Three-Dimensional Numerical Modelling of Real-Field Dam-Break Flows: Review and Recent Advances

• Published in: Water (Basel) Vol. 15; no. 17; p. 3130
• Main Authors: Maranzoni, Andrea, Tomirotti, Massimo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.09.2023
• Subjects: Analysis; Case studies; Casualties; China; Dams; Fatalities; Floods; hydrodynamics; Landslides & mudslides; model validation; Pressure distribution; Simulation; Software; Topography; Turbulence models; United Kingdom; water; United Kingdom; China; United States > US
• ISSN: 2073-4441; 2073-4441
• DOI: 10.3390/w15173130

Numerical modelling is a valuable and effective tool for predicting the dynamics of the inundation caused by the failure of a dam or dyke, thereby assisting in mapping the areas potentially subject to flooding and evaluating the associated flood hazard. This paper systematically reviews literature studies adopting three-dimensional hydrodynamic models for the simulation of large-scale dam-break flooding on irregular real-world topography. Governing equations and numerical methods are analysed, as well as recent advances in numerical techniques, modelling accuracy, and computational efficiency. The dam-break case studies used for model validation are highlighted. The advantages and limitations of the three-dimensional dam-break models are compared with those of the commonly used two-dimensional depth-averaged ones. This review mainly aims at informing researchers and modellers interested in numerical modelling of dam-break flow over real-world topography on recent advances and developments in three-dimensional hydrodynamic models so that they can better direct their future research. Practitioners can find in this review an overview of available three-dimensional codes (research, commercial, freeware, and open-source) and indications for choosing the most suitable numerical method for the application of interest.