Modelling of Flood Wave Propagation with Wet-dry Front by One-dimensional Diffusive Wave Equation

Abstract A full dynamic model in the form of the shallow water equations (SWE) is often useful for reproducing the unsteady flow in open channels, as well as over a floodplain. However, most of the numerical algorithms applied to the solution of the SWE fail when flood wave propagation over an initially dry area is simulated. The main problems are related to the very small or negative values of water depths occurring in the vicinity of a moving wet-dry front, which lead to instability in numerical solutions. To overcome these difficulties, a simplified model in the form of a non-linear diffusive wave equation (DWE) can be used. The diffusive wave approach requires numerical algorithms that are much simpler, and consequently, the computational process is more effective than in the case of the SWE. In this paper, the numerical solution of the one-dimensional DWE based on the modified finite element method is verified in terms of accuracy. The resulting solutions of the DWE are compared with the corresponding benchmark solution of the one-dimensional SWE obtained by means of the finite volume methods. The results of numerical experiments show that the algorithm applied is capable of reproducing the reference solution with satisfactory accuracy even for a rapidly varied wave over a dry bottom.