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Hydraulic Modelling

This document summarizes the performance of HEC-RAS software in 2D modeling benchmark tests developed by the UK's Environment Agency as part of their flood risk management research. The tests aimed to evaluate the software's ability to predict flood risk variables and demonstrate its capabilities in producing results similar to leading models. The document also details the hardware specifications used for the tests and the specific benchmark tests conducted.

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30 views2 pages

Hydraulic Modelling

This document summarizes the performance of HEC-RAS software in 2D modeling benchmark tests developed by the UK's Environment Agency as part of their flood risk management research. The tests aimed to evaluate the software's ability to predict flood risk variables and demonstrate its capabilities in producing results similar to leading models. The document also details the hardware specifications used for the tests and the specific benchmark tests conducted.

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[email protected]
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We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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RD-51 Chapter 1 – Introduction

Chapter 1
Overview
This research document summarizes how the Hydrologic Engineering Center's (HEC) River
Analysis System (HEC-RAS) software performed in the two-dimensional (2D) modeling
benchmark tests developed by the United Kingdom's (UK) Joint Defra (Department for
Environmental Food and Rural Affairs) Environment Agency. These tests were developed under
Defra's Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Research and Development (R&D)
program's two-dimensional research project. The title of the report is "Delivering Benefits
through Evidence - Benchmarking the latest generation of 2D hydraulic modeling packages"
(Report - SC120002), published in August 2013.

A direct comparison of the HEC-RAS results to the plots shown in the report are contained in
Appendix A of this document.

To obtain a copy of the official report, you can contact the United Kingdom Environment
Agency at [email protected], or download the report from:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/benchmarking-the-latest-generation-of-2d-
hydraulic-flood-modelling-packages

The United Kingdom Environmental Agency states the following about the set of benchmark
tests:

"The overall objectives of this research are to provide:


● an evidence base to ensure that 2D flood inundation modelling packages used for flood
risk management by the Environment Agency and its consultants are capable of
adequately predicting the variables on which flood risk management decisions are
based
● a data set against which such packages can be evaluated by their developers"

The purpose of performing these tests with HEC-RAS is to demonstrate that the HEC-RAS two-
dimensional modeling capabilities can produce similar results to the leading two-dimensional
models documented by the United Kingdom Environmental Agency research report.

This research document also shows the utility of the HEC-RAS two-dimensional capabilities for
producing similar results for larger grid cell sizes, due to the software's ability to utilize the
detailed subgrid bathymetry for developing detailed cell and cell face property tables (HEC-RAS
2D Modeling User's Manual, Version 5.0, February 2016). The use of detailed hydraulic
property tables takes into account all the details of the underlying terrain which allows HEC-
RAS to use larger grid cells than models that reduce each cell down to a single average elevation
and each cell face to a straight line. This capability is demonstrated in the results of Benchmark
Tests 4, 5, 7, and 8. In addition, Benchmark Test 5 was used to demonstrate that the HEC-RAS
two-dimensional flow solver has the ability to use an extremely wide range of time steps and
converge to the same result. Benchmark Test 5 was run with time steps of 10, 5, 2, and 1

1
Chapter 1 – Introduction RD-51

seconds. Result plots for water surface and velocities are shown at multiple locations. The
results demonstrated that HEC-RAS can converge to a result as the computational interval is
reduced.

Note: The text and figures in this research document that describe the benchmark test cases were
taken from the United Kingdom Environmental Agencies Model specifications document for
each benchmark test.

The benchmark tests were run using version 5.0.4 of HEC-RAS in April 2018. The benchmark
tests were configured and simulated by Mr. Gary Brunner of the HEC-RAS team and Table 1
contains a description of the computer hardware used to run the benchmark tests. Table 2
contains a list and description of the benchmark tests.

Table 1. Hardware Specifications


Minimum recommended hardware specifications
Make: Windows based or compatible PC
Model: No restrictions
Type: No restrictions
CPU Cores: One required, but four or more recommended
RAM: 2GB
Operating Systems: Windows XP, 7, 8, and 10
CPU Processing: 32 or 64 bit
Graphics Card: No restrictions

Hardware specifications used to carry out tests


Make: Dell
Model: Precision T5610; Intel Xeon E5-2687W processor
3.0 GHz to 3.4 GHz Turbo mode
Type: Desktop
CPU Cores: 8
RAM: 16 GB
Operating System: Windows 7 Professional
CPU Processing: 64 bit
Graphics card: N/A No restrictions

Table 2. United Kingdom Environmental Agency Tests


Test Completed/reason
Test Description for not completing
1 Flooding a disconnected water body yes
2 Filling of floodplain depressions yes
Momentum conservation over a small
3 obstruction yes
Speed of flood propagation over an
4 extended floodplain yes
5 Valley flooding yes
6A Flume Scale Dambreak yes
6B Full Scale Dambreak yes
7 River and floodplain linking yes
Rainfall and point source surface flow
8A in urban areas yes
Surface flow from a surcharging sewer No; HEC-RAS does not currently have the option to perform
8B in urban areas combined 2D surface flow connected to subsurface pipe flow

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