A Numerical Modeling of Surcharged Manhole Flow with the Consideration of the Energy Loss Coefficient

Urban drainage systems are generally designed as open channel flow. The system, however, shows a partially surcharged flow in its body, especially at junctions or manholes. Thus, a special case of this condition needs to be explained as pressurized flow condition for designing the sewer system. This study considered the surcharged manhole flows during an unexpected rainfall event or an excess of design frequency. Overflows from surcharged manholes and urban flooding can occur from the effect of surcharged flows. Thus, sewer systems should be designed with the concept of open channel flow and pressurized flow. Also, energy losses in a manhole need to be considered. The aim of this study is to develop the numerical model which can evaluate the effect of the energy losses at the manhole. The numerical model was verified and compared with hydraulic model and SWMM. The results showed that the water depth of numerical model was in good agreement with hydraulic model at the each manhole. However, the SWMM underestimated the water depth because that model ignored the energy losses at manholes. Thus, the developed numerical model in this study could be a useful tool for the assessment of a conveyance of urban drainage system.