A Review of Numerical Reservoir Hydrodynamic Modeling

Stratification, i.e., density variations in a reservoir, occurs due to temperature variations as a result of surface heat exchange and plays an important role in determining the water quality of a reservoir. This role is determined through the influence of density variations on the movement of water in the reservoir. Therefore, the primary objective of a prediction of stratified flow hydrodynamics in reservoirs is to enable scientists to compute temperature distributions and water transports insofar as they affect various water quality parameters. One objective of the Environmental & Water Quality Operational Study (EWQOS) program of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is to provide District and Division offices with a tool for predicting reservoir hydrodynamics over periods of time extending from the initial setup of thermal stratification in the spring through its breakup in the fall. Such a predictive technique will subsequently be used in the prediction of water quality parameters. Both two- and three-dimensional, unsteady, variable density, heat-conducting models have been investigated during the past year. This investigation has centered around an analysis of both the mathematical and numerical bases of individual models as well as their ability to simulate a density underflow.