Fuzzy rules based model for solute dispersion in an open channel dead zone

A method has been developed to estimate turbulent dispersion based on fuzzy rules that use local transverse velocity shears to predict turbulent velocity fluctuations. Turbulence measurements of flow around a rectangular dead zone in an open channel laboratory flume were conducted using an acoustic Doppler velocimeter (ADV) probe. The mean velocity and turbulence characteristics in and around the shear zone were analysed for different flows and geometries. Relationships between the mean transverse velocity shear and the turbulent velocity fluctuations are encapsulated in a simple set of fuzzy rules. The rules are included in a steady-state hybrid finite-volume advection–diffusion scheme to simulate the mixing of hot water in an open-channel dead zone. The fuzzy rules produce a fuzzy number for the magnitude of the average velocity fluctuation at each cell boundary. These are then combined within the finite-volume model using the single-value simulation method to give a fuzzy number for the temperature in each cell. The results are compared with laboratory flume data and a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation from PHOENICS. The fuzzy model compares favourably with the experiment data and offers an alternative to traditional CFD models.