Flood Routing

River floods can be regarded as signficant disturbances on the flow. From our point of view we
can identify such a disturbance propagating in the river downstream; that is, in the direction of
generally a negative bed gradient. The following text is based on Price (1985).

We can develop a theory of flood propagation from the Saint Venant equations for gradually
varying flow in open channels:
Conservation of momentum:

(1)

Conservation of mass:

(2)

where
n = Manning’s roughness coefficient,
S0 = channel bed slope,
g = acceleration due to gravity,
A = cross-sectional area and B = Top width of the channel,
Q = discharge,
y = depth of flow
q = lateral inflow and
t = time.
The Saint-Venant equations consist of a number of terms, especially the dynamic equation. This
equation can be simplified in certain circumstances that are particular to floods in a river.

If we ignore the inertial terms (the local acceleration and convection of momentum) then we
obtain

(3)

We now have a advection-diffusion equation. The equation has the remarkable property of
having only Q as the primary dependent variable within the differentials. It is still, however, a
function of the dependent variable h (or A), and therefore the equation is incomplete without the
mass balance equation (Eq 2). Note that the advection speed and diffusion coefficients are given
by

(4)

(5)
Basic flood routing equation

Eq (3) provides us with some fundamental insight into the behaviour of disturbances of gradually
varying flows in open channels. Eq (3) can be modified following the procedure suggested by
Cunge (1969) to the following

(6)

where

(7)

(8)

(9)

Eq (6) is the basic flood routing equation and is valid for any typical Froude number. It can be
termed the Muskingum-Cunge equation. Here ‘Muskingum’ is the name of a river in North
America on which a related flood routing method was first developed, and Cunge is the name of a
person who first established the relationship between the Muskingum method and the Saint-
Venant equations. The Muskingum-Cunge equation is the formal non-linear analytical equation
that expresses the insights of Cunge (1969).

Kinematic wave

Eq (6) was derived under the assumption that the water surface slope defined relative to the bed
gradient is small compared with the bed gradient. That is, terms identified by ε are small
compared with the other terms. In the limiting case as ε→0 Eq (6) becomes
 (10)

If q=0 this equation describes a kinematic wave, that is, a wave that travels in the positive x-
direction with speed c0(Q) and without change in the peak discharge. The fact that c0 depends on
Q means that the shape of the wave can vary. If the peak of the wave is travelling faster than the
toe of the wave then eventually the wave will fold over on itself like a wave breaking on a beach.
Similarly, if the peak of the wave is travelling slower than the toe of the wave the wave will fold
back on itself. Both of these cases can tend to happen to a flood wave in a natural river.

Application of the kinematic wave theory to floods in flat rivers with extensive flood plains show
that the recession of the hydrograph can become unacceptably steep (this is in contrast to the
rising limb of the hydrograph, which can show a marked flatting of the shape). This in essence
gives a wave collapsing back on itself! This however, is unreasonable in physical terms. The
reason for the simulation error is the assumption inherent to the derivation of the equations of a
horizontal surface across the river. This is a reasonable assumption on the rising limb of the
hydrograph but can be strongly violated on the recession due to the longer time taken for water to
drain off the flood plain back into the channel. Special precautions are needed to minimise the
consequences of this effect on any simulation.

References

Cunge, J A (1969) On the subject of a flood propagation method (Muskingum method) J Hydr
Res IAHR, 7, pp205-30
Hayami, S (1951) On the propagation of flood waves, Bulletin No 1 Disaster Prevention research
Institute, Kyoto University, Japan, Dec
Forchheimer, P (1930) Hydraulik 3rd Edn, Tuebner, Leipzig and Berlin
Price, R K (1982) A non-linear theory of flood wave propagation Appl. Math Modelling, 6
pp338-42
Price, R K (1973) Flood routing methods for British rivers Rep IT111, Hydraulics research,
Wallingford, UK March
Price, R K (1973) Variable parameter diffusion method for flood routing Rep IT115, Hydraulics
research, Wallingford UK July
Price, R K (1973) Flood routing methods for British rivers. Proc Inst Civ Engrs 55 (12) pp913-30
Price, R K (1985) Flood routing. Chap 4 in Developments in Hydraulic Engineering-3, Ed
Novak, Elsevier Applied Science Publishers, London and New York, pp129-73
Amein, M (1968) An implicit method for numerical flood routing. Water Res Res 4, (4) pp719-26
Lighthill and Whitham, G B (1955) On kinematic waves I Proc Roy Soc, London Series A, 229
pp281-316
Wong, T H F and Laurenson, E M (1983) Wave speed-discharge relations in natural channels
Wat Res Res 19 (3), pp701-6