NUMERICAL COMPUTATION OF ONE- AND TWO-LAYER SHALLOW FLOW MODEL

Abstract

In this research, we study a proficient computational model designed to simulate shallow flows involving one- and two-layer shallow flow. This numerical model is built upon the Saint Venant equations, which are widely used in hydraulics to depict the behavior of shallow water flow. The numerical scheme used here is constructed based on the conventional leapfrog technique implemented on a staggered grid framework, referred to as MCS. The primary objective of this research is to re-examine and implement the MCS in accurately modelling the free surface and interface waves produced by different flows passing through irregular geometries. Unlike the conventional MCS, we modify the momentum conservation principle to be more general, accommodating a non-negative wet cross-sectional area due to irregular geometry. We successfully conduct numerous numerical simulations by examining various scenarios involving one-layer and two-layer flow through irregularly shaped channels or structures. Our results show that the correct surface wave profile generated by a one-dimensional dam break through the triangular obstacle in the open channel can be simulated very well. Comparison with the existing experimental data seems promising although some disparities are being found due to dispersive phenomena with RMSE less than 5%. Furthermore, our scheme is successfully extended to simulate the steady sub-maximal exchange in two-layer flows using specific boundary conditions. The alignment between the submaximal numerical results with exchange flow theory is noticeable in the interface profile, characteristics of flow conditions and the flux values achieved when the steady situation occurs. These satisfying results indicate that our proposed numerical model can be used for practical needs involving various flow situations both one and two-layer cases