A field study of near-junction-apex flow at a large river confluence and its response to the effects of floodplain flow

Abstract

• A field survey on flow at a large confluence of a compound tributary was conducted. • Kinetic energy and momentum correction coefficients at confluence were identified. • Floodplain flow decreased the size of stagnation zone and impacted its location. • Floodplain flow shifted the location of the mixing interface towards the centerline. • Floodplain flow was found to impact on the characteristics of the secondary flow. A field investigation was carried out in March 2019 at the large river confluence between the Yangtze River and the outflow channel with a large inner-side floodplain of Poyang Lake using acoustic Doppler current profiling (ADCP) and water quality sampling. The study was intended to complement previous field studies carried out under different flow conditions in August and December 2018 and to investigate the effects of the alternate flow mechanism (compound channel vs single channel) of the Poyang Lake outflow channel on confluence dynamics. The main hydrodynamics and morphodynamics features were identified and comparatively discussed with those from the previous field studies. The kinetic energy and momentum correction coefficients were found to peak near the confluence apex and decay farther downstream reflecting the gradual flow recovering process in the post-confluence channel. The alternate flow mechanism (compound channel vs single channel) of the Poyang Lake outflow channel and the change in momentum flux ratio M R were found to significantly impact on the characteristics of the stagnation zone, mixing interface and secondary flow at the confluence. The smallest and the largest stagnation zone were observed at the lowest M R and as the outflow channel acted as single channel, respectively, while also the location of the mixing interface was impacted. Furthermore, secondary flow consisting of dual counter-rotating helical cells and channel scale circulation were observed as the Poyang Lake outflow channel acted as compound channel and a single channel, respectively. These results provide novel information about confluence dynamics in large river systems where one tributary may have a floodplain flow in flooding conditions.