ABSTRACT
Hydraulic studies have been traditionally undertaken with physical models, which reproduce flow phenomena at reduced scale with dynamic similarity. Today, numerical models are increasingly being used in place of physical models. These models rely on mathematical descriptions of complex turbulent processes and boundary conditions but can be cheap and versatile. Physical and numerical models both have their strengths and weaknesses (van Os et al., 2004) and their merits must be compared to the benefits of theoretical analysis (desk studies) and measurements made in the field.
