Computation of Suspended Sediment Discharge in Open Channels by Combining Tsallis Entropy-Based Methods and Empirical Formulas

Sediment discharge is computed by using different combinations of entropy-based and empirical methods of channel cross-section velocity and suspended sediment concentration distribution, and the results of these different methods are compared. The comparison shows that the entropy-based methods are more accurate than the empirical method and that the Tsallis entropy-based method is more accurate than the one based on Shannon entropy. The accuracy of the computation for all methods can generally be improved by introducing a correction factor; however, the fully entropy-based methods still remain the most accurate.