Introduction to Unsteady Flow Modeling with HEC-RAS

ASCE Web Seminar Presented by Matthew Zeve, P.E., CFM

AECOM Houston, TX matthew.zeve@aecom.com

References
HEC-RAS Users Guide Version 4.1 January 2010

Introduction
Agenda
Primary differences between steady flow and unsteady flow Boundary conditions Geometry pre-processing Output

Differences Between Steady and Unsteady Flow

Computation methodology Differences in geometric data Different input requirements

Steady vs. Unsteady

Difference in handling friction and other losses Difference in numerical solution algorithm Difference in computation of XS properties Difference in handling non-flow areas Difference in flow and boundary condition data requirements Difference in calibration strategy Difference in application strategy
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Energy Principles

Z
6

Y2

2 V 22
2g

Z 1 Y1

2V 12
2g

he

Momentum Equation

Fx ma

Numerical Solution

Algorithms used Steady: Iterative convergence section-bysection for each flow Unsteady: Matrix solution for flow and stage simultaneously at all sections each time step

Pre-Computation of Hydraulic Properties

Steady Compute exact hydraulic properties at a section for each trial water surface elevation from the GR points, n-values, etc. Unsteady Hydraulic properties are precomputed for all possible water surface elevations at each cross section (HTAB)

New Geometric Features

Existing geometric features all work for unsteady flow (XS, bridges, culverts, inline weirs/spillways) Lateral structures Storage areas Storage area connections Pump stations

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Non-Flow Areas
Steady ineffective areas may or may not be occupied by water Unsteady All areas containing water (even if not moving) must be included

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Expansion/Contraction Coefficients
Not used in the momentum formulation (RAS unsteady) Should be in the data, however, for use with steady flow analysis New option in version 4.1.0 to include expansion and contraction

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Data Requirements
Steady Discharge (Q) at each cross section Unsteady Inflow hydrograph(s) which are routed by the model

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Boundary Conditions
Boundary conditions required at all open ends of the system
Flow hydrograph Stage hydrograph Flow and stage hydrograph Rating curve Normal depth

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Boundary Conditions
Interior boundary conditions can also be defined within the river system:
Lateral inflow to a node Uniform lateral inflow across a reach Ground water interflow Time series of gate openings Elevation controlled gate Navigation dams Observed internal stage and/or flow hydrograph

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Unsteady Flow Data Editor

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Flow Hydrograph
Read from DSS
Select DSS file Select pathname

Enter in table
Select time interval Select start date/time Enter flow data

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Monitor Flow Rate of Change

Added option for flow hydrograph data
Set maximum flow change in time step If input data exceeds max, program will shorten computational time step

Minimum flow Multiplier

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Stage Hydrograph
Read from DSS
Select DSS file Select pathname

Enter in table
Select time interval Select start date/time Simulation time Fixed starting time Enter stage data

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Stage and Flow Hydrograph

Upstream mixed
Stage used while defined Flow used after

Purpose
Real time use Mix observed stage with forecasted flow

Used primarily for forecasting models

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Rating Curve
Single value rating curve Downstream boundary Read from DSS
Select DSS file Select pathname

Enter in table

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Normal Depth
Enter friction (energy) slope Program uses Mannings equation to compute stage Provides Normal Depth downstream boundary

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Adding an Internal Boundary

Select:
River Reach River station

Add Boundary Condition Location Location added to the list of boundary conditions
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Internal Boundary Conditions

Lateral inflow hydrograph Uniform lateral inflow Groundwater interflow Time Series of Gate Openings Elevation Controlled Gate Navigation dams
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Lateral Inflow Hydrograph

Lateral flow downstream from a cross section Read from DSS
Select DSS file Select pathname

Enter in table

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Uniform Lateral Inflow Hydrograph

Uniform lateral flow to a reach Add internal location at upstream river station Set downstream river station Read from DSS Enter in table
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Groundwater Interflow

Add internal location at upstream river station Input Groundwater Stage Darcys loss coefficient Distance between stages of river & groundwater
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Initial Conditions
Initial conditions must be established for the entire system: Specify flows and perform a steady flow backwater analysis Read in flow and stage at every node from a previous run, hot start file Initial conditions flow data is used to calculate a water surface profile at the start of the simulation. Initial flows and stages used to start unsteady flow calcs.
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Unsteady Flow Data Editor

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Unsteady Flow Simulation Manager

Define a Plan Select which programs to run Enter a starting and ending date and time Set the computation settings Press the compute button
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Geometry Preprocessor
What does it do?
Processes geometric data into a series of hydraulic tables and rating curves.

Why do we use it for unsteady flow?

Instead of calculating hydraulic variables for each cross section during each iteration, the program interpolates the hydraulic variables from the tables. This saves time.

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Geometry Preprocessor
Cross sections are processed into tables of area, conveyance, and storage Bridges and culverts are processed into a family of rating curves for each structure Weirs and gate structures are calculated on the fly during unsteady flow calcs Pre-processor results can be viewed in graphs and tables Only need to run once, unless geometry data changes
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Cross Section Parameters Table

View HTAB parameters

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Cross Section Parameters Table

Starting Elevation Increment Number of points

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Cross Section Properties Plot

Gray line

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Cross Section Properties Table

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Bridge/Culvert Hydraulic Properties Plot

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Bridge/Culvert Hydraulic Properties Plot

Each line represents one tailwater elevation Each tick mark on a line represents a flow rate and headwater elevation

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Unsteady Flow Model Output

Stage and flow hydrographs Examples Log file output

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Stage and Flow Hydrographs Only created at certain locations

Limit of 500 total

Default locations
Upper and lower XS of all reaches Upstream and downstream XS of internal boundaries Observed DSS data connections

User selected locations

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Stage and Flow Plot

Cross sections Bridge/Culverts Inline structures Lateral structures Storage areas Storage area connections

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Stage and Flow Plot Cross Sections Stage versus Flow

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Stage and Flow Plot Cross Sections Stage and Flow versus Time

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Stage and Flow Plot Bridge/Culverts Stage versus Flow

Stage headwater Stage tailwater Flow

`
HW Bridge/Culvert TW

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Stage and Flow Plot Bridge/Culverts Internal Boundary Curves

Stage headwater Stage tailwater Flow

HW Bridge/Culvert TW

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Stage and Flow Plot Inline Structures

Stage headwater Stage tailwater Flow total Flow in gates

HW Inline Structure TW

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Stage and Flow Plot Lateral Structure

Stage headwater Stage tailwater Flow total Flow in gates

HW up Lateral Weir TW

HW dn
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Stage and Flow Plot Storage Areas

Stage Net inflow
Qin Qin

Qin

Qout

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Stage and Flow Plot SA Connection

Stage headwater Stage tailwater Flow

HW SA Conn

TW

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Log File Output

Can be generated during computations Information about progression of simulation Can make a large, large file

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Post Processor
Can be run after the unsteady simulation is completed Provides profiles for the maximum stage and at regular intervals All regular graphics and tables can be used to view the post process results Graphics can animate the simulation

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Questions?

AECOM Houston, TX matthew.zeve@aecom.com

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