CFD Flow Simulations for South Saskatchewan River Dune Effects

South Saskatchewan River, Canada flow simulations compare depth-averaged and near-bed flow fields over dune and smooth riverbed conditions. Datasets consist of two files from Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling using OpenFOAM to solve three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations. This work was part of NERC project NE/L00738X/1, with Digital Surface Models constructed from imagery captured on four dates in 2015-2017.

Use Cases

• Compare depth-averaged flow field results between the dune and smooth riverbed simulation files.
• Analyze near-bed flow field patterns to quantify the hydrodynamic effect of alluvial bedforms.
• Validate OpenFOAM CFD models for river channel flow using the three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equation solutions.
• Correlate simulation outputs with Digital Surface Models built from 2015-2017 imagery for geomorphic analysis.

Strengths

• Provides direct comparison of two distinct riverbed conditions: with dunes and smooth.
• Simulations solve the three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations using the established OpenFOAM package.
• Digital Surface Models incorporate aerial imagery from four specific dates between 2015 and 2017.

Limitations

• Dataset scope is limited to one specific section of the South Saskatchewan River.
• Unknown row count, column structure, and file size limit quantitative assessment.
• Temporal coverage of source imagery is sparse, with only four capture dates over three years.

Provenance

Source

Environmental Information Data Centre

Collection Method

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations using OpenFOAM.

Time Range

Source imagery from 13 May 2015, 2 September 2016, 8 June 2017, and 12 June 2017.

Freshness

null

Geography

A section of the South Saskatchewan River, Canada.