Numerical Model for a Nineteenth-Century Hydrometric Module

Abstract

The Cequia of Manresa is a 26-km open channel constructed in the fourteenth century that conveys water from the Llobregat River to the city of Manresa using an elevation difference of 10.4 m. The channel is still operational today, supplying water for domestic, industrial, and agricultural uses to an overall population of 150,000 people. A hydrometric module was constructed in 1864 to regulate the flow rate in the Cequia to under 1,000 L=s. This module was dismantled in 1959 and is currently nonoperational. This work studied the operation of the module and determined whether it met the objectives for which it was built. The module was modeled numerically. Owing to the lack of experimental measures from the module, the model was validated with an analytical model from the literature, which demonstrated its accuracy. The model was created by applying computational fluid dynamics (CFD) using FLOW-3D software. The results showed that the numerical model reproduced the dynamic behavior of the hydrometric module (transitory), and that the old automated system operated correctly, limiting the flow to the required value. The numerical models can be used as a tool for historical research.