J. B. Leal

Turbulent non-uniform flows in straight compound open-channels

The reported experimental study assesses the effects of flow non-uniformity on the momentum flux in straight compound channels. Two flumes were used, featuring vertical and sloping banks. Starting with uniform flow condition, various imbalances in the upstream discharge distribution were introduced. This resulted in a time-averaged lateral flow and advective transport of momentum, which interacted with the shear-layer turbulence generated by the compound geometry. To investigate this interaction, the three contributions to transverse momentum flux (depth-averaged flow, shear-layer turbulence and dispersive term of spanwise velocity) are assessed. The first two contributions were strengthened by the sloping banks, while the third becomes important for the case of the vertical bank. With a lateral flow towards the main channel, the first contribution rises at the expense of the second. With a lateral flow towards the floodplain, the first two contributions have the same order of magnitude, and the Boussinesq approach is invalidated.

Mathematical modelling of shallow flows: Closure models drawn from grain-scale mechanics of sediment transport and flow hydrodynamicsThis paper is one of a selection of papers in this Special Issue in honour of Professor M. Selim Yalin (1925–2007).

Mathematical modelling of river processes is, nowadays, a key element in river engineering and planning. River modelling tools should rest on conceptual models drawn from mechanics of sediment transport, river mechanics, and river hydrodynamics. The objectives of the present work are (i) to describe conceptual models of sediment transport, deduced from grain-scale mechanics of sediment transport and turbulent flow hydrodynamics, and (ii) to present solutions to specific river morphology problems. The conceptual models described are applicable to the morphologic evolution of rivers subjected to the transport of poorly sorted sediment mixtures at low shear stresses and to geomorphic flows featuring intense sediment transport at high shear stresses. In common, these applications share the fact that sediment transport and flow resistance depend, essentially, on grain-scale phenomena. The idealized flow structures are presented and discussed. Numerical solutions for equilibrium and nonequilibrium sediment tran...

Maximum level and time to peak of dam-break waves on mobile horizontal bed

This experimental study focuses the influence of bed material mobility and initial downstream water level on maximum water level and time to peak of dam-break waves. It covers horizontal bed conditions on fixed bed, sand bed, and pumice bed. Results include water surface level time evolution, maxima wave levels and time to peak. The influence of bed material mobility and downstream water level was identified and characterized, stressing the importance of using mathematical models with appropriate sediment transport formulations instead of purely hydrodynamic models to simulate dam-break waves on mobile bed channels.

Mixing layer and coherent structures in compound channel flows: Effects of transverse flow, velocity ratio, and vertical confinement

Turbulent mixing layers associated with streamwise uniform and non-uniform flows in compound channels (main channel with adjacent floodplains) are experimentally investigated. The experiments start with uniform flow conditions. The streamwise non-uniformity is then generated by imposing an imbalance in the upstream discharge distribution between main channel (MC) and floodplains (FPs), keeping the total discharge constant, which results in a transverse depth-averaged mean flow. This study firstly aims at assessing the effect of a transverse flow on the mixing layer and coherent structures that form at the MC/FP interfaces. A wide range of initial velocity ratio or dimensionless shear between MC and FP is tested. The study secondly aims at assessing the effect of this velocity ratio on the mixing layer, for a fixed vertical confinement of flow. The total discharge was then varied to quantify the confinement effect. The results show that, far from the inlet section, Reynolds-stresses increase with local velocity ratio for a fixed confinement, and decrease with confinement for a fixed velocity ratio. It is also shown that, irrespective of confinement, the existence of quasi-two-dimensional coherent structures is driven by velocity ratio and the direction and magnitude of transverse flow. These structures cannot develop if velocity ratio is lower than 0.3 and if a strong transverse flow towards the MC occurs. In the latter case, the transverse flow is the predominant contribution to momentum exchange (compared with turbulent mixing and secondary currents), convex mean velocity profiles are observed, preventing the formation of quasi-two-dimensional structures.

Porous media approach for RANS simulation of compound open-channel flows with submerged vegetated floodplains

The main goal of this study is the 3D numerical simulation of river flows with submerged vegetated floodplains. Since, vegetation layers are usually dense and present a large spatial heterogeneity they are here represented as a porous media. Standard semi-empirical relations drawn for porous beds packed with non-spherical particles are used to estimate the porous media parameters based on the averaged geometry of the vegetation elements. Thus, eliminating the uncertainty arising from a bulk drag coefficient approach and allowing the use of a coarser mesh. The free flow is described by Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations, whereas the porous media flow is described by the volumetric-average of RANS equations. The volume-of-fluid method and an anisotropic explicit algebraic Reynolds stress model are used for free-surface and turbulence closure, respectively. The simulation approach is validated against results by other authors featuring vegetated flows in horizontal and rectangular open-channel. The computed results show that the time-averaged streamwise velocity and Reynolds shear stress vertical profiles are properly simulated. The validated approach was applied to simulate compound open-channel flows with submerged vegetated floodplains and compared with data obtained in an experimental facility. The results show that the proposed porous media approach is adequate to simulate flows with submerged vegetation on the floodplains.

Analysis of flow characteristics in a compound channel: comparison between experimental data and 1D numerical simulations

The common configuration of rivers is a main channel flanked by flood plains. During flood events, the main channel is not enough to discharge the flow and the floodplains are submerged. The momentum transfer due to the difference of the velocities between the sub-sections generates a complex 3D flow structure. For the study of the influence of this structure in flow modeling, measurements of the velocities in a prismatic compound channel have been made. Seven 1D methods to compute the sub-section and total discharges were applied. Comparisons between experimental data and modeling reveal good agreement when simple models that indirectly take into account the momentum transfer are applied.

Apparent friction coefficient in straight compound channels

The discussers congratulate the authors for their valuable study of the apparent shear stress in compound channel flows. The authors summarized a large amount of data allowing for the development of two new formulas for smalland large-scale channels with a wider applicability than most of the available equations (Knight 2001). Their analysis is based on the dependence of the apparent friction coefficient Cfa on geometric parameters and on the roughness ratio between the floodplain and the main channel. This discussion is focused on: (1) influence of side slope of the main channel on Cfa, (2) effect of inlet supply on Cfa, and (3) dependence of Cfa on roughness ratio.