Comparison of four widely used empirical modelsfor estimating the total sediment loads in rivers

Sediment transport in rivers is a critical aspect of hydraulic engineering, impactingriver morphology, sediment deposition, and channel stability. However, directlymeasuring sediment transport can be challenging and expensive due to thecomplex nature of the process. To estimate sediment discharge, researchershave developed various empirical equations, each with its own strengths andlimitations. In a bid to improve the estimation of sediment transport, someresearchers have presented several empirical equations for estimating the totalsediment loads. Four widely used empirical equations to determine the totalsediment loade in rivers are Yang, Engelund and Hansen, Shen and Hung, andAckers and White equations which recommended by United States Bureau ofReclamation. In this study these four equations were compared based on ۵۴۳reliable field measurements at ۲۵ rivers in the USA. The data includes mean flowvelocity, water surface slope, mean flow depth, median particle size, watersurface width, suspended load, and bed load measured in the field. Theperformance of these four empirical equations was compared using ۶ metrics.Overall, the comparative analysis demonstrated much better accuracy of theAckers and White equation over other empirical ones in estimating the totalsediment load. Furthermore, the sensitivity analysis indicates that the sedimentload is mostly sensitive to mean flow depth.

کلیدواژه ها:

River Engineering ، Total sediment load ، Empirical equation ، Yang ، Engelund andHansen ، Shen and Hung ، Ackers and White