Explicit and Implicit Finite -Volume Methods for Depth Averaged Free-Surface Flows

In recent years, much progress has been made in solving free-surface flow variation problems in order to prevent flood environmental problems in natural rivers. Computational results and convergence acceleration of two different (explicit and implicit numerical techniques) finite-volume based numerical algorithms, for depth-averaged subcritical and/or supercritical, free-surface, steady flows in channels, are presented. The implicit computational model is a bi-diagonal, finite-volume numerical scheme, based on MacCormack’s predictor-corrector technique and uses the semi-linearization matrices for the governing Navier- Stokes equations which are expressed in terms of diagonalization. This implicit numerical scheme puts primary emphasis to solution convergence using non-orthogonal local coordinate system. The explicit formulation uses volume integrals to solve the governing flow equations. Computational results and convergence performance between the implicit and the explicit finitevolume numerical schemes, for incompressible, viscous, depth-averaged free-surface, steady flows are presented. Implicit and explicit computational results are satisfactorily compared with available measurements. The implicit bi-diagonal technique yields fast convergence compared to the explicit one at the expense of programming effort. Iterations require to achieve convergence solution error of less than 10-5, can be reduced down to 90.0 % in comparison to analogous flows with using explicit numerical technique.