Steady Shallow-Water Current and Solute Transport around a Semi-Conical Headland

Abstract

Laboratory experiments have been carried out to investigate the effects of a sloping wall headland on the flow characteristics and the associated concentration distributions from a point source around the headland. A semi-conical headland with a slope of 1:2 was set up in a flow basin, 4.8 m long and 3.8 m wide. In this paper, the experimental results of a steady shallow-water current are reported. Three dimensional flow velocities in the basin were measured using Sontek-ADV instrument. The dye concentration levels in the basin were measured by two fluorometers. The experimental results showed a large-scale re-circulation region behind the semi-conical headland. The peak turbulence energy, at about 53% of the local kinetic flow energy, coincides with the region of high velocity gradient. Significant vertical flows were observed around the area near the downhill slope of the headland, with a maximum ratio of vertical to horizontal velocities being about 22%. Such relatively significant vertical scouring velocities, coupled with strong turbulence energy and high horizontal velocity gradients in the same region, could cause severe bed erosion. The experimental results have also been compared with the predicted results of a depth-averaged numerical model. The predicted eddy structure and the concentration distribution in the re-circulation area were found to compare favourably with the experimental results. However, the discrepancies in the flow velocities and the concentration levels near the headland were apparent. It was observed that the dye concentration continued to spread in the cross-stream direction after passing the headland, whereas only a limited extent of the lateral spreading was predicted by the numerical model further downstream of the headland.