Evaluating SWMM Modeling Performance for Rapid Flows on Tunnels with Geometric Discontinuities
Publication: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 151, Issue 1
Abstract
The EPA’s Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) has been applied across the globe for citywide stormwater modeling due to its robustness and versatility. Recent research indicated that SWMM, with proper setup, can be applied in the description of more dynamic flow conditions, such as rapid inflow conditions. However, stormwater systems often have geometric discontinuities that can pose challenges to SWMM model accuracy, and this issue is poorly explored in the current literature. The present work evaluates the performance of SWMM 5 in the context of a real-world stormwater tunnel with a geometric discontinuity. Various combinations of spatiotemporal discretization are systematically evaluated along with four pressurization algorithms, and results are benchmarked with another hydraulic model using tunnel inflow simulations. Results indicated that the pressurization algorithm has an important effect on SWMM’s accuracy in conditions of sudden diameter changes. From the tested pressurization algorithms, the original Preissmann slot algorithm was the option that yielded more representative results for a wider range of spatiotemporal discretizations. Regarding spatiotemporal discretization options, intermediate discretization, and time steps that lead to Courant numbers equal to one performed best. Interestingly, the traditional SWMM’s link-node approach also presented numerical instabilities despite having low continuity errors. Results indicated that although SWMM can be effective in simulating rapid inflow conditions in tunnels, situations with drastic geometric changes need to be carefully evaluated so that modeling results are representative.
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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
The authors would like to acknowledge the support of the National Science Foundation under Grant Nos. 2049025, 2049094, and 2048607. The authors also would like to thank the San Francisco Department of Public Works for supporting this work by providing the drainage network geometry and rainfall data for the RMT watershed and tunnel.
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Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 151 • Issue 1 • January 2025
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This work is made available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
History
Received: Feb 22, 2024
Accepted: Aug 13, 2024
Published online: Sep 28, 2024
Published in print: Jan 1, 2025
Discussion open until: Feb 28, 2025
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