Flow Characteristics in Open Channel Confluences: Comparison of Different Turbulence models

This study uses numerical simulations in ANSYS Fluent to analyze the flow characteristics of open channel confluences. The primary objective is to assess the accuracy and predictive performance of three widely used turbulence models: the standard k–ε, the realizable k–ε, and the k–ω SST models. Simulations were performed under steady-state conditions. The results were validated against experimental data. Comparative analysis based on roots mean square error (RMSE) and flow behavior evaluation shows that all models can capture the main flow structures. However, the k–ω SST model demonstrated superior agreement with the experimental results, exhibiting the lowest RMSE and providing the most accurate representation of the flow field. These results demonstrate the significance of model selection in simulating complex hydraulic interactions such as those occurring in channel confluences. The choice of turbulence model plays a crucial role in capturing these complex phenomena with reasonable computational effort. This study contributes to the growing body of research focused on optimizing turbulence model selection for simulating open channel confluence flows.