Hydraulic Engineering Research Research Articles

Novel application of robust GWO-KELM model in predicting discharge coefficient of radial gates: a field data-based analysis

Abstract Accurate determination of discharge capacity in radial gates as commonly designed check structures is of great importance in hydraulic engineering research. The discharge coefficient plays the most dominant role in calculating the flow discharge through the radial gates. The main goal of this study is to adopt Grey Wolf Optimization-based Kernel Extreme Learning Machine (KELM-GWO) to further improve the prediction accuracy of the discharge coefficient of radial gates. To compare the supreme performance of the proposed model, kernel-depend support vector machine (SVM) and Gaussian process regression (GPR) were employed. An extensive field database consisting of 546 data samples gathered from different types of radial gates was established for building prediction models. The modeling results indicated that the proposed KELM-GWO model (correlation coefficient [R] = 0.927, and root mean squared error [RMSE] = 0.018) and SVM model (correlation coefficient [R] = 0.940, and root mean squared error [RMSE] = 0.022) demonstrated better performance under free and submerged flow conditions, respectively. Moreover, it was found that the applied kernel-depend approaches can be suitable options to predict the discharge coefficient of radial gates under varied submergence conditions with a satisfactory level of accuracy.

A study of the wave action on the structure of a connecting dam at the sea coal terminal

Introduction. The authors present the findings of the physical modeling of the wave impact on the hydraulic structures of the construction facility known as “An offshore coal terminal at Syradasay coal deposit”. The authors have analyzed the experimental studies to provide recommendations on the most effective structural design of the connecting dam. Materials and methods. The method of physical modeling was employed to conduct the experimental studies Most of construction sciences are based on experimental research and, if the scientific support of structures, including those dealing with hydraulic engineering, is available, physical modeling is the top-priority research method in the international engineering practice. The experiments were conducted in a wave flume, which is a research and experimental facility at the Centre for Hydraulic Engineering Research and Education, NRU MGSU. The most advanced measurement equipment, produced by Wallingford (UK), was employed. The research methodology, used to verify the effectiveness of hydraulic structures, was tested on a large number of design structures that had been examined, built and are being successfully operated. Results. Given the data of experimental studies, the most effective design of a connecting dam was recommended as part of the design of an offshore coal terminal. Conclusions. The findings of this research will ensure the construction of an offshore coal terminal, which is built in difficult natural conditions typical for harsh Arctic latitudes, in the area characterized by intensive coal mining (Syradasay coal deposit), which is most relevant for the task of developing cargo port facilities along the Northern Sea Route.

Advanced Modeling Strategies for Hydraulic Engineering and River Research

Our society in general and the work environment in particular are currently undergoing a large-scale digital transformation [...]

Types I, II, III, and IV Stilling Basin Performance for Stepped Chutes Applied to Embankment Dams

AbstractScientists at the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Hydraulic Engineering Research Unit (HERU) conducted research on physical models of stilling basins (i.e., Types I, II, III, and I...

WinDAM C: Analysis Tool for Predicting Breach Erosion Processes of Embankment Dams Due to Overtopping or Internal Erosion

HighlightsThe computational models comprising the current version of WinDAM, called WinDAM C, are summarized.WinDAM C estimates the response of an earthen embankment subjected to overtopping or internal erosion.WinDAM C is a model that quantifies erosion/breach processes observed in physical embankment failure tests.Understanding the current technology and limitations provides a basis for further model development.Abstract. Internal erosion and overtopping erosion of earthen embankments are the leading causes for earthen embankment failures. Challenges like reservoir sedimentation, structural deterioration, rodent damage or tree root growth, and changing hazard classification from low to significant or high have arisen with aging dams. To address these challenges, new technology and tools for predicting the performance of homogeneous, cohesive earthen embankments during overtopping or internal erosion are needed. Windows Dam Analysis Modules (WinDAM) is a modular software application developed through collaborative efforts of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and Kansas State University (KSU) in response to this need. WinDAM uses a simple storage routing model to simulate flow through a reservoir and incorporates algorithms for predicting the progression of erosion resulting from embankment overtopping or flow through an internal discontinuity in the embankment. These algorithms are based on existing literature and data and observations from physical model experiments of homogeneous, cohesive embankments conducted by scientists at the USDA-ARS Hydraulic Engineering Research Unit in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The resulting computational model is a simplified representation of the observed process of progressive erosion that may lead to embankment breach. This paper reviews the components of the erosion/breach process and the way in which these components are quantified and integrated into the current WinDAM software, WinDAM C. The scope of application of the software, limitations, and computational assumptions are also discussed. Keywords: Breach, Dams, Erodibility, Erosion Process, Failure, Internal erosion, Model, Overtopping, Piping.

WAVE RUNUP ON AN ARRAY OF STRUCTURES DUE TO A SOLITARY WAVE INTERACTING WITH STEADY CURRENTS

The present study investigates the runup patterns formed during the interactions of a solitary wave with an array of idealized structures in the presence of following and opposing steady current flows. A series of experiments were performed at Coastal and Hydraulic Engineering Research Laboratory (CHERL) of Stony Brook University. A solitary wave of 0.1 m high was considered to interact with an array of idealized buildings on a beach berm. The wave was generated in the flume in the absence and presence of steady currents. Two different steady current velocities, one weaker and the other stronger, were generated using the flume flow recirculation system.

Coastal Engineers Embrace Nature: Characterizing the Metamorphosis in Hydraulic Engineering in Terms of Four Continua

Hydraulic engineering infrastructures, such as reservoirs, dikes, breakwaters, and inlet closures, have significantly impacted ecosystem functioning over the last two centuries. Currently, nature-based solutions are receiving increasing attention in hydraulic engineering projects and research programs. However, there is a lack of reflection on the concomitant, fundamental changes occurring in the field of hydraulic engineering, and coastal engineering in particular, and what this could mean for sustainability. In this article, we signal the shift from conventional to ecosystem-based hydraulic engineering design and characterize this in terms of four continua: (i) the degree of inclusion of ecological knowledge, (ii) the extent to which the full infrastructural lifecycle is addressed, (iii) the complexity of the actor arena taken into account, and (iv) the resulting form of the infrastructural artefact. We support our arguments with two carefully selected, iconic examples from the Netherlands and indicate how the stretching ideals of ecosystem-based engineering could engender further shifts towards sustainability.

Вклад ВНИИГиМ в развитие мелиоративной науки России

FGBNU «VNIIGiM them. A.N. Kostyakova» heads the land reclamation science of the country for 95 years. Much has been done over this period. The Institute gave the largest scientists in the field of land reclamation and hydraulic engineering, created a school of highly qualified specialists. Problems of agriculture efficiency improving and ensuring the agrolandscapes environmental sustainability, the development of the agro-industrial complex through the development of scientific justification, technologies, designs, methods of complex reclamation, land reclamation mechanization, hydraulic engineering, and economic research are in the focus of the institute.An important role in research belongs to increasing the efficiency of the water management complexin the agro-industrial complex, and improving the water resources management system.Today, the agricultural sector of the economy faces new big challenges, and the success of their solution depends on the scientific contribution of the institute scientists.

USBR Type III and Type IV Stilling Basins and Rock Aprons Associated with Stepped Chutes

Abstract. Stilling basins are commonly used as energy dissipators for structural chutes. Classical research conducted by scientists of the U. S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) led to the development of design criteria for a variety of stilling basin configurations as the outlet works for smooth chutes, but little is known about the performance of these dissipators when paired with stepped chutes. Research at the USDA-ARS Hydraulic Engineering Research Unit (HERU) in Stillwater, Oklahoma, was conducted on USBR Type III and Type IV stilling basins with rock aprons located downstream of a near prototype stepped chute. Data indicates Froude numbers based on the incoming clear water flow depth to the stilling basin range from 3.3 = F = 5.5. Visual observations noted during the tests indicate acceptable performance of the Type III and Type IV stilling basins when operated at recommended or greater tailwater settings as set forth by the USBR. Three methods, the Isbash, USBR, and USGS, were chosen for evaluating the rock stability of the rock aprons placed downstream of the endsill of the stilling basins used in association with stepped chutes. Data indicate each method is suitable for riprap sizing of the rock apron. The intent of this research is to provide design engineers with knowledge regarding the performance of USBR Type III and Type IV stilling basins with rock aprons designed in conjunction with stepped chutes. Keywords: Dam safety, Embankment dams, Energy dissipation, Rock apron, Roller compacted concrete, Stepped spillways, Stilling basin.

Floating Sensor Networks for River Studies

Free-floating sensor packages that take local measurements and track flows in water systems, known as drifters, are a standard tool in oceanography, but are new to estuarial and riverine studies. A system based on drifters for making estimates on a hydrodynamic system requires the drifters themselves, a communication network, and a method for integrating the gathered data into an estimate of the state of the hydrodynamics. This paper presents a complete drifter system and documents a pilot experiment in a controlled channel. The utility of the system for making measurements in unknown environments is highlighted by a combined parameter estimation and data assimilation algorithm using an extended Kalman filter. The performance of the system is illustrated with field data collected at the Hydraulic Engineering Research Unit, Stillwater, OK.

Hydraulic Engineering: A Rising Wave of Progress

We have accomplished much in hydraulic engineering research in the past year. Our journal has contributed to the transfer of research results to ensure a vibrant future for our profession and will continue to do so. Progress in hydraulic engineering research can be painfully slow sometimes, but subtle, significant markers indicate that we are navigating the right course. Awards that recognize important advances and contributions to research are one type of marker, and it has been a good year in that respect. I will discuss some journal statistics that seem to indicate that we are riding an upward trajectory in our journey. Finally, I have attended three conferences this year and listened to colleagues and associate editors from around the world, to provide an unscientific sample but nevertheless a revealing guidepost that great accomplishments are ahead. I especially enjoy listening to young people who are beginning their careers in hydraulic engineering because their enthusiasm reminds me of the early days of my own career.

Introduction to 30th Hunter Rouse Hydraulic Engineering Lecture

The Hunter Rouse Hydraulic Engineering Award is one of the most prestigious ASCE awards. It recognizes outstanding contributions to hydraulics and waterways and is named, of course, in honor of Hunter Rouse, Hon.M.ASCE, to recognize the tremendous impact that he had on the fields of fluid mechanics and hydraulic engineering. The Hydraulics and Waterways Council Awards Committee recommends a winner to the EWRI Awards Committee, which obtains approval from the EWRI Governing Board to present the award. As a matter of tradition, the lecture is published in the Journal of Hydraulic Engineering (JHE) after undergoing a peerreview process from selected members of the editorial board. I am very pleased to be able to offer in this issue the paper based on the lecture given by Joseph Hun-wei Lee, F.ASCE, who is currently vice president for research and graduate studies at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). Professor Lee grew up in Hong Kong and received his B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D. degrees in civil engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He began his academic career at the University of Delaware but was soon lured to the University of Hong Kong, where he began a rapid rise in both research and administrative capacities at that prestigious university. He became the Redmond Chair professor of civil engineering in 1995 and was dean of engineering from 2000 to 2003 and then pro-vicechancellor and vice president from 2004 to 2010 before taking office in his current position at HKUST. On a personal note, I was aware of his Ph.D. thesis work at MIT because he was one of an outstanding group of graduate students studying there in the rapidly emerging field of environmental fluid mechanics in the 1970s, but I first met him at the University of Hong Kong in 1991 at one of the best conferences that I have ever attended. He served as coeditor of the Proceedings of the 1991 International Symposium on Environmental Hydraulics. Professor Lee has reprised that role several times since then by organizing and editing the proceedings of a number of important international conferences. His service to the International Association of Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research (IAHR) is also well known, and he is respected as vice president of that organization (2007–2011). In addition to serving as an associate editor of JHE on whom I greatly rely, Professor Lee somehow also finds the time to be the editor of the Journal of Hydro-environment Research. Professor Lee’s research revolves around the use of hydraulics to solve environmental problems, in particular, the prediction and control of water quality, and he has published widely and authoritatively on this subject. He has acted as an expert consultant on numerous hydro-environmental projects, and he serves on the Advisory Council on the Environment and the Construction Industry Council of the Hong Kong SAR Government and on advisory bodies in Scotland, Germany, and Singapore. Professor Lee is the first Asia-based academic to receive the Hunter Rouse award, and I am sure that Dr. Rouse would have been proud of that because of the strong ties that he developed with the Asian academic community through former students who studied at the University of Iowa. Professor Lee is also a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, United Kingdom, and a fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences. In his paper, Professor Lee summarizes both his past and current research on the mixing of multiple turbulent buoyant jets with applications to offshore sewage disposal and the discharge of power plant cooling water effluents. Professor Lee also discusses some interesting unconventional applications of the mixing induced by jets. It is most encouraging that his paper is not only about the merging of jets but in a broader sense, reflects the merging of sound experimental work and current CFD techniques, which is at the forefront of modern hydraulic engineering research and practice.

The Journal of Hydraulic Research 1963–2012: advances over the past 50 years

The Journal of Hydraulic Research (JHR) reaches in 2012 the 50th publication year, so that an adequate look back is appropriate. This paper describes the foundations of both the International Association of Hydro-environment Engineering and Research (IAHR) and its flagship journal JHR. The latter was a significant addition to the then existing hydraulic engineering research journals, and it was well received particularly among the IAHR members. The development of JHR is described in terms of the journal presentation, the editors and the 10 top-cited papers. It is noted that papers mainly with a computational background and with problems in river engineering count in these seminal works. The paper closes with remarks from the author relating to his observations made during the past 5 years while serving as the JHR editor.

Three-dimensional simulation of meandering river based on 3-D RNG κ-ɛ turbulence model

A 3-D numerical model for calculating flow in non-curvilinear coordinates was established in this article. The flow was simulated by solving the full Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations with the RNG κ–ɛ turbulence model. In the horizontal x– y-plane, a boundary-fitted curvilinear co-ordinate system was adopted, while in the vertical direction, a σco-ordinate transformation was used to represent the free surface and bed topography. The water level was determined by solving the 2-D Poisson equation derived from 2-D depth averaged momentum equations. The finite-volume method was used to discretize the equations and the SIMPLEC algorithm was applied to acquire the coupling of velocity and pressure. This model was applied to simulate the meandering channels and natural rivers, and the water levels and the velocities for all sections were given. By contrasting and analyzing, the agreement with measurements is generally good. The feasibility studies of simulating flow of the natural river have been conducted to demonstrate its applicability to hydraulic engineering research.

Three‐dimensional simulation of tsunami run‐up around conical island

At the circular Babi Island in the Flores tsunami (1992) and pear shaped island in the Okushiri event (1993), unexpectedly large tsunami run‐up heights in the lee of conic islands were observed. The flume and basin physical model studies were conducted in the Coastal Hydraulic Laboratory, Engineering Research and Development Center, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide a better understanding of the physical phenomena and verify numerical models used in predicting tsunami wave run‐up on beaches, islands, and vertical walls. Reasonably accurate comparison of run‐up height of solitary waves on a circular island has been obtained between laboratory experimental results and two‐dimensional computation model results. In this study we apply three‐dimensional RANS model to simulate wave run‐up on conical island. In the run‐up computation we obtain that 3D calculations are in very good comparison with laboratory and 2D numerical results. A close examination of the three‐dimensional velocity distribution around conical island to compare with depth‐integrated model is performed. It is shown that the velocity distribution along the vertical coordinate is not uniform: and velocity field is weaker in the bottom layer and higher on the sea surface. The maximum difference (about 40%) appears at the time when solitary wave reached the circular island.

Geodynamic effect on the state of high concrete dams

Since 1991 the O.Yu. Shmidt Institute of the Physics of the Earth, Russian Academy of Sciences, jointly with the All-Russian Hydraulic Engineering Research Institute has been conducting systematic comprehensive investigations of the geodynamic effect on large dams, including seismicity, by means of monitoring and measuring equipment. An expert analysis of data on 11 dams were carried out.

Density Currents Entering Lakes and Reservoirs

The current state of knowledge of density currents caused by negatively (dense) or positively (light) buoyant flows entering stratified or unstratified lakes and reservoirs is reviewed and evaluated. Emphasis is given to heavier than ambient flows that plunge below the surface and move along the lower boundary of the receiving water in their initial stage of propagation. The behavior of entering flow, plunging flow, density current, separating flow, and interflow is briefly described. Methods commonly used in the analysis of various flow regimes (zones) are presented. Selected references and examples of the application of density currents are provided to assist the practicing hydraulic and environmental engineering community. Finally, gaps in the current knowledge and research needs are identified for the hydraulic engineering research community.