Meshless particle modelling of free surface flow over spillways

Abstract

A meshless Lagrangian (particle) method based on the weakly compressible moving particle semiimplicit formulation (WC-MPS) is developed and analysed for simulation of flow over spillways. To improve the accuracy of the model for pressure and velocity calculation, some modifications are proposed and evaluated for the inflow and wall boundary conditions implementation methods. The final model is applied for simulation of flow over the 45W and 60W ogee spillways (with different inflow rates) and also shallow flow over a spillway-like curved bed channel. To evaluate the model, the numerical results of free surface profile and velocity and pressure field are compared with the available experimental measurements. Comparisons show the results' accuracy of the developed model and proposed improvements. The results of this study will not only provide a reliable numerical tool for modelling of flow over spillways, but also provide an insight for better understating flow pattern over these hydraulic structures.