Comparative Analysis of Mathematical Models for Estimating Discharge Ratio in Trapezoidal Cross-Section Open-Channel Dividing Flow

Abstract

Dividing flow in open-channel is the phenomenon where a single channel splits into several smaller channels. It may also arise at junctions where two or more channels converge. Therefore, it is important to predict the behavior of the flow under certain conditions and makes estimation about the effect of changes in dividing angles on the flow behavior. This study deals with the development of the mathematical model of dividing flow for trapezoidal cross-sectional channel by considering the Reynold’s number to estimate the discharge ratio at certain dividing angles. Model’s performance is validated through the comparison of its predictive accuracy relative to the simulation results obtained by the computational fluid dynamics software. The findings demonstrate that the proposed model with Reynold’s number produces better accuracy with lower deviation percentage compared to the existing model with Froude number. This suggests that the proposed model may be a viable alternative to more computationally intensive simulation software to estimate the discharge in the channel after junction and branch channel.