Evaluating river bed load estimation models to introduce a suitable model, case study: Hablehroud River

Estimation of sediment bed load is one of the most important issues in river engineering. Accordingly, several methods and relations have been proposed to estimate the bed load in streams for the past decades. The present research aimed to select the most accurate method to estimate bed load through the testing of various relations to estimate the bed load of the Hablehroud River. The hydraulic and geometric specifications of the Hablehroud River at Bankouh hydrometry station were measured on specific dates by the expert team. The bed load rate was calculated by four different relations in Bankouh hydrometry station from 2011 to 2017. Resultant data showed that the Toffaletti method with RMSE, MAE, and R2 of 20.07, 10.86, and 83 estimates more accurate in comparison with other methods. The sensitivity analysis of the Toffaletti equation revealed that the bed load depends greatly on the velocity of the river flow. Such a method is firmly recommended to use in the mountainous region.