Predicting Longitudinal Dispersion Coefficient in Natural Streams

Abstract

In this study, previous empirical equations used to compute the dispersion coefficient are analyzed in order to evaluate their behavior in predicting dispersion characteristics in natural streams. A comparative analysis of previous theoretical and empirical equations is reported. A new simplified method for predicting dispersion coefficients using hydraulic and geometric data that are easily obtained in natural streams is also developed. The one-step Huber method, which is one of the nonlinear multiregression methods, is applied to derive a new dispersion coefficient equation. This equation is proven to be superior in explaining dispersion characteristics of natural streams more precisely, as compared to existing equations.