Dams offer numerous benefits to society, but their failure can lead to catastrophic floods, causing severe damage to both people and property. Simulating dam break events and subsequent floods is essential for understanding and mitigating the risks associated with potential dam failures. In this study, three different models have been tested with the newly available HEC-RAS 6.5 model, which is freely available to the community. In this model, three models with varying dimensionality 1D, 1D/2D coupled, and 2D are tested with the test case of the Tous Dam Break. Despite the more complexity and demand in terms of computational resources, the 2D model demonstrated superior accuracy in replicating the observed flood extent and water depth. It effectively incorporated the topography and obstacles such as buildings, leading to predictions that closely mirrored the actual flood event. On the other hand, the one-dimensional (1D) and combined 1D/2D models, while they offered a decent portrayal of how the flood unfolded, consistently fell short in accurately estimating how far the floodwaters would spread, especially within the intricacies of floodplain environments. This consistent underestimation highlights the crucial necessity of selecting an appropriate modeling technique that aligns with the geographical intricacies and the desired granularity of detail.
Cite this paper
Mahmood, P. , Syed, Z. , Haider, S. , Saleem, M. W. and Rashid, M. (2024). Comparing the Performance of the New?HEC-RAS Model Utilizing Different Modeling Techniques: A Case Study of the Tous Dam Break. Open Access Library Journal, 11, e2217. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1112217.
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