A one-dimensional mathematical simulation to salinity control in a river with a barrage dam using an unconditionally stable explicit finite difference method

Abstract

Salinity refers to the amount of salt in rivers, where the salt can be in many different forms. There are two main methods of defining the concentration of salt in water such as the total dissolved solid measurement (TDS) and the electrical conductivity measurement (EC). The salinity is measured by evaporating water to dryness and weighing the solid residue. The electrical conductivity measurement is measured by passing an electric current through the water and measuring how readily the current flows. The total amount of salt in the water can affect the taste of water. The World Health Organization’s guideline on water palatability is that water with a salinity level of less than about 0.50–0.60 g/L is generally considered to be of a standard level. The drinking-water becomes significantly and increasingly unpalatable at salinity levels greater than about 1.0 g/L. In this research, a one-dimensional mathematical model of salinity measurement in a river is proposed. A modified model of salinity control in a river with a barrage dam is also introduced. An unconditionally stable explicit finite difference technique is used to approximate the salinity level under several conditions from the proposed model. The proposed computational technique gives good agreement results in realistic scenarios for water supply processes.