Studie van de morfodynamische ontwikkelingen in rivieren met behulp van driedimensionale numerieke modellen
Ides, S. (2004). Studie van de morfodynamische ontwikkelingen in rivieren met behulp van driedimensionale numerieke modellen. Ir Thesis. Vrije Universiteit Brussel: Brussel. Vol. 1 (xviii, 103); Vol. 2 (appendices) pp.
Since a couple of years WL | Delft Hydraulics is carrying out extensive morphological studies on the Western Scheldt using the three-dimensional numerical model Delft3D. This master thesis is based on queries about the possibilities of this numerical model to simulate the morphological evolutions of sandbars in this estuary. A master thesis is not intended to simulate complex morphological processes like these observed in the Western Scheldt. This is why we decide to study these processes in the simple case of an unidirectional stream in a rectangular channel. In fact those physical processes governing the morphological evolution in both the complex estuary and the simple channel are similar. The absence of varying pressure gradients and reversing direction of tidal currents clearly simplifies the physical interpretation. A first simulation consisted of an experiment with a rectangular channel including a sandbank. The purpose of this simulation was to see if a so-called sand spit would develop: this sand spit is a frequently observed morphological phenomena in nature. The development of this structure didn't seem to be very pronounced in the results of the numerical model Delft3D. This is why we decided to study the morphological processes in an unidirectional current more profoundly. As a conclusion we can state that the use of a numerical model such as Delft3D requires some experience to study three-dimensional morphological processes. When analyzing the numerical results it is of uttermost importance to take into account the uncertainties and gaps in the knowledge of the physical processes in the first place and the limitations of the arithmetic methods in the second place.
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