Simulation and analysis of ice processes in an artificial open channel

The Middle Route Project for South-to-North Water Transfer, which consists of a long artificial open channel and various hydraulic constructions, is a big water conveyance system. A numerical modeling of water conveyance in the ice period for such large-scale and long distance water transfer project is developed based on the integration of a river ice model and an unsteady flow model with complex inner boundaries. A simplified method to obtain the same flow discharge in the upstream and downstream of the structure by neglecting the storage effect is proposed for dealing with the inner boundaries. According to the measured and design data in winter-spring period, the whole ice process, which includes the formation of the ice cover, its development, the melting and the breaking up as well as the ice-water dynamic response during the gate operation for the middle route, is simulated. The ice characteristics and the water conveyance capacity are both analyzed and thus the hydraulic control conditions for a safety regulation are obtained. At last, the uncertainties of some parameters related to the ice model are discussed.