Numerical modelling dam break analysis for water supply project

Abstract

Dam provides many benefits to the society, but it can also cause extensive damage to downstream area when it fails. Dam failure can cause extensive damage to properties and loss of human life due to short warning time available. In general, dam spillway was designed to drain the maximum discharge from the dam during the Probable Maximum Flood (PMF). The spillway is functioned to prevent the dam from failure due to overtopping, which can lead to the dam failure. Dam failure will result in large volume of water travelling at very high velocity to the downstream area of the dam. It can cause extensive property damage, destruction of important facilities, and significant loss of human life along the way. Due to the potential of high hazard it poses to the downstream area, a dam break analysis is considered very essential. This paper focuses into the dam failure analysis for Kahang Dam by prediction of breach flow hydrographs and generation of inundation map at downstream area. From the PMF scenario simulation, the maximum inflow is 525.12 m3/s and peak discharge from the dam during dam failure is 6188m3/s. The results are able to provide information for preparation of Emergency Response Plan (PMF), in which appropriate steps can be taken by relevant authorities to avoid significant loss of human lives. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.