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II.2.3 Hypotheses, approximations, and rules of calculations

Hydrostatic pressure:

We will assume henceforth that in the following momentum equation the vertical acceleration
caused by the pressure balances gravity. In this case, we say that the pressure is hydrostatic. This
is linked to conditions of small vertical movements.
In fact, if this hypothesis is not absolutely necessary to develop Saint-Venant equations, it most
certainly is to convert the pressure in terms of the water head.
Since the pressure, denoted by p (x, y, z), at a point of coordinates (x, y, z), is caused only by the
water head above that point:

∂p
-1 − g = 0 where p (x, y, z) = - ρ g z + cste
ρ ∂z

The constant is chosen such that p (x, y, Z) = 0, where Z is the level of the free surface. We
therefore assume that the atmospheric pressure is 0 (or is a constant almost equal to 0). (If it is
not, we will take it into account later in the paragraph II.2.8.4). It follows then:

p (x, y, z) = ρ g (Z - z)

at the bottom: p = ρ g (Z - Zf) = ρ g h, h being the water depth.

Negligible vertical velocities:

The vertical velocity will be neglected in the Saint-Venant equations and will not have an
equation. This approximation is linked to the hypothesis of hydrostaticity that requires the
vertical accelerations to be insignificant.

Impermeability of the surface and of the bottom:

We further assume that there will be no transfer of water either through the bottom or from the
surface, and that a particle of water located on one of these two interfaces will remain there.
Following on from the equations established in paragraph II.2.1, we can write:

∂Z ∂Z ∂Z
U 1 (x, y, Z) + U 2 (x, y, Z) + = U 3 (x, y, Z)
∂x ∂y ∂t

and

∂Zf ∂Zf ∂Zf

U 1 (x, y, Zf) + U 2 (x, y, Zf) + = U 3 (x, y, Zf)
∂x ∂y ∂t

Note:

HE-43/94/052/A TELEMAC-2D version 3.0 août 20, 2001