Development of a river ice jam by a combined heat loss and hydraulic model

Abstract. The heat loss theory and the hydraulic theory for the analysis of the development of wide channel ice jams are discussed and shown. The heat loss theory has been used in Iceland for a long time, while the hydraulic theory largely follows the classical ice-jam build-up theories used in known CFD models. The results are combined in a new method to calculate the maximum thickness and the extent of an ice jam. The results compare favorably to the HEC-RAS model for the development of a very large ice jam in Thjorsa River in Iceland, and have been found in good agreement with historical data, collected where a hydroelectric dam project, Urridafoss, is being planned in the Thjorsa River.