Shallow Free-surface Flows Research Articles

Unsteady vortex shedding dynamics behind a circular cylinder in very shallow free-surface flows

The turbulent wake generated by a horizontal circular cylinder in free-surface flows of increasing shallowness with submergence-to-diameter ratios between 0.5 and 2.1 are investigated using large-eddy simulation. At Froude number (Fr) = 0.26, the free-surface deformation is small with little influence on the wake, whereas at Fr = 0.53 there is a drop in the free-surface downstream of the cylinder that impacts the coherence of the vortex shedding. Irrespective to the relative submergence, the close location of the cylinder to the bottom wall generates an asymmetric von-Kármán vortex street. Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) is used to analyse the spatio-temporal coherence of the turbulent structures shed in the cylinder wake. The spatial patterns of the first two POD modes, those containing the most energy, depict the von-Kármán vortices. As Fr increases, the energy content of the first pair of POD modes decreases from 56% at Fr = 0.26 to 26.8% at Fr = 0.53, as large-scale vortices lose coherence more rapidly with shallower conditions. This energy redistribution leads to the smaller flow structures to contain a relatively higher energy when Fr is larger. The frequency of the dominating vortex shedding determined from the spectra of the POD temporal coefficients unveils that the first two coefficients feature a dominant peak at the von-Kármán vortex shedding frequency. At Fr< 0.45, the reconstructed flow field using the first 20 POD modes agrees well with the instantaneous velocities from LES, whereas free-surface effects on the wake dynamics at increasing Fr requires more POD modes to reconstruct the flow field with reduced error.

A new symmetric interior penalty discontinuous Galerkin formulation for the Serre–Green–Naghdi equations

AbstractIn this work, we investigate the construction of a new discontinuous Galerkin discrete formulation to approximate the solution of Serre–Green–Naghdi (SGN) equations in the one‐dimensional horizontal framework. Such equations describe the time evolution of shallow water free surface flows in the fully nonlinear and weakly dispersive asymptotic approximation regime. A new non‐conforming discrete formulation belonging to the family of symmetric interior penalty discontinuous Galerkin methods is introduced to accurately approximate the solutions of the second order elliptic operator occurring in the SGN equations. We show that the corresponding discrete bilinear form enjoys some consistency and coercivity properties, thus ensuring that the corresponding discrete problem is well‐posed. The resulting global discrete formulation is then validated through an extended set of benchmarks, including convergence studies and comparisons with data taken from experiments.

Free-Surface Velocity Measurement Using Direct Sensor Orientation-Based STIV.

Particle image velocimetry (PIV) is a quantitative flow visualization technique, which greatly improves the ability to characterize various complex flows in laboratory and field environments. However, the deployment of reference objects or ground control points (GCPs) for velocity calibration is still a challenge for in situ free-surface velocity measurements. By combining space-time image velocimetry (STIV) with direct sensor orientation (DSO) photogrammetry, a laser distance meter (LDM)-supported photogrammetric device is designed, to realize the GCPs-free surface velocity measurement under an oblique shooting angle. The velocity calibration with DSO is based on the collinear equation, while the lens distortion, oblique shooting angle, water level variation, and water surface slope are introduced to build an imaging measurement model with explicit physical meaning for parameters. To accurately obtain the in situ position and orientations of the camera utilizing the LDM and its embedded tilt sensor, the camera’s intrinsic parameters and relative position within the LDM are previously calibrated with a planar chessboard. A flume experiment is designed to evaluate the uncertainty of optical flow estimation and velocity calibration. Results show that the proposed DSO-STIV has good transferability and operability for in situ measurements. It is superior to propeller current meters and surface velocity radars in characterizing shallow free-surface flows; this is attributed to its non-intrusive, whole-field, and high-resolution features. In addition, the combined uncertainty of free-surface velocity measurement is analyzed, which provides an alternative solution for error assessment when comparing measurement failures.

The hydrodynamic performance of a turbine in shallow free surface flow

The hydrodynamic performance of a turbine in shallow free surface flow

Formation and evolution of roll waves in a shallow free surface flow of a power-law fluid down an inclined plane

A laminar flow of a thin layer of mud down an inclined plane under the action of gravity is considered. The instability of a film flow and the formation of finite amplitude waves are studied within the framework of both two-dimensional governing equations of a power-law fluid and its depth-averaged hyperbolic simplification. The conditions of the existence of roll waves for these models are formulated in terms of the Whitham criterion. A free surface evolution and the development of roll waves are numerically calculated. The amplitude of roll waves obtained by the 2D equations is slightly larger than that for the 1D model. Moreover, for certain flow parameters, the small perturbations of the basic solution grow for the 2D equations and decay for the depth-averaged model. A two-parameter class of exact piecewise-smooth solutions of the 1D model is obtained and a comparison with a numerical solution is made. In the region of these parameters, diagrams of the roll waves existence are constructed.

Shallow free-surface Stokes flow around a corner.

The steady lateral spreading of a free-surface viscous flow down an inclined plane around a vertex from which the channel width increases linearly with downstream distance is investigated analytically, numerically and experimentally. From the vertex the channel wall opens by an angle α to the downslope direction and the viscous fluid spreads laterally along it before detaching. The motion is modelled using lubrication theory and the distance at which the flow detaches is computed as a function of α using analytical and numerical methods. Far downslope after detachment, it is shown that the motion is accurately modelled in terms of a similarity solution. Moreover, the detachment point is well approximated by a simple expression for a broad range of opening angles. The results are corroborated through a series of laboratory experiments and the implication for the design of barriers to divert lava flows are discussed. This article is part of the theme issue 'Stokes at 200 (Part 1)'.

A numerical study of the effects of bottom and sidewall stiffeners on sloshing behavior considering roll resonant motion

In the present study, aiming to provide practical guidance for the structural design, the effects of the small bottom and sidewall stiffeners on sloshing loads in shallow and intermediate liquid conditions are investigated numerically. The interaction between the highly nonlinear free surface flow and a large number of small stiffeners is modeled based on the Moving Particle Semi-implicit method. 2D models of a rectangular clean tank and tanks with small sidewalls or bottom stiffeners are considered. For filling ratios ranging from 5% to 20%, harmonic angular motions with periods around the analytical sloshing resonant ones are applied. Simulation snapshots and computed pressure time series, pressure variation, wave run-up, maximum fluid velocity, and kinetic energy were provided to clarify the complex interaction between the small baffles and the shallow free surface flow. As a result, except for the tanks with bottom stiffeners in shallow liquid conditions, in which the response under actual resonant frequency should be considered, the response computed using the clean tank excited by its resonant period can be adopted as a conservative estimation for the sloshing loads of actual tanks with small stiffeners.

Suppression of vertical flow separation over steep slopes in open channels by horizontal flow contraction

Flow separation and its control have been the subject of intensive research for decades. Flow separation occurs when the boundary layer loses contact with the associated confining wall, which is usually caused by a pressure gradient acting against the local flow direction. Numerous strategies exist to control flow separation, and in this study we demonstrate experimentally that vertical flow separation over steep slopes in shallow free-surface flows may be suppressed by contracting the flow horizontally upstream of the slope. We found that, unexpectedly, introducing lateral non-uniformity in the upstream flow field could suppress vertical flow separation for steep slopes up to 1 in 2. This study reveals the possibility of two different flow states over steep slopes; (i) a vertically attached flow combined with horizontal convergence, and (ii) a vertically detached flow combined with horizontal divergence. A detailed analysis of the dynamics of the two different flow states is presented. Although a predictive relation determining the transition point between the two flow states was not found in the current study, the observed phenomena were shown to be strongly related to the magnitude of the lateral gradient at the upstream edge of the slope. The results demonstrate a significant influence of the vertical flow state - separated or attached - on the shear stress at the confining boundaries of the flow.

Weighted interior penalty discretization of fully nonlinear and weakly dispersive free surface shallow water flows

In this paper, we further investigate the use of a fully discontinuous Finite Element discrete formulation for the study of shallow water free surface flows in the fully nonlinear and weakly dispersive flow regime. We consider a decoupling strategy in which we approximate the solutions of the classical shallow water equations supplemented with a source term globally accounting for the non-hydrostatic effects. This source term can be computed through the resolution of elliptic second-order linear sub-problems, which only involve second order partial derivatives in space. We then introduce an associated Symmetric Weighted Internal Penalty discrete bilinear form, allowing to deal with the discontinuous nature of the elliptic problem's coefficients in a stable and consistent way. Similar discrete formulations are also introduced for several recent optimized fully nonlinear and weakly dispersive models. These formulations are validated again several benchmarks involving h-convergence, p-convergence and comparisons with experimental data, showing optimal convergence properties.

Unified derivation of thin-layer reduced models for shallow free-surface gravity flows of viscous fluids

We propose a unified framework to derive thin-layer reduced models for some shallow free-surface flows driven by gravity. It applies to incompressible homogeneous fluids whose momentum evolves according to Navier–Stokes equations, with stress satisfying a rheology of viscous type (i.e. the standard Newtonian law with a constant viscosity, but also non-Newtonian laws generalized to purely viscous fluids and to viscoelastic fluids as well). For a given rheology, we derive various thin-layer reduced models for flows on a rugous topography slowly varying around an inclined plane. This is achieved thanks to a coherent simplification procedure, which is formal but based on a mathematically clear consistency requirement between scaling assumptions and the approximation errors in the differential equations. The various thin-layer reduced models are obtained depending on flow regime assumptions (either fast/inertial or slow/viscous). As far as we know, it is the first time that the various thin-layer reduced models investigated here are derived within the same mathematical framework. Furthermore, we obtain new reduced models in the case of viscoelastic non-Newtonian fluids, which extends Bouchut and Boyaval (2013).

The pattern of surface waves in a shallow free surface flow

This work presents new water surface elevation data including evidence of the spatial correlation of water surface waves generated in shallow water flows over a gravel bed without appreciable bed forms. Careful laboratory experiments have shown that these water surface waves are not well‐known gravity or capillary waves but are caused by a different physical phenomenon. In the flow conditions studied, the shear present in shallow flows generates flow structures, which rise and impact on the water‐air interface. It is shown that the spatial correlation function observed for these water surface waves can be approximated by the following analytical expression . The proposed approximation depends on the spatial correlation radius, σw, characteristic spatial period, L0, and spatial lag, ρ. This approximation holds for all the hydraulic conditions examined in this study. It is shown that L0 relates to the depth‐averaged flow velocity and carries information on the shape of the vertical velocity profile and bed roughness. It is also shown that σw is related to the hydraulic roughness and the flow Reynolds number.

Numerical modelling of free-surface shallow flows over irregular topography with complex geometry

A well-balanced Godunov-type finite volume algorithm is developed for modelling free-surface shallow flows over irregular topography with complex geometry. The algorithm is based on a new formulation of the classical shallow water equations in hyperbolic conservation form. Unstructured triangular grids are used to achieve the adaptability of the grid to the geometry of the problem and to facilitate localised refinement. The numerical fluxes are calculated using HLLC approximate Riemann solver, and the MUSCL-Hancock predictor–corrector scheme is adopted to achieve the second-order accuracy both in space and in time where the solutions are continuous, and to achieve high-resolution results where the solutions are discontinuous. The novelties of the algorithm include preserving well-balanced property without any additional correction terms and the wet/dry front treatments. The good performance of the algorithm is demonstrated by comparing numerical and theoretical results of several benchmark problems, including the preservation of still water over a two-dimensional hump, the idealised dam-break flow over a frictionless flat rectangular channel, the circular dam-break, and the shock wave from oblique wall. Besides, two laboratory dam-break cases are used for model validation. Furthermore, a practical application related to dam-break flood wave propagation over highly irregular topography with complex geometry is presented. The results show that the algorithm can correctly account for free-surface shallow flows with respect to its effectiveness and robustness thus has bright application prospects.

Performance and Comparison of Cell-Centered and Node-Centered Unstructured Finite Volume Discretizations for Shallow Water Free Surface Flows

Finite volume (FV) methods for solving the two-dimensional (2D) nonlinear shallow water equations (NSWE) with source terms on unstructured, mostly triangular, meshes are known for some time now. There are mainly two basic formulations of the FV method: node-centered (NCFV) and cell-centered (CCFV). In the NCFV formulation the finite volumes, used to satisfy the integral form of the equations, are elements of the mesh dual to the computational mesh, while for the CCFV approach the finite volumes are the mesh elements themselves. For both formulations, details are given of the development and application of a second-order well-balanced Godunov-type scheme, developed for the simulation of unsteady 2D flows over arbitrary topography with wetting and drying. The popular approximate Riemann solver of Roe is utilized to compute the numerical fluxes, while second-order spatial accuracy is achieved with a MUSCL-type reconstruction technique. The Green-Gauss (G-G) formulation for gradient computations is implemented for both formulations, in order to maintain a common framework. Two different stencils for the G-G gradient computations in the CCFV formulation are implemented and tested. An edge-based limiting procedure is applied for the control of the total variation of the reconstructed field. This limiting procedure is proved to be effective for the NCFV scheme but inadequate for the CCFV approach. As such, a simple but very effective modification to the reconstruction procedure is introduced that takes into account geometrical characteristics of the computational mesh. In addition, consistent well-balanced second-order discretizations for the topography source term treatment and the wet/dry front treatment are presented for both FV formulations, ensuring absolute mass conservation, along with a stable friction term treatment. Using a controlled environment for a fair comparison, a complete assessment of both FV formulations is attempted through rigorous individual and relative performance comparisons to the approximation of analytical benchmark solutions, as well as to experimental and field data. To this end, an extensive evaluation is performed using different time dependent and steady-state test cases that incorporate topography, wetting and drying process, different types of boundary conditions as well as friction. These test cases are chosen as to compare the performance and robustness of each formulation under certain conditions and evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed modifications. Emphasis to grid convergence studies is given, with the grids used to range from regular grids to irregular ones with random perturbations of nodes. The results indicate that the quality of the mesh has a major impact on the convergence performance of the CCFV method while the NCFV method exhibits a uniform behavior on the different grid types used. The proposed correction in the computation of the reconstructed values for the CCFV formulation greatly improves the convergence behavior to the formal order of accuracy.

Upwind-biased FORCE schemes with applications to free-surface shallow flows

In this paper we develop numerical fluxes of the centred type for one-step schemes in conservative form for solving general systems of conservation laws in multiple-space dimensions on structured meshes. The proposed method is an extension of the multidimensional FORCE flux developed by Toro et al. (2009) [14]. Here we introduce upwind bias by modifying the shape of the staggered mesh of the original FORCE method. The upwind bias is evaluated using an estimate of the largest eigenvalue, which in any case is needed for selecting a time step. The resulting basic flux is first-order accurate and monotone. For the linear advection equation, the proposed UFORCE method reproduces exactly the upwind Godunov method. Extension to non-linear systems has been done empirically via the two-dimensional inviscid shallow water equations. Second order of accuracy in space and time on structured meshes is obtained in the framework of finite volume methods. The proposed method improves the accuracy of the solution for small Courant numbers and intermediate waves associated with linearly degenerate fields (contact discontinuities, shear waves and material interfaces). It achieves comparable accuracy to that of upwind methods with approximate Riemann solvers, though retaining the simplicity and efficiency of centred methods. The performance of the schemes is assessed on a suite of test problems for the two-dimensional shallow water equations.

Application of Multi-Block method for simulating shallow free surface flows in complex geometries

In the present study a numerical method is developed for simulating shallow free surface flows in complex geometries. A Multi-Block (MB) method is employed in conjunction with non-orthogonal curvilinear coordinate system. This technique gives the numerical method a high flexibility to tackle flow domains with any complex boundary which may be encountered in nature. The MB method utilizes patched grid with continuous grid lines across block boundaries. In this paper the MB methods is applied to 2-D shallow flows. However, this technique is extendable to 3-D models too. The model is based on collocated grid arrangement and the control volume method is used for solution of equations. The method is implicit and uses a SIMPLEC-like algorithm to find the water surface elevation. The flexibility and accuracy of the model is presented in few test cases with complex block arrangement and circulating flows.

Godunov-type methods for free-surface shallow flows: A review

This review paper concerns the application of numerical methods of the Godunov type to the computation of approximate solutions to free-surface gravity flows modelled under a shallow-water type assumption. In the absence of dissipative processes the resulting governing equations are, with rare exceptions, of hyperbolic type. This mathematical property has, in the main, been responsible for the transfer of the Godunov-type numerical methodology, initially developed for the compressible Euler equations of gas dynamics in the aerospace community, to hydraulics and related areas of application. Godunov methods offer distinctive advantages over other methods. For example, they give correct representation of discontinuous waves (bores); this means the correct propagation speed (the methods are conservative), sharp definition of transitions and absence of unphysical oscillations in the vicinity of the wave. Future trends include (i) the use of these methods to deal with physically more complete models without the shallow water assumption and (ii) implementation of very-high order versions of these methods

Large-scale turbulent structure of uniform shallow free-surface flows

The hydrodynamics of super- and sub-critical shallow uniform free-surface flows are assessed using laboratory experiments aimed at identifying and quantifying flow structure at scales larger than the flow depth. In particular, we provide information on probability distributions of horizontal velocity components, their correlation functions, velocity spectra, and structure functions for the near-water-surface flow region. The data suggest that for the high Froude number flows the structure of the near-surface layer resembles that of two-dimensional turbulence with an inverse energy cascade. In contrast, although large-scale velocity fluctuations were also present in low Froude number flow its behaviour was different, with a direct energy cascade. Based on our results and some published data we suggest a physical explanation for the observed behaviours. The experiments support Jirka’s [Jirka GH (2001) J Hydraul Res 39(6):567–573] hypothesis that secondary instabilities of the base flow may generate large-scale two-dimensional eddies, even in the absence of transverse gradients in the time-averaged flow properties.

A three-phase mixture theory for particle size segregation in shallow granular free-surface flows

Particle-size segregation within granular materials is of great technological significance yet it is still very poorly understood. There are several causes of segregation, but this paper focuses on kinetic sieving which is the dominant mechanism in dense gravity-driven shallow free-surface flows, or, granular avalanches. The segregation model is derived from a three-phase mixture theory composed of large particles, small particles and a passive interstitial fluid. Steady-state solutions are constructed for a normally graded inflow in a steady uniform flow field. This problem is of fundamental interest, because it shows how an unstably stratified layer readjusts into a stable configuration. Expansion fans and concentration shocks are generated and sufficiently far downstream inversely graded segregated layers form, with the larger particles overlying the finer ones. This a good approximation for segregation in flows with weak diffusive remixing. The distance for complete segregation to occur is shown to increase with rising fluid density and tends to infinity as its density approaches that of the grains. If the particles are buoyant then the initial configuration is stable. An exact time-dependent two-dimensional solution is constructed for plug flow, which exploits the uncoupling of material columns of grains in the absence of shear. This yields insight into the nature of more complex numerical solutions for strong shear, which are computed with a high-resolution shock-capturing numerical scheme.

Enhanced diffusion from a continuous point source in shallow free-surface flow with grid turbulence

Shallow flows are ubiquitous in nature and are prone to instabilities that result in the formation of large-scale, two-dimensional coherent structures that are expected to significantly enhance eddy diffusivities compared to the stable turbulent base flow. We present the results of an experimental study in free-surface flow to determine the mixing coefficient for a passive tracer plume in two-dimensional grid turbulence. The grid consists of a row of cylinders 2.5 times the water depth and spaced to achieve a porosity of 50%. Depth-averaged dye concentrations are measured using a light absorption planar concentration analysis method; turbulence statistics are calculated from measurements of horizontal flow velocity using a two-component laser Doppler velocimeter. A base case without grid turbulence (having only bottom-generated turbulence) and three cases with grid turbulence are presented. For experiments with grid turbulence, injections were made at 40 water depths downstream of the grid, at the cylinder shoulders, and in the middle of the gap between cylinders. For the base case without grid turbulence, spreading rates agreed well with turbulent diffusion coefficients evaluated by others for wide channel flows. Eddy diffusivities for injections with grid turbulence were an order of magnitude greater than the base case; injections at the grid had larger diffusivities than for the injection downstream of the grid. For all experiments, the eddy diffusivity is shown to agree with Taylor’s theorem and to correlate with the size and turbulent intensity of the largest-scale coherent structures.

Integral methods for shallow free-surface flows with separation

We study laminar thin film flows with large distortions of the free surface, using the method of averaging across the flow. Two specific problems are studied: the circular hydraulic jump and the flow down an inclined plane. For the circular hydraulic jump our method is able to handle an internal eddy and separated flow. Assuming a variable radial velocity profile as in Kármán–Pohlhausen's method, we obtain a system of two ordinary differential equations for stationary states that can smoothly go through the jump. Solutions of the system are in good agreement with experiments. For the flow down an inclined plane we take a similar approach and derive a simple model in which the velocity profile is not restricted to a parabolic or self-similar form. Two types of solutions with large surface distortions are found: solitary, kink-like propagating fronts, obtained when the flow rate is suddenly changed, and stationary jumps, obtained, for instance, behind a sluice gate. We then include time dependence in the model to study the stability of these waves. This allows us to distinguish between sub- and supercritical flows by calculating dispersion relations for wavelengths of the order of the width of the layer.