Abstract
Increased construction activity and associated receiving water concerns in the Greater Toronto Area has prompted this study to advance our knowledge on cohesive sediment transport processes in rivers and lake environments. Flow characteristics in a rotating circular flume at the National Water Research Institute (NWRI), Burlington, Ontario were studied using a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model. The objective of this study was to use a CFD model to predict the complex 3D turbulent flow characteristics, including the tangential flow velocity distribution, turbulent secondary flow circulation patterns, and the bed shear stress distributions. The numerical model was calibrated using experimental data collected using a Laser Doppler Anemometer for velocity profiles and measurements obtained by a Preston tube for bed shear stress distributions. Tangential velocity profiles and bed shear velocity distributions across the rotating circular flume were used to evaluate the accuracy of the model predictions. When compared with experimental smooth bed shear stress data, the model performed reasonably well for the range of flume speeds examined. The calibrated CFD model was then used for simulating a series of 210 scenarios using varying ring operating speeds over a range of flow depths and bed roughness heights. The numerical simulation results were then used to study the complex 3D turbulent flow conditions in the circular flume at NWRI, including velocity profiles, turbulence characteristics of flow and bed shear stress distributions.
Highlights
Urban centers in Ontario are undergoing rapid growth and development
Hundreds of active construction sites in the Greater Toronto Area are at risk of contributing to stormwater runoff pollution and receiving water quality concerns
Rotating circular flumes consisting of a circular channel and an annular lid rotating in opposite directions are widely used for cohesive sediment transport research [6 -13]
Summary
Urban centers in Ontario are undergoing rapid growth and development. Hundreds of active construction sites in the Greater Toronto Area are at risk of contributing to stormwater runoff pollution and receiving water quality concerns. In order to develop a sustainable solution for this problem, industries, governments, and non-government organizations are in the process of evaluating and updating design criteria for controlling sediment transport in urban areas under development [3,4,5]. As cohesive sediments undergo flocculation when subjected to a flow field and the resulting flocs are susceptible for breakage by moving impellers, straight flumes with pumps to recirculate sediment/water mixture are not suitable for such research [14, 15]. On the other hand, generate fluid flow by the movement of the physical boundaries and are ideally suited for cohesive sediment transport studies. A rotating circular flume at the National Water Research Institute (NWRI) located in Burlington, Ontario is extensively used to study cohesive sediment transport processes in rivers and lake environments
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