Capabilities of CCHE3D hydrodynamic and transport model: verification

CCHE3D model is developed at the National Center for Computational Hydroscience and Engineering, The University of Mississippi, for simulating unsteady, free surface, three-dimensional turbulent flows and sediment/pollutant transport and water quality. This model is based on Efficient Element Method, a collocation version of the Galerkin approach. The basic element is a cube with twenty-seven nodes. Both hydrostatic and dynamic pressure of the flow can be simulated depending on the nature of the problem. Staggered grid is used for the pressure solution. The velocity correction method is adopted to compute the dynamic pressure and enforce the mass conservation. The kinematics equation for the free surface is solved to determine the location of the free surface. Five eddy viscosity models, parabolic, mixing length, k-, RNG k- and nonlinear k- model are available for a variety of applications. Some samples of the models verification tests using physical experimental data are presented here.

1. Simulated flow field around in a preformed scour hole around a cylinder

The flow condition and channel configuration of this simulation is according to the physical model of Melville (1977). The experiment was designed for studying the local scouring phenomenon. A cylinder representing a bridge pier was set in the center of the channel with sandy loose bed material, local scour occurred around the cylinder due to the vortex system and turbulence exited by the obstacle in the flow. The flow velocity in the approach channel was less than critical, there was no sediment motion observed in the approach channel. Flow fields in three stages of scouring at certain locations of the scour hole were measured. This example demonstrates the simulated flow field in the scour hole of equilibrium stage, the bed topography used for the simulation was preformed.

Figure 1.1, 3D view of the simulated flow field in the scour hole around a cylinder

b
Figure 1.2 Comparison of the simulated (a) and measured (b) flow in the front section of the scour hole.

Figure 1.3. Simulated horse shoe vortex in the cross cylinder section normal to the main flow. This vortex is wrapping around the cylinder in the scour hole. The color shading represents velocity magnitude with red for high velocity and blue for low velocity.

2. Simulated local scour hole around a bridge pier and an abutment

It is well recognized that the local scouring process is related to three-dimensional turbulent flow around the hydraulic structure. The highly turbulent flow with a horseshoe vortex system and vortices generated behind the structure are all contributing to this complex process of sediment entrainment and transport. To predict this phenomenon, the numerical model needs to be capable of simulating not only the characteristics of the flow field, but also the sediment transport mechanism in the scour hole. The sediment entrainment function used for the simulation was formulated such that the capacity of entrainment was related to the vorticity, turbulence energy, downflow and frictional shear of the flow.

Figure 2.1 Simulated local scour hole around a bridge pier.

Figure 2.2 Simulated local scour hole around a bridge abutment.

Figure 2.2. Comparison of simulated scour hole depth development in time with several data sets.

3.

Simulated flow around a cube in a closed channel

A 3D numerical models capability can be reflected by simulating and comparing with the measured 3D flow. The flow around a cube in a closed channel (Larousse, et al. 1993) was simulated because of the availability of the measured data.

Figure 3.1. Simulated flow features in the central section. The velocities in the central section agree with the measurement.

Figure 3.2. The overall pattern of simulated flow around a cube and on the channel floor agrees with the observation.

4. Simulated

flows around submerged spur dikes

Spur dikes are widely used in the incised channels to protect channel banks from erosion. These dikes are often built with ripraps and submerged during flooding periods. To evaluate the design effectiveness of these dikes numerical simulations were carried out and two of the dikes were simulated with different flow conditions. The following figures show the simulated flow fields with color shading, ribbons and vectors.

Figure 4.1. Simulated flow field around a submerged spur dike, the flow on top of the dike is very shallow and is supercritical. Color on the bed indicates shear stress, and the contour lines show the free surface elevation. The recirculation behind the dike is fully three-dimensional.

Figure 4.2. Simulated flow field around a submerged spur dike. The flow depth on top the dike is about half of the main flow depth. The pattern of the free surface is different from that in Figure 3.1.

5. Simulated

free over fall flow

Free over fall flow occurs in natural channels especially at headcuts, hydraulic structures such as weirs, spillways often create this type of flow. Though the flow geometry is simple, it is not simple to simulate, because there is a singular point at the brink of the channel where the bed changes to free surface and pressure boundary condition has an abrupt jump. From the modeling point of view the numerical model has to be capable of computing dynamic pressure, because the hydro-static pressure is no longer valid close to the free fall. The following figures show a verification case of the CCHE3D model using the data of Rajaratnam (1970??).

Figure 5.1. Simulated free overfall flow from a horizontal flume. The acceleration of flow in the free fall zone is shown. The pressure to the left side in the flume is hydrostatic, it becomes nonlinear when approaching to the brink.

Figure 5.2. Comparisons of simulated and measured pressure (a) and free surface profile (b)

6. Local

scour induced by a plunging jet

Scouring induced by a plunging jet is commonly seen at headcuts of natural channel or at the downstream of some hydraulic structures. Numerical study of this scouring process requires simulation of both the turbulent flow field and the sediment entrainment and transport. Dynamic pressure computation is necessary to simulate realistic flow and numerical diffusion should be minimized to gain the accuracy needed. A thorough understanding of the mechanism of the sediment transport process is one important key to the success of the modeling.

Figure 6.1. Simulated flow and pressure field in a initial channel with flat bed.

Figure 6.3. Comparison of simulated and measured maximum shear stress on the bed.

Figure 6.4. Comparison of the measured and simulated scouring process.

Figure 6.5. Simulated flow field in the scour hole.

Figure 6.6. Comparison of simulated and measured scour depth development process. is the step length parameter and f represents the pressure fluctuation effect on the sediment pickup.

7. Simulated

transport phenomena in open channels

Simulating transport of suspended sediment and dissolved contaminates in the channel are important to the estimation of their environmental impacts on the downstream channels, cities, reservoirs, lacks, etc. CCHE3D model is capable of simulating transport processes for both suspended sediment and pollutants. High order upwinding schemes are implemented which introduce minimum numerical diffusion.

Figure 7.1. Simulated pollutant transport from a side discharge channel. The vectors indicate the near field flow in the vicinity of the side discharge, and the color represent the pollutant concentration in the recirculation zone.