Application of Diffusion Hydrodynamic Model for Overland Flows

Modeling two-dimensional overland flow across complex real-world topography is a challenging problem. Predicting the overland flow variables for various whatif rainfall scenarios can facilitate designing water infrastructure components aimed at preventing inundation and urban flooding. Numerical models that are being used range from those that solve the simplified St. Venant equations to CFD models that solve the complete three dimensional Navier-Stokes equations. In this work, the performance of the USGS Diffusion Hydrodynamic Model (DHM) for a series of overland flow test problems was tested by comparing numerical solutions obtained for an event-driven simulation across various sensitive parameter combinations. The reliability of the model and its ability to incorporate various topographical characteristics in the domain are illustrated.