Numerical modeling of the tidal bore propagation process

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Wei Wu, Dongfang Liang

Thursday 2 july 2015

17:00 - 17:15h at South America (level 0)

Themes: (T) Water engineering, (ST) River and coastal engineering

Parallel session: 13C. Engineering - Industrial

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A tidal bore is an integral part of our environment and cultural heritage. It is a series of waves propagating upstream with a sudden increase in flow depth that may form during spring conditions when the tidal range exceeds 4-6m. This paper concentrates on numerical modeling of the tidal bore propagation process. A hybrid of the two-dimensional Boussinesq-type model and the shallow water model will be applied to simulate this natural wonder, which is solved using a shock-capturing TVD (Total Variation Diminishing) Lax-Wendroff scheme. The Boussinesq-type model will be employed to simulate the propagation process of the ideal undular tidal bore and the shallow-water model to simulate the ideal breaking tidal bore. The numerical results will be validated by some existing experimental measurement data. Then main emphases will be put on the Severn River bore, which is one of the most famous fluvial landmarks in Europe. The sensitivity of the Severn River propagation process to some hydrodynamic parameters is going to be studied. Parameters include the river flow rate, the bed friction and the development of tidal energy project in the Severn River estuary, which remains to be a controversy since it was put forward. The results can provide people with a more comprehensive view on how to better protect the tidal bore and ecosystem.