Numerical investigation of a three-dimensional flow structure influenced by the lateral expansion of a partially distributed submerged canopy

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This study employed numerical simulations to investigate the three-dimensional hydrodynamic structure of a channel obstructed by submerged rigid canopies. After validating the model using existing experimental data, a series of numerical experiments varying the canopy density and the blocking ratio were conducted. The results indicate that submerged canopy, different from emergent canopies, triggers the generation of three-dimensional coherent vortices. When canopies expand laterally, the scale, location, and evolution characteristics of cross-sectional secondary flows vary. The direction of secondary circulation at the canopy top of the fully covered vegetation channel is affected by the river width/depth ratio. Three-dimensional coherent vortices are jointly controlled by vertical and transverse Reynolds stresses. When the channel is seriously blocked, the degree of momentum exchange in the mixing layer does not change significantly. The boundary friction effect dominates the momentum exchange process near the wall. An equation coupling the drag length scale and blocking ratio with the vertical coherent vortex penetration length is proposed, indicating that the penetration length increases exponentially with both variables. Higher canopy density exhibits a stronger resistance to the vertical coherent vortex penetration length. In the process of canopy lateral expansion, the evolution time of the outer vortex to scale stability is longer than that of the inner vortex. The significance of research on the three-dimensional vortex structure of rigid submerged vegetation is established based on previous studies and existing conclusions.