Stream Tube Approach for Modelling Contaminant Transport in Open Channel Flows

A two dimensional(2D) numerical model based on the stream tube concept is developed not only to quantitatively examine the physical behavior in open channels, but also for examining the physical processes release of pollutants upstream. It is also intended to examine the numerical property advection scheme combined with the flux limiter. The proposed numerical model is examined by comparing with both the analytical solution and measurements. The model performance is discussed and the results are analyzed. Both the numerical test and the model application show that the proposed model is capable for modeling two dimensional contaminant transports in open channel flows. The advantage of the proposed model is that it requires less hydraulic data and is ease of use. Therefore it is of great practical interest for engineering use.