This paper presents a new method, the water stage prediction-correction (WSPC) method, based on the theory of characteristics to couple numerical models in the boundary-connected way for shallow-water flows. From the WSPC method, a one-dimensional (1D)–two-dimensional (2D) coupled numerical model is established, which incorporates the artificial porosity method and is thus capable of treating wetting and drying. Details of the 1D submodel and the 2D submodel are given, with special emphasis put on the coupling between the submodels. With the help of the WSPC method, the physically coupled submodels are executed separately and then coupled by means of prediction-correction of the water stages at the coupling units (i.e., where the submodels are linked) so that it is possible to make use of existing submodels with minimum modifications. The convergence of the WSPC method is proved, and the parameter identification is discussed, taking a flat-bottom channel with rectangular cross section as an example. The one-dimensional 1D–2D coupled model is applied to both a hypothetic case and a real-life case in central China, and the results show its validity, stability, and practical reliability.

Corrosion scales formed on iron pipe surfaces are an important factor defining water quality in drinking water distribution systems, since they would release contaminants and cause water discoloration at transient hydrodynamic regimes. Consequently, characterization of corrosion scales is indispensable to water quality protection. In this study, corrosion products were carefully collected from three old, corroded iron pipes made of different materials and exposed to different water qualities and operation conditions. Physico-chemical characteristics of these scales were determined using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS), Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP), X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). Testing results show that scale characteristics, including micromorphology, porosity and composition, vary significantly due to different pipe materials, water qualities and hydraulic conditions. Zinc coatings in galvanized pipes contribute to metal corrosion prevention, while attention should be paid to zinc release. High corrosive surface water facilitates the formation of developed corrosion tubercles, in which the compact shell-like layer conduces to maintain the structural stability of corrosion scales under disturbance. Structural breaks and low-velocity zones in water distribution systems might be in high potential of contaminant release, since the inhomogeneous materials and unusual hydraulic conditions would result in unstable scale characteristics.

A one-dimensional (1D) – two-dimensional (2D) coupled numerical model for shallow-water flows is developed, inspired by a large river-lake network. The model includes an improved method of coupling subdomains as part of the water stage prediction-correction (WSPC) approach, exploiting the characteristic curves of the shallow-water equations. Compared to other coupling methods, the one presented here results in better computational efficiency, convergence and stability. The coupling method uses parameters with a clear physical meaning, which can be set directly without appealing to empirical values. With the help of the WSPC approach, individual submodels are solved separately with their coupling parameters being consistent with each other at the coupling boundaries. The coupling method proposed herein allows large time-stepping for the coupled model. Practical approaches to achieve large time steps are discussed and analysed by comparing two different solution algorithms for the 2D submodel. The proposed method and model are examined by applying to a real-life case in China, and the results indicate their good validity, practicality and computational superiority.

The attachment of bacteria to sediment particles has a significant impact on the level of bacterial contamination in water. In this work, the attachment of Escherichia coli to particles was investigated with emphasis on the effect of particle size. To exclude the impact of other facts, e.g., the irregularity of particles, we used regular spherical glass particles in addition to natural sediment particles. Both types of particles are mainly composed of SiO₂ and are similar in density. Through a bacterial tracking method together with microfluidic techniques, the attachment of single Escherichia coli cells on the particles was observed. The results showed that only a small portion of the cells that approach the particles remain attached and that the attachment probability per approach increases with surface area for both sediment and glass particles within the size range (8–62 μm) examined in this study. Therefore, finer sediments with more surface area have a higher E. coli attachment capacity. The attachment probability is higher on sediment particles than on glass microspheres of equivalent size, indicating preferential attachment of E. coli to sediment particles. The partition coefficient of the commonly used linear partition model was calculated based on microscopic measurements and the obtained relation of the partition coefficient with attachment probability and particle size was validated with data from the published literature.

The purpose of this research is to propose a real-time, inexpensive, and portable method for measuring water surface velocities, in which a particle tracking velocimetry (PTV) system is developed by using a smartphone device. The system uses the mobile camera to capture the tracer floating on the river surface, whose movement is expected to represent the velocity of the water surface. The recorded tracer images are identified from the background by using the normalized RGB color model. The magnification ratio, which transforms the distance in pixel to the real distance, is estimated by using the pre-specified mobile height from the water surface, or the characteristic length of the tracer. The proposed system is built based on the iPhone 6s device. The system is tested in two cases. One case is the artificially generated images recording the movement of table tennis, and the relative error does not exceed 3%. The other is the comparison to the velocity measured by acoustic doppler current profilers (ADCP) in the river, and the relative error is not more than 15%. Finally, the limitation of the proposed method is discussed.