Three-dimensional mathematical model and its application in the neighborhood of the Three Gorges Reservoir dam in the Yangtze River

The calculation of flow and sediment transport is one of the most important tasks in river engineering. The task is particularly difficult because a number of complex physical phenomena should be accounted for more realistically in a model with a predictive power. Three-dimensional calculations of river flow and suspended sediment transport are performed in this paper with application in the Three Gorges Reservoir in the Yangtze River. A period of 76 years after the dam is built is simulated and the results are compared with laboratory measurements obtained by Tsinghua University whereby the model is verified and calibrated. Generally speaking, the calculated results agree well with the experiments, demonstrating that the present model can be used for flow and sediment transport prediction in rivers. The project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (50009004)