Abstract
Most artificial river wave technologies require a drop in the riverbed to generate recreational surf waves; herein a new technology is introduced that can be used on a flat bed. The mechanism includes an adjustable ramp, transition and kicker, which can be independently manipulated to generate a surf wave. A 3-D numerical model of the described mechanism is developed based on a prototype Kananaskis River wave in Alberta, Canada, and is calibrated by means of physical model data. Numerical experiments are conducted to demonstrate sensitivity of the wave to geometric features of each element of the structure in different hydraulic conditions such as flowrate and tailwater depth. Results are presented in dimensionless form to be generalizable and describe the wave behavior. It is shown that the ramp slope, the heaviest and most expensive element of the structure, has a minimal effect on the wave profile, while the tailwater depth, kicker geometry and kicker position can significantly augment and accelerate the wave.
Highlights
Surfing on standing waves in rivers is a popular sport, but there are safety and availability issues associated with surfing natural river waves [1,2,3]
The volume of fluid (VOF) method and the re-normalization group (RNG) k − ε turbulence model were applied for numerical simulations and the breaking wave was simulated within an 80–95% accuracy with respect to physical model results
A surf wave generated by the explained mechanism in a river with flatbed is affected by parameters such as adjustable ramp, transition, adjustable kicker, tailwater depth and flowrate
Summary
Surfing on standing waves in rivers is a popular sport, but there are safety and availability issues associated with surfing natural river waves [1,2,3]. The volume of fluid (VOF) method and the re-normalization group (RNG) k − ε turbulence model were applied for numerical simulations and the breaking wave was simulated within an 80–95% accuracy with respect to physical model results. This method is not very common for generating river surf waves as it is often associated with safety problems due to presence of large deflector reefs. Another mechanism to form river surf waves is through sheet flows, in which a flap across the bed guides a high velocity sheet of flow upward, such as the Cunovo wave in the Danube River near Bratislava, Slovakia, where damages to surfboard fins are reported as a result of the sheet flow with low depth [15]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
