Chapter Four

SOFTWARE APPLICATION FOR
HWRE
CHAPTER FOUR
HEC-RAS
Yisak M 2017/18
INTRODUCTION
 To answer where the water would flow if reached a
certain value it arises;
• What will be the height reached by the water
profile?
• Will surrounding areas be flooded?
• To what extent the area is flooded?
 It is not an easy task to answer these questions

as it account for several factors
2
CONT......
 HEC-RAS stand out software among
software developed for hydraulic modeling.
 It is a computer program for modeling water
flowing through systems of open channels
and computing water surface profiles.
 It has an application in floodplain
management and flood insurance studies
3
CONT......
 Generally, HEC RAS is based on 4 types of
analysis in rivers that includes;
• Steady flow models,
• Unsteady flow models,
• Sediment transport models and
• Water quality analysis
• + Several hydraulic design features
4
CONT......
 The data needed to perform water surface
computations are separated into geometric data
and flow data.
 This is where Hydrology and Hydraulics come
together to solve different problems.
 Each project in HEC-RAS includes Unit system,
Geometry, Flow Data and Plan data
5
IMPORTING & EXPORTING
 It is a good practice to perform a quality check on
the data imported from GIS
 One of the best tools for editing cross-sections in
HEC-RAS is the graphical cross-section editor.
 After successful simulation export HEC-RAS
results to ArcGIS to view the inundation extent.
 Exporting HEC-RAS Output function in HEC RAS
is used to export selected Profiles to GIS.
6
GEOMETRY OF HEC RAS
 The geometric file of HEC RAS consists;
• River system schematic
• Cross section data
• Reach lengths
• Energy loss coefficients
• Stream junctions
7
CONT......
 The River System Schematic
• Defines how the various river reaches are connected
• Developed by drawing and connecting the various
reaches of the system within the geometric data editor
• Each river reach represented by a unique identifier.
 Junctions
• Junctions should be established at locations where two
or more streams come together or split apart.
• It consists of reach lengths and tributary angles
8
CONT......
 Contraction and Expansion Coefficients
• Contraction and Expansion coefficients is used to

compute energy loss between cross sections.
 Reach Length
• Boundary geometry river flow analysis is specified in

terms of cross section and reach length.
• The reach length is distance between cross sections
• Measured along the anticipated path of the center of
mass of the left and right over bank and the channel
9
CONT......
Cross Section
• Cross sections should be perpendicular to the flow lines
and extend across the entire flood plain.
• Cross section is described by entering the station and
elevations data from left to right looking downstream
• Each reach cross section represented by reach unique
identifier and river station identifier.
10
CONT......
 Where XS required?
• Where Changes occur in discharge, slope, shape or
roughness.
• Where levees begin or end
• Where bridges or other structures occurs
 Characteristics of XS
• Overbank stations differentiate channel and floodplain
• Manning n coefficients define resistance to flow
11
CONT......
 Characteristics of XS…….
 Ineffective flow areas can store but not convey water
downstream
 Obstruction areas block flow completely
 Levee elevations confine flow to channel until the levees
are overtopped
 Steeper slopes require more cross sections.
 Steep slope at order 30 m or more
 Gentle Steep slope at order 300 m or more
12
Flow File of HEC RAS
 The flow file requires;
• The amount of flow through the system depend on the
type of study conducted and
• Boundary Conditions depends on the conditions of
the system and the type of model being run.
 There are three modeling options

I. Steady Flow file
II. Unsteady flow file
III. Quasi-unsteady flow (Sediment) file 13
CONT......
Steady Flow (Constant with time)
 Steady compute exact hydraulic properties at a section for
each trial water surface elevation.
 It is based on energy equation
 Momentum equation may be used in situations where the
water surface profile is rapidly varied.
 The specification for steady includes flow regime and
boundary condition.
14
CONT......
1) Flow regime
• For a subcritical flow regime, boundary conditions are
only necessary at the downstream end;
• for a supercritical flow regime, boundary conditions are
only necessary at the upstream end; and
• For the mixed flow regime boundary conditions are
necessary for both
• Subcritical profiles are constrained to critical depth or
above, while supercritical profiles are constrained to
critical depth or below 15
CONT......
2) Boundary condition
• The five options for entering boundary conditions are:
known water surface elevations

 Critical depth
 Normal depth (use energy slope)
 Rating curve (Elevation (Stage) versus flow)
16
CONT......
Unsteady flow (varies with time)
• When using unsteady flow, developing a complete
hydrologic scenario becomes an important
• The unsteady flow equation solver was adapted
from Dr. Robert L. Barkau’s UNET package.
• The specification of unsteady flow analysis
includes boundary condition and initial condition.
17
CONT......
1) Boundary Condition
 Boundary condition must be established at all ends
of the river system.
 The external boundaries required at US and DS;
• Stage hydrograph
• Flow Hydrograph
• Stage and Flow
• Rating Curve
• Normal Depth 18
CONT......
 Internal boundary conditions in river system is
optional which includes
• Lateral inflow into a node
• Uniform lateral inflow across a reach
• Groundwater inflow
• Gate openings (Time or elevation)
• Observed internal stage/flow hydrograph
 Not all boundary condition types are active

19
CONT......
2) Initial Condition
 Initial condition includes Initial Flows in reach and
Storage area condition.
 The Geometry pre-processor is one of runtime
specification used to process the geometric data
into;
• A series of hydraulic properties tables and
• Rating Curves.
20
CONT......
• Cross sections are processed into tables of
area, conveyance, and storage
• Bridges and culverts are processed into a family
of rating curves for each structure
• Weirs and gated structures are calculated on
the fly during unsteady flow calculations
 This is done in order to speed up the unsteady

flow calculations.
21
CONT......
Quasi-Unsteady flow
 Quasi-unsteady flow is an extension unsteady
flow intended for the simulation of sediment
transport/movable boundary
 It is designed to simulate long-term trends of scour
and deposition in stream channel

22
CONT......
 This system can be used to evaluate
• Deposition in reservoirs,
• Design channel contractions required to maintain
navigation depths,
• predict the influence of dredging on the rate of
deposition,
• estimate maximum possible scour during large flood
events, and
• evaluate sedimentation in fixed channels.
23
Water Quality Analysis
 This modeling component is intended to
allow quality analyses riverine water. This
includes;
• The capability to perform detailed temperature
analysis and
• Transport of limited number of water quality
constituents
24
Model Accuracy
 Accuracy depends upon the following:
• Assumptions and limitations of the model
• Accuracy of the geometric Data
• Accuracy of the flow data and boundary
conditions
• Numerical Accuracy of the solution scheme
25
CONT......
 Factors Affecting Model Stability and
Numerical Accuracy
• Cross Section Spacing
• Computation time step
• Theta weighting factor
• Solution iterations
• Solution tolerances
26
U !
K YO
H A N
T END OF CHAPTER FOUR
27

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SOFTWARE APPLICATION FOR

 It is not an easy task to answer these questions

• Contraction and Expansion coefficients is used to

• Boundary geometry river flow analysis is specified in

 There are three modeling options

known water surface elevations

 Not all boundary condition types are active

 This is done in order to speed up the unsteady

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