Open AccessMATHEMATICAL MODEL FOR THE SIMULATION OF WATER QUALITY IN RIVERS USING THE VENSIM PLE® SOFTWARE
Author(s) -
Julio Cesar Souza Inácio Gonçalves,
Marcius F. Giorgetti
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of urban and environmental engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.187
H-Index - 13
ISSN - 1982-3932
DOI - 10.4090/juee.2013.v7n1.048063
Subject(s) - water quality , environmental science , alkalinity , detritus , nitrate , zooplankton , hydrology (agriculture) , computer science , environmental engineering , chemistry , ecology , engineering , geotechnical engineering , organic chemistry , biology
Mathematical modeling of water quality in rivers is an important tool for the planning and management of water resources. Nevertheless, the available models frequently show structural and functional limitations. With the objective of reducing these drawbacks, a new model has been developed to simulate water quality in rivers under unsteady conditions; this model runs on the Vensim PLE® software and can also be operated for steady-state conditions. The following eighteen water quality variables can be simulated: DO, BODc, organic nitrogen (No), ammonia nitrogen (Na), nitrite (Ni), nitrate (Nn), organic and inorganic phosphorus (Fo and Fi, respectively), inorganic solids (Si), phytoplankton (F), zooplankton (Z), bottom algae (A), detritus (D), total coliforms (TC), alkalinity (Al.), total inorganic carbon (TIC), pH, and temperature (T). Methane as well as nitrogen and phosphorus compounds that are present in the aerobic and anaerobic layers of the sediment can also be simulated. Several scenarios were generated for computational simulations produced using the new model by using the QUAL2K program, and, when possible, analytical solutions. The results obtained using the new model strongly supported the results from the QUAL family and analytical solutions