Downstream Channel Research Articles

How sediment composition and flow rate influence downstream channel morphodynamics upon dam removal

AbstractThe process of dam removal establishes the channel morphology that is later adjusted by high‐flow events. Generalities about process responses have been hypothesized, but broad applicability and details remain a research need. We completed laboratory experiments focused on understanding how processes occurring immediately after a sediment release upon dam removal or failure affect the downstream channel bed. Flume experiments tested three sediment mixtures at high and low flow rates. We measured changes in impounded sediment volume, downstream bed surface, and rates of deposition and erosion as the downstream bed adjusted. Results quantified the process responses and connected changes in downstream channel morphology to sediment composition, temporal variability in impounded sediment erosion, and spatial and temporal rates of bedload transport.Within gravel and sand sediments, the process response depended on sediment mobility. Dam removals at low flows created partial mobility with sands transporting as ripples over the gravel bed. In total, 37% of the reservoir eroded, and half the eroded sediment remained in the downstream reach. High flows generated full bed mobility, eroding sands and gravels into and through the downstream reach as 38% of the reservoir eroded. Although some sediment deposited, there was net erosion from the reach as a new, narrower channel eroded through the deposit. When silt was part of the sediment, the process response depended on how the flow rate influenced reservoir erosion rates. At low flows, reservoir erosion rates were initially low and the sediment partially exposed. The reduced sediment supply led to downstream bed erosion. Once reservoir erosion rates increased, sediment deposited downstream and a new channel eroded into the deposits. At high flows, eroded sediment temporarily deposited evenly over the downstream channel before eroding both the deposits and channel bed. At low flows, reservoir erosion was 17–18%, while at the high flow it was 31–41%.

Research on the infiltrations in an earth dam. Case study: Cuibul Vulturilor Reservoir, Vaslui County, Romania

The dam of the reservoir Cuibul Vulturilor, located on the Tutova river is an inhomogeneous earth dam with a maximum height of 15.0 m, with a clayey central core and lateral prisms made of clayey-dusty sands. For tracking the evolution of body dam seepage, 12 piezometers and a drainage pipe with discharge in the downstream connection channel of the bottom outlet are used. The paper presents the characteristic elements of the theoretical infiltration curve in the dam It also shows the hydro isohypses for the dam drawn with SURFER program, using the maximum hydrostatic levels in the piezometers measured in the year 2019. The distribution of the hydro isohypses across the dam is strongly influenced by the location of the piezometers and the other point of measuring the hydraulic head. The pattern circulation of the infiltration water inside the dam body could be studied with increased accuracy, if the dam had been equipped with several piezometers. Even in these conditions, it is clearly observed that the regime of infiltrations through the dam body is similar to the theoretical way of behavior.

Throttling process of a supersonic cascade studied by high-frequency response pressure and high-speed schlieren

In this study, a single-channel supersonic cascade model is investigated experimentally at a freestream Mach number of 2.4 to obtain a better understanding of the flow field evolution during the throttling process. A flap is placed at the channel exit to choke the flow linearly. Measurements include 1-kHz schlieren imaging and 10-kHz simultaneous fast-response wall pressure. Three stages, namely attached flow, separated flow, and oscillatory flow, are identified in the throttling process. The joint time–frequency analysis and wall pressure spectrum contour exhibit the time evolution and spatial distribution of the pressure fluctuation. With the increase in backpressure, the pressure fluctuation in the low-frequency shock oscillation range of 40–400 Hz on the suction surface located in the separated flow gradually enhances. The power spectral, coherence, and phase analyses of the schlieren images describe the dominant oscillation structure and its relationship with other regions. During the separated flow, the pressure change in the subsonic separated region first lead to a change in the state of the separated shear layer, after which the shock waves in the shock train, move. The oscillatory flow is a process wherein the upstream shock wave oscillates, causing the entire downstream channel to fluctuate.

Droplet behavior and its effects on flow characteristics in T-junction microchannels

The single-phase flow and droplet flow are investigated in a rectangular microchannel with a T-junction, through experiments and simulations to improve the understanding of a droplet flow and its effect on overall flow in channels with junctions. Droplet behavior can be divided into three modes: flow into the side branch, a split at the junction, and flow into the downstream channel. In branches of the junction, the flow rate ratio and the pressure difference are affected by droplets with the same flow behavior flowing in the junction. The change in the volumetric flow rate ratio and pressure difference between two channels also depend on droplet size and flow conditions. Furthermore, the length of the droplet affects whether the droplet splits at the junction, and this behavior can be documented by a power law relationship between the capillary number Ca and droplet length.

Effect of Tip Clearance on Rotating Stall in a Mixed-Flow Pump

Abstract The non-uniform disturbance in the circumferential direction is the essential cause of the occurrence of rotating stall in a turbomachinery. In order to study the effect of tip clearance leakage flow on rotating stall, the mixed-flow pump models with different tip clearances were numerically calculated, and then the energy performance curves and internal flow structures were obtained and compared. The results show that the pump efficiency and the internal flow field of the numerical calculation are in good agreement with the experimental results. A saddle region appeared in the energy performance curves of the three tip clearances, and with the decrease of clearance, the head and efficiency of the mixed-flow pump increased to varying degrees, but the critical stall point shifted to the large flowrate, and the stable operating range of the mixed-flow pump decreased, which indicating that the mixed-flow pumps were easier to stall under small tip clearance. Under the deep stall condition, the influence of the leakage flow on the end wall area increases gradually with the decrease of clearance. Under the small clearance, the leakage flow flows away from the suction surface for a certain distance to form a number of tip leakage vortex strips with the mainstream action, overflows the leading edge of the next blade, and then flows downstream into different flow passages, aggravating backflow and secondary flow separation at the blade inlet, which seriously damaged the spatial structure of the inlet flow. This resulted in the earlier occurrence of stall. With the increase of tip clearance, the tip leakage vortex develops along the radial direction to the middle of the flow channel and serious flow separation phenomenon occurs in the downstream channel, which induces the deep stall. Under the 0.8 mm tip clearance, the whole impeller outlet passage is almost blocked by the backflow of the guide vane inlet, and a deep stall was induced.

Effects of sediment grain size and channel slope on the stability of river bifurcations

AbstractChannel bifurcations can be found in river network systems from high gradient gravel‐bed rivers to fine‐grained low gradient deltas. In these systems, bifurcations often evolve asymmetrically such that one downstream channel silts up and the other deepens and, in most cases, they eventually avulse. Past analytical and numerical studies showed that symmetric bifurcations are unstable in high and low Shields stress conditions resulting in asymmetric bifurcations and avulsion, while they can be stable in the mid‐Shields range, but this range is smaller for larger width‐to‐depth ratio. Here, using a one‐dimensional (1D) numerical model, we show that effects of sediment grain size and of channel slope are much larger than expected for low‐gradient systems when a sediment transport relation is used that separates between bedload and suspended load transport. We found that the range of Shields stress conditions with unstable symmetric bifurcations expanded for lower channel slopes and for finer sediment. In high sediment mobility, suspended load increasingly dominates the sediment transport, which increases the sediment transport nonlinearity and lowers the relative influence of the stabilizing transverse bedslope‐driven flux. Contrary to previous works, we found another stable symmetric solution in high Shields stress, but this only occurs in the systems with small width‐to‐depth ratio. This indicates that suspended load‐dominated bifurcations of lowland rivers are more likely to develop into highly asymmetric channels than previously thought. This explains the tendency of channel avulsion observed in many systems.

Width variation around submarine channel bends: Implications for sedimentation and channel evolution

Submarine-fan channels can build the largest sediment accumulations on Earth, but our understanding of flow and sedimentation processes related to channel evolution remains limited. Results from physical and numerical modelling predict dominantly downstream channel bend migration. However, observations and evolutionary models for aggradational submarine channels on passive margins suggest that bends are dominated by lateral expansion. This paradox may be due to limitations induced by the use of constant width channels in process studies. Constant width has been used for two reasons: partly because this is the simplest possible case, but primarily because the width variation around submarine channel bends is unknown. Channel width variations are examined from an active channel reach with 49 bends and three inactive but unfilled channel reaches with a total of 35 bends from the Congo Fan. Each bend was divided into 13 cross-sections, and for each cross-section, channel width was measured for the channel base, and at 10 m vertical increments up to the height of the channel banks. The results indicate that channels are typically wider around bend apices than around inflections. We argue that this morphology suggests that channels are controlled by bank-pull (outer bank erosion), with later deposition at the inner bend, similar to many rivers. The implications of these spatial changes in channel width around bends for sedimentation and channel evolution are explored, and we suggest that such changes may account for the contradictions between physical and numerical modelling, and seafloor observations. Integration of these channel width data with the known climate history of the Congo Fan, further suggests that the magnitude of channel width variation at bend apices may be controlled by allogenic forcing, with larger flows associated with greater width variations around bends.

First demonstration of an on-chip quadplexer for passive optical network systems

An on-chip quadplexer is proposed and demonstrated with four wavelength-channels of 1270, 1310, 1490, and 1577 nm. The present quadplexer consists of four cascaded filters based on multimode waveguide grating (MWG), which are composed of a two-mode (de)multiplexer and an MWG. For the fabricated quadplexer on silicon, all four wavelength channels have flat-top responses with low excess losses of < 0.5 dB as well as the desired bandwidths, which are about 16, 38, 19, and 6 nm, respectively. The cross-talk for both upstream channels and downstream channels is less than − 24 dB . Moreover, the data transmission of 10 Gb / s of the present silicon quadplexer is also successfully demonstrated.

Shallow mixing layers between non-parallel streams in a flat-bed wide channel

Abstract

Design and investigation of N1-class next-generation passive optical network-2 (NG-PON2) coexistence architecture in the presence of Kerr effect and four-wave mixing (FWM) for fiber to the home (FTTX) access networks

Abstract In this paper, we investigated N1-class Time and Wavelength Division Multiplexing (TWDM) Next-Generation Passive Optical Network-2 (NG-PON2) supporting symmetric and coexistence configuration in a worst-case scenario. The network is optimized in the presence of linear and nonlinear impairments such as chromatic dispersion (CD), self-phase modulation (SPM), cross-phase modulation (XPM), and four-wave mixing (FWM). On-off key (OOK) modulation technique incorporating hybrid optical distribution network (ODN) i.e., wavelength select (WS) and wavelength-routed (WR) ODN is used to connect downstream (D/S) and upstream (U/S) channels supporting symmetric 80 Gbps data rate operating at 2.5/2.5 and 10/10 Gbps, respectively. G.652 single-mode (SM) fiber channel is modeled for fiber launch power PTODN = 3 dBm and 4 dBm for D/S and U/S channels to implement N1-class network. The D/S and U/S receiver sensitivity (Rxs) demonstrated are −44.23/−37.46 dBm and −28.46/−35.32 dBm and inter-channel crosstalk (Cc) is −31.97/−31.39 dB accommodating 640 splitter configuration at 50 km in the presence of impairments at 10E-7 bit error rate (BER) and Quality (Q)-factor of 5 for 10 Gbps channel.

Experimental study of flow converging section side weir hydraulics

side weirs are used to control water levels as well as water diversion for various uses in canals and rivers. Due to the complexity of flow conditions in side weirs, in this study, in order to simplify the calculations and increase its efficiency, this structure was investigated in convergent channel conditions. To investigate this issue, different geometric parameters of weir and hydraulic currents were investigated. Based on the geometric parameters of the side weir, experimental scenarios were considered. Based on the scenarios, 5 side weir lengths, 4 side weir heights, and 3 downstream channel widths were considered as side weirs that were tested at different discharges. Due to the fact that different geometric and hydraulic parameters were assumed to be variable in these experiments, the effect of each on the structure was analyzed and solutions for selecting the optimal dimensions in the channel were introduced. Based on the experimental results, it was found that for a fixed upstream water height with a 19% reduction in the width of the downstream channel, the ratio of the flow deflection to the lateral channel increases by 30%. It should be noted that the change in the flow section by converging the passage channel causes the longitudinal profile of the water surface to have a minimum height fluctuation along the entire length of the structure.

Interpreting complex geochemistry of groundwater in a coastal paddy field near a mine using isotopic signatures of sulfate and water.

In the area around the abandoned Seoseong mine, South Korea, coastal paddy fields undergo seawater intrusion and possible sulfate reduction. Here, channel water is used for irrigation, fertilizers are applied, and some paddy fields are contaminated by mining activities, which subsequently contaminate a groundwater well with arsenic. In this complex environment, the isotopic signatures of sulfate and water in water samples were assessed to reveal sources of sulfate, water and processes in the groundwater system. Sulfur and oxygen isotopes of sulfate indicated three major sources of sulfate-namely the mine including tailings, intruded seawater, and fertilizer-and an additional process of sulfate reduction. The sulfate sources and sulfate reduction could be distinguished more clearly after the variable of sulfate contribution from seawater was introduced. According to the analysis results of hydrogen and oxygen isotopes of water, areas affected by irrigation from a reservoir and its downstream channel were distinguished, possibly because the reservoir underwent evaporation effect. A schematic diagram was proposed to explain complex sources and processes in the studied area. Especially, a suggested plot of δ34SSO4 against the sulfate contribution from seawater [f(SO42-seawater)] could efficiently differentiate various contamination sources (e.g., mining activity and fertilizer) and processes (e.g., seawater intrusion and sulfate reduction) in coastal aquifer.

Importance of multiple time step optimization in river basin planning and management: a case study of Damodar River basin in India

ABSTRACT This paper outlines the importance of multiple time step optimization (MTO) in river basin allocation. The principal novelty of the work presented here is to provide a methodology for how to use MTO solutions in river basin planning and real-time operation. Two approaches for using the MTO results were tested on Damodar River basin in India and are presented in the paper. Using the proposed approach, the model managed flood flows without exceeding the downstream full bank channel capacity in 35 years of available historical data, while at the same time increasing generated hydropower on average by 63% annually, and supplying an additional 350 million m3 to irrigation and industry compared to the historical levels. The results presented in this study were obtained using the new Web-based Basin Management (WEB.BM) water management model, the only water allocation model with full Linear Programming (LP) optimization capabilities available online free of charge.

Impact of wholesale price discrimination on the profit of chain members under different channel power structures

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of wholesale price discrimination by a manufacturer on the profitability of chain members in a Retailer—E-tailer dual-channel supply chain for different product categories based on their online channel preference. We have considered two distinct channel power structures in this study, i.e., (i) retailer has higher channel power than the e-tailer and (ii) e-tailer has higher channel power than the retailer. Game-theoretic models are developed to examine the competition between the retailer and e-tailer and to derive their optimal decisions under equal wholesale price strategy and discriminatory wholesale price strategy for the channel power structures considered. Further, a numerical example was employed to quantify the results and to capture the variation with respect to online channel preference of the product. We have found that discriminatory wholesale price strategy is the gainful strategy (i) for a manufacturer dealing with products having high online channel preference under retailer leader structure (ii) for the manufacturer dealing with products having low online channel preference under e-tailer leader structure. Equal wholesale price strategy is the gainful strategy (i) for a manufacturer dealing with products having low online channel preference under retailer leader structure and (ii) for a manufacturer dealing with products having high online channel preference under e-tailer leader structure. The study helps the manufacturers to maximize their profit by adopting the right wholesale price strategy considering the online channel preference of the product and the downstream channel power structure.

Pengendalian Banjir di Daerah Aliran Sungai (DAS) Ampal Kota Balikpapan: Analisa Kapasitas Sungai

Ampal acts as the main channel in ampal drainage system. This river is located in urban areas that serves to drain the water from the upstream to the sea (Makassar Strait). Channel reduction, occurred in the middle to downstream channel, caused by sedimentation leads to capacity reduction, further its unability to drain the flood. The purpose of this study is to determine the river capacity as an alternative flood prevention. Hydrology and hydraulics data are used in the analysis process. In flood discharge calculation, the SCS-CN (Soil Conservation Service - curve number) runoff calculation method is used. Based on the data and analysis, the maximum flood discharge values flowing in the Ampal catchment are 100.20 m3/s for the middle section and 170.40 m3/s at the downstream. The central part of the Ampal River capacity is 60.69 m3/sec. and 168.50 m3/sec. at the downstream. Using three additional bozem, the problem at Section 3 Ampal River can be solved, with 7.70 m3/s flood discharge reduction.

Performance Analysis of a Full-Duplex TWDM-PON Using OFDM Modulation with Red LED Visible Light Communication System

Today’s access networks are in high demand to fulfill the high bandwidth requirement because of extensive improvement in high transmission rate applications for cloud computing, big data analytics, and other next-generation 5G smart applications. In this work, the symmetrical and bidirectional time and wavelength division multiplexing-passive optical network (TWDM-PON) system is proposed and demonstrated. Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) with 4-level quadrature amplitude modulation is used for downstream and upstream transmission. Also, 625 nm red light-emitting diode is utilized for visible light communication (VLC) using a wireless link to encourage the economic high transmission rate fiber/VLC optical network. The TWDM-PON employing OFDM with the VLC system has been analysed for downstream and upstream channels for variable fiber-wireless link range. Additionally, the impact of a high transmission rate and usage of digital signal processing (DSP) unit to reduce losses due to fiber nonlinearity effects in the proposed link has been investigated. The results show that the maximum faithful wireless and wired range for the proposed system is 140 m and 60 km respectively at 20 Gbps to attain the minimum 3.8 × 10−3 BER. The decrease in error vector magnitude (EVM%) by almost 52% with the use of DSP in the proposed system provides a high transmission rate of 200 Gbps in the proposed link. Further, comparative performance of the proposed system with previous latest works in literature reveals a superior performance of the proposed link. The proposed TWDM-PON system provides a next-generation access network from rural areas to urban areas.

Multiscale Microbial Preservation and Biogeochemical Signals in a Modern Hot-Spring Siliceous Sinter Rich in CO2 Emissions, Krýsuvík Geothermal Field, Iceland

The microbial communities inferred in silica sinter rocks, based on multiscale morphological features (fabrics and textures) and the presence of lipid biomarkers and their carbon isotopic composition, are evaluated in the Krýsuvík geothermal area of Iceland. Close to vent environments (T > 75 °C and pH 1.7‒3), stream floors are capped with homogeneous vitreous crusts and breccia levels, with no distinct recognizable silicified microbes. About 4 m far from the vents (T 75‒60 °C and pH 3‒6) and beyond (T < 60 °C and pH 6‒7.6), microbial sinters, including wavy and palisade laminated and bubble fabrics, differ between abandoned meanders and desiccated ponds. Fabric and texture variances are related to changes in the ratio of filament/coccoid silicified microbes and associated porosity. Coatings of epicellular silica, less than 2 µm thick, favor identification of individual microbial filaments, whereas coalescence of opal spheres into agglomerates precludes recognition of original microbial textures and silicified microbes. Episodic fluctuations in the physico-chemical conditions of surface waters controlled the acidic hydrolysis of biomarkers. Wavy laminated fabrics from pond margins comprise fatty acids, mono- and dialkyl glycerol, mono- and diethers, monoalkyl glycerol esters and small traces of 10-methyl branched C16 and C18 fatty acids and archaeol, indicative of intergrowths of cyanobacteria, Aquificales, and sulfate reducing bacteria and methanogenic archaea. In contrast, wavy laminated fabrics from abandoned meanders and palisade laminated fabrics from ponds differ in their branched fatty acids and the presence vs. absence of bacteriohopanetetrol, reflecting different cyanobacterial contributions. δ13C values of biomarkers range from −22.7 to −32.9‰, but their values in the wavy (pond) and bubble fabrics have much wider ranges than those of the wavy (meander), palisade, and vitreous fabrics, reflecting dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) sources and a decrease in 13C downstream outflow channels, with heavier values closer to vents and depleted values in ponds.

Capsule Migration and Deformation in a Converging Micro-Capillary

The lateral migration of elastic capsules towards a microchannel centerline plays a major role in industrial and physiological processes. Via our computational investigation, we show that a constriction connecting two straight microchannels facilitates the lateral capsule migration considerably, which is relatively slow in straight channels. Our work reveals that the significant cross-streamline migration inside the constriction is dominated by the strong hydrodynamic forces due to the capsule size. However, in the downstream straight channel, the increased interfacial deformation at higher capillary numbers or a lower viscosity ratio and lower membrane hardness results in increased lateral cross-streamline migration. Thus, our work highlights the different migration mechanisms occurring over curved and straight streamlines.

Numerical Study of the Dynamics and Structure of a Partial Dam-Break Flow Using the VOF Method

This paper aims to evaluate the effects of the opening width of a dam site on the evolution of partial dam-break waves over a fixed dry bed. The volume of fluid (VOF) method was used to scrutinize the propagation of the dam-break free surface. The model was validated using experimental data provided in the literature. At the same time, a sensitivity analysis was conducted on the size of the mesh cells and the turbulence model. However, the large eddy simulation (LES) method showed the highest accuracy among all the models. The results affirmed the crucial role of the opening width of the dam site in the flow characteristics. In this direction, diminishing the opening width results in a reduction of the wave-front travel distance, free surface gradient within the reservoir, outflow discharge values, damping the outflow hydrographs and decreasing the Froude number values at the dam site. Conversely, this leads to an increase in the air bubbles entrained within the wave and results in energy dissipation across the downstream channel.

Impact of initial fiber states on different fiber dynamic patterns in the laminar channel flow

The dynamics of an elastic fiber with various initial states in a laminar channel flow is investigated using the immersed boundary-lattice Boltzmann method. Fiber-wall collisions are solved by adding a repulsive force in the model. Our simulation results demonstrate that the initial fiber state closely relates to the stability of the considered conveyance system. Different initial states may lead to different dynamic patterns in the downstream. The fiber is found to go straight forward along a horizontal path when it is horizontally and symmetrically placed at the channel centerline. Breaking this symmetry by varying the fiber's initial vertical position or orientation will induce the instability of the system, which then causes deviations and fluctuations in fiber's conveyance path. No matter how large the deviation occurs in the upstream, the fiber is always found to migrate to the channel central region in the downstream and would eventually settle in a vertical position slightly away from the channel centerline. Moreover, the off-centerline distance that a fiber settles depends on its dynamic pattern rather than a specific initial fiber state. For our system, there are two kinds of dynamic patterns observed in the downstream channel. In the first pattern, the fiber eventually reaches its equilibrium state and is observed to do a translational motion. In the second pattern, no equilibrium state is observable, and the fiber is found to do a periodically tumbling motion. The fiber's eventual conveyance speed depends on the vertical position it eventually settles and can be roughly approximated by the local flow velocity.