Outer-bank Cell Research Articles

Flow turbulence and morphological characteristics in an asymmetric alluvial sinuous channel

On a physical model, an experimental study has been carried out to study the flow turbulence and morphological characteristics in an asymmetric sinuous channel. Velocity distribution shows no evidence of outer bank cell of secondary flow. Streamwise turbulence intensity is more dominating than transverse and vertical turbulence intensity. Bursting events are quantified by octant analysis, which reveals that the internal ejections and external sweeps are prominent. There is a significant role of internal ejection, external sweep events, and helical flow in forming erosion and deposition zones. The transition probabilities of movement states that stable organizations of events are the most possible movements, whereas cross organizations of events have the least possible movements. The morphological changes at all cross sections shows deposition near the inner bend and maximum erosion near center at the bend apex, progressing towards the outer bend. Moreover, the deposited sediment bar at the inner bend promoted flow separation over the point bar. Topographic steering of the flow induces reasonable variations in the redistribution of flow velocity. As the study provides insights into the flow turbulence and morphological characteristics in an asymmetric sinuous channel, it will be a beneficial help to engineers for planning hydraulic structures.

Morphodynamics of sine-generated meandering streams under variations of the width-to-depth ratio: A numerical investigation

Meandering is one of the most common planforms of rivers, however, the ecological and fluvial integrity of meandering rivers are under challenges, resulting from increased anthropogenic pressure and extreme climate events. The present study elucidates the morphodynamics of meandering streams under variations of width-to-depth ratio (B/h) by delving into the two dynamic processes underlying within the flow, i.e. cross-circulatory motion and convective redistribution of the longitudinal flow velocity. Series of numerical simulations are performed in 70° sine-generated meandering streams under increasing flow depth that necessitates a wide range of B/h, characterizing flume experiments to large scale natural rivers. The radial flow structures and the early bed deformation patterns are computed and elucidated. Among the classical cross-circulatory flow patterns, outer bank cell occurs for flows having B/h < 9. Next, the different bed deformation patterns reveal the shift of significance in the driving forces of the bed deformation regarding different B/h ratio. At B/h = 100, bed deformation is dominated by the convective redistribution of the downstream velocity that causes longitudinal adjacent erosion–deposition zones. This implies downstream migration tendency of meander loops. At B/h = 12, the intensified cross-circulatory flow deflects the sediment trajectory, causing extra laterally adjacent erosion–deposition zones that necessitate the lateral expansion tendency of the loop. Decrement of B/h ratio (from 100 on ward) critically enhances the non-equilibrium transport of sediment that can lead to active fluvial evolution of meandering rivers. Overall, the results can be used to improve river management and restoration.

Effect of the transition section on the flow structure of consecutive river bends with point bars

The transition section (TS), linking the front bend and the back bend in consecutive river bends, plays a key role in the flow hydraulic characteristics, sediment transport, and riverbed evolution in meandering rivers, which is crucial for flood control, navigation, and river stability. Most existing studies on the hydraulic effect of the TS focus on flat-bed scenarios, rendering an inadequate understanding of the TS in consecutive bends with point bars, often found in natural rivers. Based on three-dimensional numerical simulations, the effects of the length and the topography of the TS are investigated in detail on the flow structure in consecutive bends with point bars, respectively. The results reveal that without an adequate TS length, the residual circulation of the front bend (RC) inhibits the development of the main circulation in the back bend (MC), causing the positions of the maximum strength of the MC and the maximum value of cross-section-averaged turbulent kinetic energy (<tke˜>) in the back bend moving upstream. As the length of the TS increases, the above effect of the front bend gradually decreases. The critical length of the TS to fully decay the RC is 4.8 times the bend width (B) in consecutive bends with point bars, longer than that (4B) in the flat-bed bend. Furthermore, the central bar in the TS is found to facilitate the generation of the outer bank cell and accelerate the decay of the RC. These effects of the TS can profoundly change the flow hydraulics, sedimentation, and stream stability of consecutive bends. The results of the study will help to further understand the linkage role of the TS in consecutive bends and may serve as a rational reference for managing natural meandering rivers with multiple hydrological, geomorphological, and/or ecological goals.

Numerical Study on the Outer Bank Cell of Secondary Flow in a U-Shaped Open Channel

Due to the centrifugal force, a spiral flow is formed in a bend, presenting a rotating vortex in the vicinity of the inner bank and another rotating vortex in the opposite direction near the outer bank under certain hydraulic conditions, which have a significant effect on bank erosion processes. The renormalization group k-ε turbulence model was employed to simulate the flows in a U-shaped open channel with various Froude number (Fr). The water level, vertical velocity and secondary flow structure were analysed. The outer bank cell (OBC) has a strong dependence on the Fr and the intensity of the OBC (QOBC) firstly increases and then decreases along the channel. The maximum QOBC gradually increases and the position of the maximum value first moves downstream and then upstream with the increasing Fr. At the apex of the bend, the nondimensionalize intensity of the OBC first decreases and then increases with the increasing Fr.

Mean flow, secondary currents and bed shear stress at a 180-degree laboratory bend with and without enhanced permeable groins as an Eco-friendly river structure

River restoration aims to apply environmentally-friendly structures for bank protection in meandering rivers to restore their natural habitat. Enhanced Permeable Groin (EPG) is a novel river restoration technique that can improve the fish habitat environment in a river system by creating a series of eco-friendly scour pools. This study reports the results of two groups of 3D velocity measurements in a 180-degree channel bend in cases with and without an EPG for clear water conditions to characterize the mechanisms leading to the primary stages of the scouring phenomenon. The analysis revealed that the presence of an EPG amplified the velocity magnitude in the regions near the tip of the vane and increased its value in the middle of the channel 1.13 times the bend without the structure. In addition, the comparison showed that the EPG reduced the velocity magnitude in the recirculation zone by an average of 38%. Secondary currents including main and outer bank cells were observed in the case without the structure. The presence of the EPG in the flow field effectively increased the outer-bank cell strength by 11 times compared to that without the structure. The low-value contours of the bed shear stresses were observed in the zone downstream of the structure for a distance of 6 times the effective length of the structure. Based on the results of this study, the generation of a recirculation zone with low-velocity and shear stress values can provide suitable conditions for aquatic habitats, deep-bodied fish assemblages, aquatic vegetation, shrub roots, and tree roots along the outer bank.

Evolution of outer bank cell in open-channel bends

Evolution of outer bank cell in open-channel bends

Influence of Negatively Buoyant Jets on a Strongly Curved Open-Channel Flow Using RANS Models with Experimental Data

Experimental and numerical studies of flow structures in a strongly curved 135-degree laboratory flume were carried out to investigate the influence of negatively buoyant jets using the finite volume method. The performance results of three different turbulence models were investigated by comparing the numerical results with the experimental measurements. The present study demonstrates that fully 3D numerical models are capable of simulating the primary flow pattern in a strongly curved channel with the presence of a negatively buoyant jet. The comparison also shows that the k-omega SST model can satisfactorily predict some of the smaller flow features in bend flow, such as the inner bank circulation cell and the overall form of the vorticity distributions. It was found that the flow distribution and the strength of secondary flow vary due to the interaction between the jet mixing behavior and the secondary flow in the channel bend. The presence of negatively buoyant jets attenuated the development of the outer bank cell as salinity increased. In the inner bank region, flow separation was strengthened by the participation of the negatively buoyant jets.

High Resolution Observations of an Outer-Bank Cell of Secondary Circulation in a Natural River Bend

AbstractSecondary circulation is a mechanism that increases vertical exchange between the horizontal layers in open channels. Vertical shear in curved flows induces secondary circulation in the pla...

Influence of deflection angles on flow behaviours in openchannel bends

The deflection angle of a river bend plays an important role on behaviours of the flow within it, and a clear understanding of the angle’s influence is significant in both theoretical study and engineering application. This paper presents a systematic numerical investigation on effects of deflection angles (30°, 60°, 90°, 120°, 150°, and 180°) on flow phenomena and their evolution in open-channel bends using a Re-Normalization Group (RNG) κ-e model and a volume of fluid (VOF) method. The numerical results indicate that the deflection angle is a key factor for flows in bends. It is shown that the maximum transverse slope of water surface occurs at the middle cross section of a bend, and it increases with the deflection angle. Besides a major vortex, or, the primary circulation cell near the channel bottom, a secondary vortex, or, an outer bank cell, may also appear above the former and near the outer bank when the deflection angle is sufficiently large, and it will gradually migrate towards the inner bank and evolve into an inner bank cell. The strength of the secondary circulations increases with the deflection angle. The simulation demonstrates that there is a low-stress zone on the bed near the outer bank and a high-stress zone on the bed near the inner bank, and both of them increase in size with the deflection angle. The maximum of shear stress on the inner bank increases nonlinearly with the angle, and its maximums on the outer bank and on the bed take place when the deflection angle becomes 120°.

An investigation on the outer bank cell of secondary flow in channel bends

Beside the curvature-induced secondary flow in curved channels, often a counter-rotation secondary flow cell is observed near the outer bank, called outer-bank cell. In the current study, experiments were conducted for three low subcritical Froude numbers typical for natural streams that complement the Froude number range investigated in previous studies. It was found that for increasing Froude numbers, the main cell of secondary flow expanded and strengthened. Simultaneously, the outer-bank cell reduced in size and retreated towards the boundary. A term-by-term analysis of the energy production and the vorticity equations was performed to substantiate this observation. In the outer-bank zone, for increasing Froude numbers, a reduction of the energy flux from turbulence to the mean flow was discernible; which confirms that the turbulence-induced processes affect the outer-bank cell. The analysis of the vorticity equation showed the balance between generative and degenerative terms in the streamwise vorticity equation.

Three Dimensional Numerical Simulation of Vortex Structures in Barak River

Natural channel have complex three dimensional flow structures particularly at the outer bank cell due to the combined effects of secondary currents and higher velocity profiles. In this paper Computational fluid dynamics is used to study the meandering bend of the Barak River. Numerical modeling is done using Reynolds averaged continuity and Navier Stokes equation. These equations are solved by finite volume method. Appropriate representation of counter-rotating secondary flow in the channel bend requires both the suitable treatment of the free water surface and a turbulence model that can resolve the anisotropy of turbulence. Hence the volume of fluid method (VOF) was used to model the free surface and reynolds stress turbulence model (RSM) has been used to close the RANS equations. Higher velocity profiles were prominent at the outer bank. Skew induced stream wise vorticity was observed close to the outer bank which confirms the existence of corner induced secondary current. The vortices formed were found to be of Prandtl’s first kind.

Numerical study of flow dynamics around a stream restoration structure in a meandering channel

ABSTRACTIn this paper the flow around a streambank-attached in-stream structure – rock vane – installed in a meandering channel is investigated via large-eddy simulation (LES). LES is carried out for the case where the rock vane is installed along the outer bank of a field-scale, natural-like experimental meandering channel facility. Analysis of the simulated flow field shows that the rock vane acts to displace the upstream high-velocity core toward the channel centre and it effectively reduces the bed shear stress along the outer streambank. It is also found that the presence of the rock vane gives rise to the growth of the secondary flow cell formed along the outer streambank, which is often called the outer bank cell. Numerical results suggest that the growth of the outer bank cell and the subsequent displacement of the outer bank shear layer are responsible for the displacement of channel thalweg toward the channel centre.

Flow phenomena and mechanisms in a field-scale experimental meandering channel with a pool-riffle sequence: Insights gained via numerical simulation

[1] Large-eddy simulation of turbulent flow through a natural-like meandering channel with pool-riffle sequences installed in the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory Outdoor StreamLab is carried out to elucidate the hydrodynamics at bankfull flow condition. It is shown that the shallow flow in the riffle is dominated by the presence of large-scale roughness elements that enhance turbulent mixing; increase turbulence anisotropy; and induce multiple, streamwise secondary cells driven by turbulence anisotropy. The flow in the pool, on the other hand, is dominated by the formation and interaction of the center region and outer bank secondary flow cells and the large horizontal recirculation regions along the inner bank. The collision of the counterrotating center region and outer bank cells at the water surface gives rise to a line of three-dimensional separation (flow convergence) in the time-averaged streamlines at the surface and the associated strong downward flow toward the bed that redistributes streamwise momentum and increases the bed shear stress along the channel thalweg. Intense turbulence is produced along the line of separation due to highly anisotropic velocity fluctuations. Our results make a strong case that the center region cell is driven by the curvature effects while the outer bank cell is driven by the combined effects of turbulence anisotropy and the curvature-induced centrifugal force. The inner bank horizontal recirculation zone consists of multiple eddies, which collectively span the entire point bar. A striking finding is that the center of the primary eddy is located directly above the crest of the point bar.

Analysis of the role of turbulence in curved open-channel flow at different water depths by means of experiments, LES and RANS

In order to unravel the main flow and secondary flow characteristics and the role of turbulence in a curved single-bend open-channel flow, large-eddy simulations (LES) and Reynolds-averaged numerical simulations (RANS) were carried out and compared with experiments of the flow through a strongly bent laboratory flume. Turbulence was found to play an important role with respect to processes that are important in natural rivers. The strength of the curvature-induced secondary flow in the core of the flow domain, which is the most typical feature of curved open-channel flow, depends on the turbulence. Turbulence is especially important in the flow regions near the banks. Only the LES model is able to resolve accurately the boundary layer detachment and the formation of an internal shear layer at the inner bank as well as the outer-bank cell of secondary flow, whereas the RANS model is unable to reproduce these processes. Turbulence also conditions the magnitude of the bed shear stress, as indicated by the considerable overestimations of the bed shear stress by the RANS model as compared with the LES model. As a result, only LES properly reproduces the experimentally measured overall friction losses over the bend, whereas RANS overestimates these losses. The large scales of turbulence play an essential role in generating these flow processes by means of their interaction with the mean secondary flow structures, whereas small-scale turbulence is merely dissipative and does not play a dynamic role with respect to the time-averaged flow pattern. This implies that the simulated flow field is rather insensitive to the sub-grid model in the LES computation.

Large-eddy simulation of a mildly curved open-channel flow

After validation with experimental data, large-eddy simulation (LES) is used to study in detail the open-channel flow through a curved flume. Based on the LES results, the present paper addresses four issues. Firstly, features of the complex bicellular pattern of the secondary flow, occurring in curved open-channel flows, and its origin are investigated. Secondly, the turbulence characteristics of the flow are studied in detail, incorporating the anisotropy of the turbulence stresses, as well as the distribution of the kinetic energy and the turbulent kinetic energy. Moreover, the implications of the pattern of the production of turbulent kinetic energy is discussed within this context. Thirdly, the distribution of the wall shear stresses at the bottom and sidewalls is computed. Fourthly, the effects of changes in the subgrid-scale model and the boundary conditions are investigated. It turns out that the counter-rotating secondary flow cell near the outer bank is a result of the complex interaction between the spatial distribution of turbulence stresses and centrifugal effects. Moreover, it is found that this outer bank cell forms a region of a local increase of turbulent kinetic energy and of its production. Furthermore, it is shown that the bed shear stresses are amplified in the bend. The distribution of the wall shear stresses is deformed throughout the bend due to curvature. Finally, it is shown that changes in the subgrid-scale model, as well as changes in the boundary conditions, have no strong effect on the results.

RANS COMPUTATIONS OF MILD CURVED OPEN CHANNEL FLOWS FOCUSING ON AN OUTER-BANK CELL

A curved open channel flow is characterized by formations of cross-sectional secondary currents. The main structure of the cross-sectional flow is classified into the secondary current of 1st kind, which is caused by the centrifugal force. The outer-bank cell is generated near the corner between the surface and the outer-bank. Though the scale of the outer-bank cell is much smaller than the main secondary current, the outer-bank cell affects the erosion of the outer-bank. The previous studies showed that the outer-bank cell is initiated by two combinational effects, i. e., turbulence an-isotropy and the centrifugal force. Therefore, the criterion of the outer-bank cell is rather complicated. In this study, linear and non-linear k-E models are applied to the mild curved open channel flows studied experimentally by Booij (2003) . Only non-linear models could capture the outer-bank cell and could reproduce velocity and Reynolds stress profiles well. A 3rd order non-linear model slightly improved the accuracy. The computations with different curvature radiuses indicate that the linear k-E models can also generate the outer-bank cell in cases of very sharp bend. The threshold of R/H by the standard model for generation of the outer-bank cell was 22. The model with lower eddy viscosity could yield the outer-bank cell in the flows with larger R/H.

Volume Of Fluid Model Applied To Curved OpenChannel Flows

An attempt has been made to simulate secondary flows in curved open channels using three-dimensional CFD analysis. Besides the classical center-region cell, a counter rotating outer bank cell is often observed which could play an important role in the mechanism of sediment transport. The CFD analysis is carried out on the 120° curved open channel bend using the commercial software package Fluent. The volume of fluid (VOF) model is used to simulate the air-water interaction at the free surface and the turbulence closure was obtained using the Reynolds stress model (RSM). It is observed that the RSM model was able to predict both circulation cells successfully. The results show that the core of maximum velocities is found close to the separation between both circulation cells and below the free surface which agrees well with the experimental data.

Momentum Transport in Sharp Open-Channel Bends

Flow in open-channel bends is characterized by cross-stream circulation, which redistributes the velocity and the boundary shear stress and thereby shapes the characteristic bed topography. Besides a center-region cell, classical helical motion, a weaker counterrotating outer-bank cell often exists. In spite of its engineering importance, the mechanisms underlying distributions of the velocity and the boundary shear stress in open-channel bends, and especially the role of both circulation cells, are not yet fully understood. In order to investigate these mechanisms, an evaluation is made of the various terms in the momentum equations based on the data measured, which gave the following results. The outer-bank cell forms a buffer layer that protects the outer bank from any influence of the center-region cell and keeps the core of maximum velocity a distance from the bank. Advective momentum transport by the center-region cell is a dominant mechanism; it significantly contributes to the observed outward shift of the downstream velocity and the bed shear stress and to flattening of the vertical profiles of the velocity. This important advective momentum redistribution has to be included in the depth-integrated flow models often used in engineering practice. Commonly used linear models overpredict the effects of the center-region cell. Based on results of the analysis of experimental data, these models are extended by accounting for the feedback between the center-region cell and the downstream velocity. The nonlinear model obtained clearly reveals the mechanisms of the center-region cell and its advective momentum transport. An analysis of nonlinear model results confirms and complements the analysis of experimental data. A true quasithree-dimensional flow model is obtained by coupling this nonlinear model to depth-integrated flow models, thus providing an engineering tool for morphodynamical investigations.

Secondary flow in sharp open-channel bends

Secondary currents are a characteristic feature of flow in open-channel bends. Besides the classical helical motion (centre-region cell), a weaker and smaller counter-rotating circulation cell (outer-bank cell) is often observed near the outer bank, which is believed to play an important role in bank erosion processes. The mechanisms underlying the circulation cells, especially the outer-bank cell, are still poorly understood, and their numerical simulation still poses problems, not least due to lack of detailed experimental data. The research reported herein provides detailed experimental data on both circulation cells in an open-channel bend such as found in nature. Furthermore, the underlying dynamics are investigated by simultaneously analysing the vorticity equation and the kinetic energy transfer between the mean flow and the turbulence. This shows that turbulence plays a minor role in the generation of the centre-region cell, which is mainly due to the centrifugal force. By accounting for the feedback between the downstream velocity profile and the centre-region cell, a strongly simplified vorticity balance is shown to yield accurate predictions of the velocities in the centre region. For strong curvatures, however, a fully three-dimensional flow description is required. Due to the non-monotonic velocity profiles, the centrifugal force favours the outer-bank cell. Moreover, terms related to the anisotropy of the cross-stream turbulence, induced by boundary proximity, are of the same order of magnitude and mainly enhance the outer-bank cell. Both mechanisms strengthen each other. The occurrence of the outer-bank cell is shown to be not just due to flow instability, like in the case of curved laminar flow, but also to kinetic energy input from turbulence.

Mean Flow and Turbulence in Open-Channel Bend

Flow over a developed bottom topography in a bend has been investigated experimentally. The measuring section is in the outer-bank half of the cross section at 60° into the bend. Spatial distributions of the mean velocities, turbulent stresses, and mean-flow and turbulent kinetic energy are presented. The cross-sectional motion contains two cells of circulation: besides the classical helical motion (center-region cell), a weaker counterrotating cell (outer-bank cell) is observed in the corner formed by the outer bank and the water surface. The downstream velocity in the outer half-section is higher than the one in straight uniform flow; the core of maximum velocities is found close to the separation between both circulation cells, well below the water surface. The turbulence structure in a bend is different from that in a straight flow, most notably in a reduction of the turbulent activity toward the outer bank. Both the outer-bank cell and reduced turbulent activity have a protective effect on the outer ...