Numerical modeling of spillway flow

The measured velocity field and free surface profile of flow for six different discharges over a spillway model are used for validation purpose of the two-dimensional computational results of the same flow cases. The governing equations of the spillway flows are numerically solved using Finite Volume Method. The turbulence closure models; Standard k-ε, Renormalization group k-ε, Realizable k-ε, Modified k-w, Shear Stress Transport and Reynolds Stress Model are used in the numerical simulation and the flow profiles are computed using Volume of Fluid (VOF) method. The testing of the numerical results for grid-independent numerical solution is carried out using a GCI analysis. The effects of spillway sidewall, discrezation method, pressure correlation algorithm and iteration number on the numerical results are investigated, and the most appropriate methods are determined. The comparisons of the computed and experimental results for all the cases show that the numerical results from the Realizable k-ε and Reynolds Stress Model are very close to each other, and compared to the other turbulence models, they are both more successful in predicting the velocity field and free surface of the spillway flow.