One-dimensional modelling of sediment deposition in reservoirs with sinking streams

Abstract

It is common in karst regions that rivers are occasionally cut by mountains, resulting in the alternate appearances of open channel flow and pressurized flow. With more and more reservoirs being built in this region, the complicated sediment transport processes of such mixture flow are urgently needed to study. In this paper a one-dimensional numerical model with free surface and pressurized flows coupled together is presented. The simulated results are analyzed to explore deposition process in reservoirs with sinking streams; impacts of different hydraulic conditions on the sedimentation are also studied. To verify the computed results, a flume experiment is also conducted. The results show that deposition of sediments mainly occurs in open channel reaches where the longitudinal profile is similar to that of conventional reservoirs, i.e. typical delta has formed, demonstrating characteristics of deltaic deposition morphology in that the crest of delta moves to the downstream direction over time. The model provided by this paper is not only proved to simulate the characteristics of deposition in karst reservoirs successfully, but also reveal the impacts of hydraulic conditions in such circumstances.