Influence of Topographic Resolution and Accuracy on Hydraulic Channel Flow Simulations: Case Study of the Versilia River (Italy)

The Versilia plain, a well-known and populated tourist area in northwestern Tuscany, is historically subject to floods. The last hydrogeological disaster of 1996 resulted in 13 deaths and in loss worth hundreds of millions of euros. A valid management of the hydraulic and flooding risks of this territory is therefore mandatory. A 7.5 km-long stretch of the Versilia River was simulated in one-dimension using river cross-sections with the FLO-2D Basic model. Simulations of the channel flow and of its maximum flow rate under different input conditions highlight the key role of topography: uncertainties in the topography introduce much larger errors than the uncertainties in roughness. The best digital elevation model (DEM) available for the area, a 1-m light detection and ranging (LiDAR) DEM dating back to 2008–2010, does not reveal all the hydraulic structures (e.g., the 40 cm thick embankment walls), lowering the maximum flow rate to only 150 m3/s, much lower than the expected value of 400 m3/s. In order to improve the already existing input topography, three different possibilities were considered: (1) to add the embankment walls to the LiDAR data with a targeted Differential GPS (DGPS) survey, (2) to acquire the cross section profiles necessary for simulation with a targeted DGPS survey, and (3) to achieve a very high resolution topography using structure from motion techniques (SfM) from images acquired using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The simulations based on all these options deliver maximum flow rates in agreement with estimated values. Resampling of the 10 cm cell size SfM-DSM allowed us to investigate the influence of topographic resolution on hydraulic channel flow, demonstrating that a change in the resolution from 30 to 50 cm alone introduced a 10% loss in the maximum flow rate. UAV-SfM-derived DEMs are low cost, relatively fast, very accurate, and they allow for the monitoring of the channel morphology variations in real time and to keep the hydraulic models updated, thus providing an excellent tool for managing hydraulic and flooding risks.

Reaeration and oxygen dissipation into a circular hydraulic channel: experimental and dimensionless approach

ABSTRACT Dissolved oxygen (DO) is a key parameter in water quality. The DO concentration in a water body can be changed by interfacial phenomena such as reaeration and oxygen dissipation, which can be represented by the coefficients K2 and KD, respectively. Few studies have jointly correlated K2 and KD with physical and hydraulic parameters of the channel. The present work investigated the behavior of these coefficients over a range of hydraulic conditions, and developed semi-empirical equations capable of relating both coefficients. Reaeration and DO dissipation tests were conducted in a circular hydraulic channel with flow velocity ranging from 0.20 to 0.79 m.s-1 and depth ranging from 0.09 to 0.15 m. Estimates of K2 and KD were performed using the non-linear regression method. Semi-empirical equations were obtained based on classical dimensional analysis and multiple regression analysis. The comparison between measured and estimated coefficients yielded R2 for reaeration and dissipation of 0.940 and 0.844, respectively. KD was higher than K2 for all turbulence levels applied at the hydraulic channel. An estimate obtained by the relation between the semi-empirical equations indicates that the transfer of oxygen in the water-air direction (dissipation) is approximately twice as fast as the transfer in the air-water direction (reaeration).

THE INFLUENCE OF THE INLET ANGLE OVER THE RADIAL IMPELLER GEOMETRY DESIGN APPROACH WITH ANSYS

<p>This paper presents in brief an own application (numerical code) for quick design of the turbo machines impellers. Based on this numerical method, this paper analyses the influence of the blades’ angles on the radial impeller geometry from the centrifugal pumps: the influence of the inlet and outlet angles of the blades over the hydraulic channel size, over the number of the blades and over the blades’ angular extension. In centrifugal pumps design, a special attention must be given of the impeller inlet and outlet angles. These influences include also the pump efficiency, for 1-2 percent. <br />The impeller design methods starting from the pump flow, the head, the rotation speed and ranging blades inlet and outlet angles, gives completely the impeller geometry - the suction and discharge diameters of the impeller, the number of blades and the size and shape of the hydraulic channel and estimates the efficiency for centrifugal pumps.<br />Once the impeller geometry established, the dates were imported in ANSYS code, for graphical design and 3D visualization of the radial impeller, also for the streamlines flowing visualization.</p>