Experimental and Numerical Investigation of a Deficient Stormwater Drainage System

In this paper, a deficient stormwater system was investigated with experimental and numerical methods. The main goal was to obtain an experimentally validated 3D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model to identify the problems of the system and offer design solutions via numerical modeling. A scaled physical model of the structure was built for CFD validation. The validation was done via comparisons of point pressure statistics, discharge and water levels. Different mesh structures and turbulence closure methods were also tested for verification of the model. The validated model was then used to determine the cause of the problems in the structure. New geometries were tested numerically to suggest solutions to the detected problems. Empirical approaches and also regulations for the stormwater structures were also considered for comparison. Findings of this study suggest that a verified and validated CFD model is an effective tool to investigate special geometries for specific hydraulic structure problems where conventional approaches are insufficient.