Journal of Advanced Informatics in Water, Soil, and Structure

Journal of Advanced Informatics in Water, Soil, and Structure

A Framework for Hydraulic Simulation and Risk Analysis of Embankment Dam Break

Document Type : Research Article

Authors
Amir Reza Kavosizadeh 1
Reza Barati 2
Ali Foroudi 3
Hossein Saboorkazeran 2
Amin Mahmoudi Moghadam 4
1 Department of Civil Engineering, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.
2 Regional Water Authority of Khorasan Razavi, Mashhad, Iran.
3 Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Science, Quchan University of Technology, Quchan, Iran.
4 Department of Civil Engineering, Shams Institute, Gonbad, Iran.
10.22048/wss.2024.426997.1002
Abstract
Dams play a key role in supplying water demands, recharging aquifers, and controlling floods, and it is important to accurately study dam break as it could release a huge amount of water and impose catastrophic downstream losses and casualties. An advanced simulation of dam break allows for informing managers of possible losses and casualties to make efficient decisions and effectively manage the crisis. This study presents hydraulics analyzes of the dam break of Tabarakabad and Chahchaheh embankment Dams in Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran. The dam break parameters, flood routing, depth mapping, velocity mapping, primary flood arrival time, and submergible zones were studied for three dam break scenarios, including overtopping, piping, and instantaneous break (sabotage). Numerical analyses were performed in Mathematica environment. The combination of the numerical results and the BREACH model allow for identifying the worst gradual dam break situation through an iterative process and performing unsteady flow analysis in HEC-RAS. Furthermore, the computer code would allow for implementing analyses to determine the most important dam output hydrograph using the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). In addition, flood maps under different scenarios were compared between minimum roughness and maximum roughness, discussing the hydraulic results. For risk analysis, a descriptive-analytical (quantitative-qualitative) method was proposed, and a questionnaire was designed. The proposed methodology, which was consistent with passive defense approaches, was implemented with the help of relevant experts and practitioners to assess,  and analyze the dam risks through the developed computer code. Finally, the dam break parameters, flood routing under the aforementioned scenarios, flood mapping, and a draft of the necessary measures were provided. It was found that Tabarakabad Dam had a larger degree of risk than Chahchaheh Dam, and its break would impose serious damage to the adjacent villages and the city of Quchan. However, the efficient operation of Chahchaheh Dam could strongly contribute to stabilization and avoiding break floods. The arrival time of dam-break flood wave to Quchan city was calculated 1 h and 30 min to 2 h, while the arrival time of dam-break flood wave to Chahchaheh Village was calculated 45-60 min after gradual break signs
Keywords
Embankment dam break
Flood mapping
Hydraulic analysis
Piping
Overtopping
Risk and vulnerability mapping

Subjects

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Journal of Advanced Informatics in Water, Soil, and Structure
Volume 1, Issue 1 - Serial Number 1
January 2025
Pages 15-33

  • Receive Date 28 November 2023
  • Revise Date 15 February 2024
  • Accept Date 06 March 2024
  • First Publish Date 30 December 2024
  • Publish Date 01 January 2025