IIT-Guwahati, Brahmaputra Board develop indigenous river model BRAHMA-2D
Brahmaputra Board, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India, have developed an indigenous river model BRAHMA-2D (Braided River Aid: Hydro-Morphological Analyzer).
This comprehensive mathematical model can help to understand flow of large braided rivers like Brahmaputra, providing valuable insights to field engineers to design sustainable hydraulic structures like Spurs, Revetment and other river bank protection measures.
Predicting river flow variations across depth is crucial for flood and erosion control, agriculture and water supply intake design, and zero head energy production. Traditional measurement methods of flow velocity in deep, large rivers during high monsoons is risky and extremely difficult, prompting the use of mathematical models.
However, existing models provide only average velocity, underestimating undercurrents at different depths. In braided rivers, the presence of sandbars further complicates accurate three-dimensional velocity computation.
Speaking about the BRAHMA-2D model, Prof Arup Kr Sarma, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Guwahati, said,” Our mathematical model combines highly complex mathematical modelling with challenging field-based research on large braided rivers.
With this quasi-3D river flow model, we can understand how fast the water moves at different depths inside a river and its circulation around a structure like a spur installed for prevent river bank erosion.”
BRAHMA-2D integrates a two-dimensional model of water movement with a theory about entropy, a measure of disorder or randomness. The research also delves into how features like river banks, spurs, and sandbars affect the way water moves.
