definitely simulate the behavior of the hydrodynamic variables that are required to compute chemical transport in a river/stream network.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• OSTI ID: 5213888
• Report Number(s): ORNL-5701; ON: DE82010330
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
BOUNDARY CONDITIONS
C CODES
COMPUTER CODES
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FLUID FLOW
FLUID MECHANICS
HYDRODYNAMICS
MASS TRANSFER
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MECHANICS
POLLUTION
RIVERS
SIMULATION
STREAMS
SURFACE WATERS
TIDE
WATER POLLUTION
WATERSHEDS