• CE Homepage
• Home
• People
• Research
• Publications
• Teaching
• Service
• Links

Research Interests

-   Description of extreme flow events in hydraulic systems

Experimental and numerical investigations on the rapid filling pipe problem, focusing on surges, waterhammer and air-water interactions during filling events. Applications on extreme inflows experienced by Deep Stormwater Storage Tunnels and refilling operations in pipelines

Figure 1 - Interface breakdown phenomena caused by air pressurization during rapid filling of closed pipes

Figure 2 - Major geyser on a highway event likely to be linked to air-water interactions

-   Modeling of the transition between pressurized and free surface flows

Investigation on alternatives to account in a single modeling framework the ability to simulate both pressurized and free surface flows, referred to either as Flow Regime Transition or Mixed Flows. Development of the Two-component Pressure Approach model and variants to modify the St. Venant equations to enable those to simulate pressurized flows. Study on the nature of numerical solutions involving mixed flows, including post-shock oscillations.

Figure 3 - Comparison between TPA model and the traditional Preissmann slot model to simulate flow regime transition (aka mixed flows) in closed pipelines

-   Study of Gravity Currents

Experimental and numerical investigations of gravity currents, assessment of during the advance of salinity-driven currents and for stratified flows. Use of shallow water equation models to quickly simulate the advance of gravity currents.

Figure 4 - Top: Advance of a gravity current (GC) on the experimental apparatus developed to study mixing on the Mobile Bay navigation channel. Bottom: modeling of GC flows using SWE models based on Finite Volume and Riemann solvers and a comparison with the EFDC result

-   Water quality modeling in distribution systems

Development of algorithm to optimize the location of sampling stations in water distribution networks to perform routine assessments of purified water quality

Figure 5 - Map of alternatives for sampling station distribution for an actual water distribution system

-   Optimization of water pumping systems

Development of a ranking algorithm to optimize overall costs (capital and operational) for water supply pumping systems, accounting for demand variation.