Hydraulic, wash-off and sediment transport experiments in a full-scale urban drainage physical model

Juan Naves,Joaquín Suárez,Jerónimo Puertas,Jose Anta

doi:10.1038/s41597-020-0384-z

Abstract

This paper presents a dataset obtained from hydraulic and sediment transport experiments performed in a full-scale urban drainage physical model of 36 m2. The study seeks to accurately measure sediment mobilization through the different parts of the model (surface, gully pots and pipe system), also obtaining a precise characterization of water flow and using realistic rainfall simulator to ensure the transferability of the results. Three different rain intensities and five sediment granulometries were tested in 6 hydraulic and 23 wash-off and sediment transport experiments. The following experimental data were produced: surface elevations and 2D runoff velocities measured by visualization techniques; surface and in-pipe water depths; flow discharges, total suspended solids concentrations and particle size distribution at the entrance of the gully pots and at the pipe system outlet; and sediment mass balances. This data is optimal for developing and validating wash-off and sediment transport formulations in urban drainage models, towards better treatment and management techniques for minimizing the impact of urban surface pollutants on the environments of towns and cities.

Highlights

Background & SummaryIn urban environments, pollutants are accumulated during dry weather on roads, roofs and other impervious surfaces[1]
Concentrations of total suspended solids (TSS) are typically used as indicators in the study of the transport of fine particles[4,5], which have been found to be closely related to many pollutants, such as heavy metals and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH)[6,7,8]
Several empirical equations and models have commonly been used in the literature to model urban wash-off[3,8,9,10]

Summary

Introduction

Background & SummaryIn urban environments, pollutants are accumulated during dry weather on roads, roofs and other impervious surfaces[1]. In a total of 23 experiments, concentrations of TSS and particle size distributions at the entrance of gully pots and at the pipe system outlet were monitored to assess wash-off and sediment transport processes from accurately measured sediment initial conditions, using the three different rainfall intensities and five sediment classes with different granulometries.

Results

Conclusion