Simulation of Unsteady Movement in the Downstream of a Hydroelectric Complex During the Destruction of a Soil Dam

Abstract

153 reservoirs have been created in the Republic of Belarus. During the period of passing catastrophic floods and high waters along the river, there is a risk of overflowing reservoirs, overflow of water masses through the crest of an earthen dam and flooding of significantly large areas. The destruction of the dam is accompanied by the formation of a breach and the outflow through it of an unsteady flow of water in the form of a breakthrough wave into the downstream. A breakthrough wave and catastrophic flooding of the area are the main destructive factors of hydrodynamic accidents. Calculations to determine parameters of the wave and to assess the possible consequences of flooding are necessary when drawing up operational-and-tactical plans for the prevention and elimination of emergencies in case of accidents at retaining structures, determining the probable damage from flooding of the territory in the downstream of a hydraulic structure as a result of the passage of a breakthrough wave. It is necessary to assess the flooding zone and the hydrodynamic parameters of the flow, viz. the maximum values of the depth and velocity of the flow in the zone of catastrophic flooding, the time from the beginning of the accident to the arrival of a breakthrough wave at the particular point of the terrain, the duration of flooding, the boundaries of the zone of catastrophic flooding, the hydrographic flow rate in the section of the eroded dam and the graph of the fall headwater level. The degree of reliability of predictive calculations is determined by the accuracy of the two applied mathematical models, viz.: 1) erosion of the dam; 2) the movement of the breakout wave. The analysis of the applied mathematical models shows that in all cases the hydrodynamic models based on the oneand two-dimensional equations of Boussinesq – Saint-Venant are used to calculate the movement of the breakthrough wave. Wave parameters, i. e. wave height and speed of its propagation, completely depend on the hydrograph of the discharge in the section of the eroded dam, which, in its turn, is determined by the dynamics of its erosion. The aim of the work is to develop a methodology for calculating the flooding of the downstream as a result of the destruction of a soil dam.