Revisiting a flood simulation model based on PIC techniques Available to Purchase

A simple and effective two-dimensional flood simulation model based on particle-in-cell (PIC) techniques is revisited. The model solves shallow water equations using a combination of fixed grids and moving particles. In the computation, each fluid particle follows the law of motion induced by gravitational, frictional and viscous forces. The velocity and position of the particles are relocated at each individual grid point in the computational domain to give a macro-flow scenario. By using a documented flood case that happened in the Jingjiang River flood diversion area in China in 1954, the sensitivity of several model parameters is investigated. The convergence and accuracy of the model are demonstrated by adjusting the time steps and particle numbers. The spatial resolution of the proposed method is quantified using numerical error analysis. The predicted flood level is in general agreement with the observed data.