INTRODUCTION TO HECRAS

 Tradionnally used for 1D hydraulic modeling, but newer versions have capabilities for 2D,
1D/2D and sediment transport /load temperature / water quality modeling
 Latest version has GIS processing capabilities (RASMAPPER) for creating river geometry and
inundation mapping

Files needs for HECRAS modeling

 Project file: prj (name, some default options and names of all relevant files)
 Geometry file. g## 5 , info on river / reach connectivity (schematic), cross section profiles and
hydraulic structures
 Flow (steady / unsteady) info on flow and boundary conditions
 Plan file. P## info about a plan (geometry and flow file and simulation option)

Stationing in HEC –RAS

The most downstream point has station of zero

Since the tributary is from a diff river, so the stationing again will start at zero, and we go up it
increases
we always digitize cross sections from left to right

A, station =0 because its where the cross section starts, this cross section will have multiple points
along the ^profile and all of it will have station value and elevation value

Digitizing Geometry using a terrain (rasmapper)

We have to create: center line, bank lines, flow paths, cross sections

After creating the geometry file, we can edit it using geometry editor
For cross sections profile, we use cross section editor

Steady Flow File

Steady Flow simulation, Plan File

We choose flow regime, check Flood Mapping if you want a floodplain simulation, compute to run
the simulation
 I. Creating a new project

DATA: DEM, clip poly .shp: shape file to get the special coordinates of the area (DEM=MNT)

 File >> New Project,

 Create geometry file:

Edit >> Geometric Data

File >> Save Geometry Data as. Specify a name, and save it in the same folder as the project file,
and click “OK”.

 Import the terrain date and define spatial coordinates

open RAS Mapper by clicking on the RAS Mapper button shown in the figure below. You can also
open the RAS Mapper by clicking on GIS Tools >> RAS Mapper.

1. define projection

Tools >> Set Projection for Projection

RAS Mapper uses an ESRI projection file to import the coordinate system (shapefile .prj)

The details of the coordinate system are extracted automatically from the .prj file and populated in
the “RAS Mapper Options” window. Click Apply and then OK.

2.import the terrain or DEM into the RAS Mapper.

Terrain>>new terrain layer , Click on the “+” button

Click on File >> Save in the RAS Mapper window to save the progress.

 Creating channel centerline

Select add new feature, Leave some space from the boundary (to make sure that u ‘re not out of the
DEM ) , start digitizing the river centerline from the upstream to the downstream

the program created the junction (point red)

You can open the attribute table by clicking right

  Creating Bank Lines

Bank lines are used to distinguish the main channel from the overbank floodplain areas.

same digitization procedure as centerline. Although there are no specific guidelines for digitizing
banks,

1) start from the upstream end;

2) digitize the left bank first and then the right bank

 Creating Flow Paths

are used to calculate distances along the channel between cross-sections ;3 distance: distance along
the channel, right over bank and left over bank

make sure a flow path does not intersect with another flow path, centerline or bank line,

The left and right flow paths must be digitized within the floodplain. Look at the DEM to try and
estimate the boundaries of the floodplain
 Creating Cross-sections

1) always digitized from left to right (looking downstream)

2) Make sure that the cross sections intersect with all the lines that are created so far
3) No cross sections intersect with each other, digitized perpendicular to the direction of flow
4) Number of cross sections: the cross section can be at least half km apart ; 500 m u can use

to estimate the length of 500 m ;

NB : if you want to incorporate a structure , make sure that there is one cross section upstream
that structure and another one downstream that structure

Before opening the attribute table , click on update cross sections

To check the profile for a cross section, right click on the cross-section and click on Plot Terrain
Profile,

To see how this geometry looks like in the geometry HECRAS editor, and how to read the
information associated with each cross section that we created in this geometry

Edit >> Geometric Data… if terrain is not showing, file >> open geometry data

to turn off the terrain,

Location: This is described by using three pieces of information: River, Reach and River Station
(distance of cross section from the most downstream) (la numeration commence de l’aval o nti
tal3a )

Bank locations: These are represented by two red dots on the cross-section profile. The location
of these red dots is dictated by the station numbers for Left and Right Banks in the “Main
Channel Bank Stations” table in the cross-section window

Distance to the next downstream cross-section: This information is presented in the Downstream
Reach Lengths table. The numbers for LOB, ROB and Channel represent the distances to the next
downstream cross-section along the left over bank, right over bank and channel, respectively.
These distances are computed by using the flow path features that are digitized in RAS Mapper.
 1D HEC-RAS Simulation and Flood Inundation Mapping in
HEC-RAS

 Creating Bridges and Culverts

GO AND SEE THE PDF

 Running a steady state 1D simulation

1. Assigning Manning’s n values to cross-sections

n Table >> Manning’s n or k values (Horizontally varied) (make sure that horizontal variation in n
values is unchecked)

CREATE FLOW FILE AND ASSIGN BOUNDARY CONDITONS TO RUN THE SIMULATON

Create flow file :

Edit >> Steady Flow Data