Innovations in irregular meshing to improve the performance of 2D finite volume flood simulation

Abstract

There are now many successful applications of 2D finite difference flood simulations on rectangular grids. However, finite volume algorithms are now starting to take over as the preferred choice for simulating flood inundation. The use of finite volume algorithms allows the simulation to be based on irregular meshes. Yet many users are not convinced of the benefits of irregular meshing. This is partly because meshing adds a rather unwelcome extra process to the modelling. But it is more likely because the process of generating irregular meshes has been problematic and time consuming. In the rush to develop excellent finite volume flow engines, meshing has been rather left behind. Yet the quality of the flow modelling depends on the quality of the meshing. The authors have been working on innovative mesh generation techniques. The aim has been to come up with a faster, more reliable mesh generation process. But also to improve the resulting mesh in order to speed up the hydraulic simulation and to generate better quality flood inundation results. This paper discusses and illustrates these advances in meshing. Results are presented to show how well the meshing techniques deal with problematic boundaries. The resulting meshes are applied to test cases to show the impact of either grids or different qualities of mesh on flood inundation results for a variety of circumstances.