Enhancing the spatial rainfall uniformity of pressurized nozzle simulators

Purpose Rainfall simulators are used on experimental hydrology, in areas such as, e.g., urban drainage and soil erosion, with important timesaving when compared to real scale hydrological monitoring. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to increase the quality of rainfall simulation, namely, f...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Management of environmental quality Vol. 28; no. 1; pp. 17 - 31
Main Authors:	Silveira, Alexandre, Isidoro, Jorge M.G.P., de Deus, Fábio P., dos Reis, Simone Siqueira, Silva, Antônio Marciano da, Gonçalves, Flávio A., Menezes, Paulo Henrique Bretanha Junker, Tiezzi, Rafael de O.
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Bradford Emerald Publishing Limited 01-01-2017 Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Subjects:	Basins Coefficient of variation Confidence intervals Connectivity Drainage Energy Environmental monitoring Environmental quality Experiments Hydrology Laboratories Land use Nozzles Pollution dispersion Quality Rain Rainfall intensity Rainfall simulators Rainfall-runoff relationships Runoff Sediment transport Simulation Soil erosion Spatial distribution Storms Stormwater management Studies Uniformity coefficient Urban areas Urban drainage Urban runoff Drainage Hydrology Rainfall simulation Physical models Pressurized nozzles Spatial rainfall uniformity
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Summary:	Purpose Rainfall simulators are used on experimental hydrology, in areas such as, e.g., urban drainage and soil erosion, with important timesaving when compared to real scale hydrological monitoring. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to increase the quality of rainfall simulation, namely, for its use with scaled physical models. Design/methodology/approach Two pressurized rainfall simulators are considered. M1 uses three HH-W 1/4 FullJet nozzles under an operating pressure of 166.76 kPa and was tested over a 4.00 m length by 2.00 m width V-shaped surface. M2 was prepared to produce artificial rainfall over an area of 10.00 m length by 10.00 m width. The spatial distribution of rainfall produced from a single nozzle was characterized in order to theoretically find the best positioning for nozzles to cover the full 100 m2 area with the best possible rainfall uniformity. Findings Experiments with M1 led to an average rainfall intensity of 76.77-82.25 mm h−1 with a 24.88 per cent variation coefficient and a Christiansen Uniformity Coefficient (CUC) of 78.86 per cent. The best result with M2 was an average rainfall intensity of 75.12-76.83 mm h−1 with a 21.23 per cent variation coefficient and a CUC of 83.05 per cent. Practical implications This study contributes to increase the quality of artificial rainfall produced by pressurized rainfall simulators. Originality/value M2 is the largest rainfall simulator known by the authors worldwide. Its use on rainfall-runoff studies (e.g. urban areas, erosion, pollutant transport) will allow for a better understanding of complex surface hydrology processes.
ISSN:	1477-7835 1758-6119
DOI:	10.1108/MEQ-07-2015-0140