Author(s): Roger W. Ruggles; Linda Falcone
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: No Keywords
Abstract: A computer model is developed to simulate the river ice cover break-up on the Susquehanna River near the Safe-Harbor hydroelectric facility. Flow in the Susquehanna River during the break-up period is typically an order of magnitude greater than during ice cover formation producing a mechanical type break-up. The break-up has presented several problems at the hydroelectric facility in the past and this model is developed to provide a better understanding of the factors influencing the break-up. The data available which included ice maps, discharge, air and water temperature, water surface elevations, and channel geometry are used in conjunction with developed equations to estimate the ice flowing into and the total volume of ice in the study region. The ice flowing out of the study region is then computed using the estimated inflow and change in volume values. Relationships between the ice flowing into and out of the study region, discharge, air temperature, and other variables are then presented. The results provide a method of estimating the volume of ice in a study region, a direct relationship between the ice flowing into the study region and the river discharge and a direct relationship between the ice flowing out of the study region and air temperature.
Year: 1988