A NEW NUMERICAL MODEL FOR THREE DIMENSIONAL SURFACE WATER FLOWS

A three dimensional numerical model based on the Reynolds equations is presented that can be used to predictthe surface water flow in open channels.The model uses a computational mesh that conforms to the free water sur-face and the bottom of the channel so that the accuracy of boundary condition application,code complexity,and e-conomy could be enhanced.The k-ε turbulence model is used to estimate the eddy viscosity coefficient.Instead ofusing the“rigid-lid”approximation a 2-D equation derived from integrating the continuity equation over the totaldepth is adopted to determine the elevation of the free water surface.A new algorithm is presented based on theconventional SIMPLE procedure.The block correction technique is employed to enhance rate of convergence.The model presented is applied to a bottom discharge into a rectangular straight channel for three dimensionalphenomena to obtain the free water surface configuration,velocities and pressure.The computed results are ingood agreement with the previous experimental values.