Three-Dimensional Numerical Modeling of Urban Green Stormwater Infrastructure Curb Inlets
Publication: Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Volume 147, Issue 9
Abstract
The current equations for curb inlet opening sizing often inaccurately estimate the capture efficiency of small urban green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) curb inlets. Most of these equations are based on studies with openings much larger than typical urban GSI curb inlets (i.e., less than 0.6 m). This study introduces a new, three-dimensional (3D) numerical approach for evaluating curb efficiency using the ANSYS Fluent computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model that can be applied to a wide range of curb inlet conditions. Simulated curb efficiency results for typical urban curb inlet openings are verified by laboratory experiments of field-scale conditions. A high prediction accuracy is obtained (Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency ) between the observed and the CFD model results. The CFD model also performs better than three commonly used methods for estimating curb inlet efficiency; the Hydraulic Engineering Circular No. 22, and the 2009 and 2012 Comport and Thornton equations. The high level of accuracy observed in this study makes 3D CFD modeling a more effective alternative to existing equations for evaluating GSI curb inlet efficiency. The quick simulation times realized in this study also demonstrate that CFD modeling of GSI inlets has an added benefit of quickly evaluating several design alternatives without a need for costly full-scale or on-site testing often performed to assess such inlets.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
This research was partially funded by the Philadelphia Water Department as part of the of the Green City Clean Waters Research Center (GCCWRC) project. The authors would like to thank Dr. Gerald Zaremba for assisting with setting up the laboratory experiments and Madhat Fares for assisting with running the experiments.
Disclaimer
The opinions presented in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily express the opinions of the Philadelphia Water Department. Reference in this report to any commercial product, process, or service, or the use of any trade, firm, or corporation name is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement or certification of any kind by the authors. This project is a research initiative of the Villanova Center for Resilient Water Systems.
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Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Volume 147 • Issue 9 • September 2021
Copyright
© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Aug 26, 2020
Accepted: Mar 9, 2021
Published online: Jul 13, 2021
Published in print: Sep 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Dec 13, 2021
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