Inflow-outflow boundary conditions along arbitrary directions in Cartesian lake models

Abstract

Specifying point sources and sinks of water near boundaries is presented as a flexible approach to prescribe inflows and outflows along arbitrary directions in Cartesian grid lake models. Implementing the approach involves a straightforward modification of the governing equations, to include a first order source term in the continuity and momentum equations. The approach is implemented in a Cartesian grid model and applied to several test cases. First, the flow along a straight flat bottom channel with its axis forming different angles with the grid directions is simulated and the results are compared against well-known analytical solutions. Point-sources are then used to simulate unconfined inflows into a reservoir (a small river entering a reservoir in a jet-like manner), which occur at an angle with the grid directions. The model results are assessed in terms of a mixing ratio between lake and river water, evaluated at a cross section downstream of the inflow boundary. Those results are particularly sensitive to changes in the inflow angle. It is argued that differences in mixing rates near the inflow sections could affect the fate of river-borne substances in model simulations.