Efficient Experimental and Numerical Methods for Solving Vertical Distribution of Sediments in Dam-Break Flows

Rowan, Thomas; Seaid, Mohammed

Abstract

In this work, a class of efficient experimental and numerical methods for recording sediment distributions in dam-break flows is developed and assessed. A new experimental platform is developed and tested enabling accuracy and high frame-per-second images to be generated and evaluated. The novelty of this study is that the collected images are broken down into smaller cellular-based images which are individually assessed for their color contents. Every frame collected is first filtered to exclude any background pixels and remove the effects of photography and lighting, then the color spectra of the frame are analyzed and sensible filtering added to remove the complex effects of fluid features including ripples and air bubbles. Once these processes are complete, a simple color comparison can be utilized to assess the sediment fraction of the flow in each frame and cell. The proposed method is used on a small-scale dam-break problem and a four-stage breakdown of the dam-break is given with measured sediment levels accounted for. Mathematical models based on multilayer shallow water equations with mass exchange terms are developed in this study. The governing equations form a system of conservation laws with source terms. As numerical methods we implement a fast, accurate and well-balanced finite volume characteristics solver. Comparisons between experimental and numerical results for the vertical distribution of sediments in a dam-break problem are also discussed.

Citation

Rowan, T., & Seaid, M. (2022). Efficient Experimental and Numerical Methods for Solving Vertical Distribution of Sediments in Dam-Break Flows. In D. Zeidan, J. Merker, E. Goncalves Da Silva, & L. T. Zhang (Eds.), Numerical Fluid Dynamics (291-317). Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-9665-7_10

• Online Publication Date: May 19, 2022
• Publication Date: May 19, 2022
• Deposit Date: Apr 5, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 20, 2024
• Publisher: Springer Nature
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Pages: 291-317
• Series Title: Forum for Interdisciplinary Mathematics ((FFIM))
• Series ISSN: 2364-6748
• Book Title: Numerical Fluid Dynamics
• ISBN: 9789811696640
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-9665-7_10
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1618814