Three-dimensional Flow Velocity Research Articles

Assessing the modulation of outer bank erosion by slump blocks: A case study from Marqu Meadow, China

The outer bank slump blocks play a fundamental role in modulating the rate of bank erosion, and consequently, have a profound influence on many geomorphic and ecologic processes in meandering streams, e.g., channel evolution and habitat creation. To date, no adequate research has been developed regarding how these blocks, partially strengthened by roots of herbaceous plants, impact the near-bank flow velocity, bank erosion, and migration of streambanks. This paper analyzes 246 slump blocks in a meandering stream on the Marqu Meadow, China. Aerial surveys were conducted once a year from 2018 to 2021 and the lateral migration rates (M) of streambanks are estimated by superimposing the current-year drone imagery onto its previous-year counterpart. When compared to the outer bank segments lacking slumps, our research findings indicate that the bank segments exhibiting slumps demonstrate a reduction of 57 % and 43 % in the maximum and average bank erosion rates, respectively. Overall, the wider blocks provide stronger bank protection; nevertheless, they may also introduce or enhance local scouring in their vicinity, thereby increasing the heterogeneity of bank erosion rates. To elucidate this complex influence mechanism, we simulate the three-dimensional flow velocity field of a ~100 m meandering bend containing three slump blocks using the MIKE-3 model. Furthermore, we compare one-year bank migration distance with and without the blocks by correlating the lateral migration distance of outer banks to the longitudinal gradient of near-bank velocity. The paper provides valuable insights into the complex interplay between flow dynamics and streambank behavior in real-world settings, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of future management and restoration practices.

Three-dimensional flow velocity determination using laser-induced fluorescence method with asymmetric optical vortex beams

Laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) Doppler spectroscopy using an optical vortex beam with an asymmetric intensity distribution, referred to as aOVLIF, is proposed as a new method to measure plasma flow velocity. LIF spectra were calculated numerically using typical laboratory low-temperature plasma parameters, and it was revealed that an ion flow across the beam produces a frequency shift of the spectra. This method also has the capability of temperature measurements. The propagation effects of asymmetric optical vortex beams are discussed assuming an actual experiment, and it is found that the sensitivity to the transverse flow velocity is approximately unchanged. The aOVLIF method, which exploits the inhomogeneous phase structure of optical vortices, can be applied to the determination of three-dimensional velocity vectors and promises to enhance the usefulness of conventional LIF spectroscopy using plane waves.

Predicting propeller jet scour in silty and sandy marine environments

The propeller jet generated by a ship's propeller during berthing and unberthing from quays initiates sediment transport and causes scouring around the quay structures. Investigating the flow area caused by ship propeller jets at quays and piers is important in terms of determining the local scour at the seabed. In this study, the water jet formed by ship's propellers and sediment movements on the seabed were investigated. While medium sand is typically used as the sediment type in literature, fine-grained sand and silt were used as base materials in this study. As a result of the experiments conducted with a three-dimensional flow velocity measuring device (ADV), the measured three-dimensional velocity components and the propeller efflux velocity coefficients were redefined. By examining the time dependent scour graphs of silt and sand, their scour rates were compared, and time scales were obtained from graphs. Silt was observed to have a significantly slower scour rate compared to sand. Contrary to the findings in the literature, despite silt having a smaller median particle diameter than sand, the maximum scour depths of silt were found to be less than those of sand under the same experimental conditions. Based on the results of this study and previous studies, two equations were proposed to quantify the scour depth for sand material, and silt and sand-clay mixtures.

Localized transverse flow measurement with dynamic light scattering line-scan OCT.

A novel decorrelation-based approach for measuring localized transverse flow velocity using line-scan (LS) optical coherence tomography (OCT) is proposed. The new approach allows for separation of the flow velocity component along the line-illumination direction of the imaging beam from other orthogonal velocity components, from particle diffusion motion, and from noise-induced distortion in the OCT signal's temporal autocorrelation. The new method was verified by imaging flow in a glass capillary and a microfluidic device and mapping the spatial distribution of the flow velocity within the beam's illumination plane. This method can be extended in the future to map the three-dimensional flow velocity fields for both ex-vivo and in-vivo applications.

Experimental investigation and flow analysis of clear-water scour around pier and abutment in proximity

Local scour around bridge piers and abutments is one of the most significant causes of bridge failure. Despite a plethora of studies on scour around individual bridge piers or abutments, few studies have focused on the joint impact of a pier and an abutment in proximity to one another on scour. This study conducted laboratory experiments and flow analyses to examine the interaction of piers and abutments and their effect on clear-water scour. The experiments were conducted in a rectangular laboratory flume. They included 18 main tests (with a combination of different types of piers and abutments) and five control tests (with individual piers or abutments). Three pier types (a rectangular pier with a rounded edge, a group of three cylindrical piers, and a single cylindrical pier) and two abutment types (a wing–wall abutment and a semi-circular abutment) were used. An acoustic Doppler velocimeter was used to measure the three-dimensional flow velocity for analyses of streamline, velocity magnitude, vertical velocity, and bed shear stress. The results showed that the velocity near the pier and abutment increased by up to 80%. The maximum scour depth around the abutment increased by up to 19%. In contrast, the maximum scour depth around the pier increased significantly by up to l71%. The presence of the pier in the vicinity of the abutment led to an increase in the scour hole volume by up to 87% relative to the case with a solitary abutment. Empirical equations were also derived to accurately estimate the maximum scour depth at the pier adjacent to the abutment.

Three-Dimensional Flow Velocity Estimation of Mountain Glacier Based on SAR Interferometry and Offset-Tracking Technology: A Case of the Urumqi Glacier No.1

Remote sensing estimations of glacier flow velocity could provide effective methods for the long-term monitoring of glacier flow velocity. This paper calculated the velocity in the line-of-sight (LOS) direction by combining DInSAR and offset-tracking technology with ascending and descending Sentinel-1 images of the Urumqi Glacier No.1 from 2016 to 2017. Meanwhile, the velocity in the azimuthal direction was obtained by combining MAI and offset-tracking technology. Then, the eastward, northward, and upward flow velocities were retrieved using the Helmert variance component estimation method. Finally, the standard error of the mean and mean errors of surface velocity in non-glaciated areas of the Urumqi Glacier No.1 were calculated to evaluate the accuracy of the results generated by the proposed method. The results showed: (1) The ascending LOS velocity and the descending LOS velocity were 1.812 m/a and −1.558 m/a from 2016 to 2017. The ascending azimuthal and descending azimuthal velocities were 0.978 m/a and −2.542 m/a, respectively. (2) The glacier flow velocities were 2.571 m/a and 1.801 m/a, respectively, for the eastward and northward directions. In the vertical direction, the velocity was −0.554 m/a. (3) The accuracy of the results generated by the proposed method were 0.028 m/a, 0.085 m/a, and 0.063 m/a in the east, north, and vertical directions. Therefore, it is suitable to use ascending and descending Sentinel-1 images and the study method proposed in this paper to estimate the surface flow velocity of mountain glaciers.

Morphological Changes of Sharp Bends in Response to Three Gorges Project Operation at Different Discharges

Dam construction often changes downstream fluvial processes by reducing sediment supply. Taking Tiaoguan reach and Laijiapu reach of the lower Jingjiang Reach downstream of the Three Gorges Project as examples, three-dimensional flow velocity, sediment, and bed elevation were observed in the two bends for investigating the impact of flow structure and sediment transport of different discharges on sharp bend morphology. Results indicated that the flow structure and sediment transport process in curved channels depended upon the flow stages, which affected the patterns of erosion and deposition along the point bars and concave banks. Flow separation and development of secondary flow were depended on the shapes of point bars and flow depths nearby, and the strength of secondary flow increased with flow discharge. The high flow discharges, which had high sediment carrying capacity and stream power, provided the main driving force for erosion on upstream point bar, thus the type and duration of floods were crucial factors in the morphological evolution of meandering bends. The reduction of sediment supply should be responsible for erosion on the point bars, causing the flow to migrate toward the convex banks. In meandering rivers with reduced sediment supply, retreats (push inward) of inner (convex) banks dominated advances (pull inward) of outer (concave) banks. In addition, the formation and development of concave-bank bars might relate particularly to meander curvature. This study is expected to constitute a reference for bank protection and river management in meandering bends downstream of reservoirs.

Weight coefficient calculation through equivalent ray tracing method for light field particle image velocimetry

Light field particle image velocimetry (LF-PIV) can measure three-dimensional (3D) flow velocity from a single snapshot of a light field camera based on the 3D reconstruction of tracer particles of light field images. However, it requires light field intensity calibrations to calculate accurate weight coefficients. Conventionally, the weight coefficients are calculated through in-situ calibration approaches whereas the translation of the calibration board within the entire measurement area is required. Therefore, these approaches are inapplicable for internal industrial flows and space-constrained applications. This study presents an equivalent ray tracing method for the weight coefficients calculation. With a light field snapshot of a smart calibration board, a mapping relationship is established to relate the target points sampled in the flow field with their equivalent points in the air. The weight coefficients are then calculated through the ray tracing method by changing the starting points of ray tracing from the target points to their equivalent points. The calculated weight coefficients are employed to reconstruct the feature marks of the calibration board. Results show that the spatial locations of the marks can be reconstructed accurately with a mean lateral and depth error of 0.63% and 5.6%, respectively. Experiments were also carried out on a low-speed laminar flow. The result indicates that the equivalent ray tracing method provides a similar measurement accuracy with the in-situ calibration method. The overall error of 6.77% is achieved for the velocity measurement. It is demonstrated that the proposed method is capable of measuring the 3D flow velocity for internal industrial and space-constrained applications without translating the calibration board within the entire measurement area.

THE HYDRODYNAMIC CHARACTERISTICS FOR VEGETATIVE CHANNEL WITH GRAVEL BED DUNES

Aquatic plants are known to provide flow resistance and impact the turbulence intensity and turbulent kinetic energy within the vegetated area. This paper further investigates the impact of both vegetation and dunes in open channels to the hydrodynamic characteristic of flow. Emergent vegetations were built from rigid wooden rod in staggered arrangement with 0.5% vegetations density were applied in the flume. Experiments were conducted with flow rate of 0.0058 m3/s throughout the experiments. Dunes were constructed from gravel of 2 mm size diameter in the shape of standing waves of three different lee slope angles of 3⁰, 6⁰ and 9⁰. Flow velocities are measured by using a velocimeter to get the raw data for the three-dimensional flow velocity in the x, y, and z directions. The velocities data were then analysed to calculate the mean velocity, turbulence intensity and turbulent kinetic energy. Experimental results showed that, for all three lee slope angles presented higher flow velocity in the vegetated channel compared to the non-vegetated channel. It was also found that greater lee slope angle dunes generate higher velocity for both channels with and without vegetation. Higher turbulence intensity can be found near the bed area and greater turbulence intensity also shown in the positive slope of a dunes compared to negative slope area. Higher turbulent kinetic energy values were recorded within the vegetated channel compared to the non-vegetated channels.

Processing of two-dimensional velocity fields for reconstructing three-dimensional flow patterns

The paper is concerned with the obtaining three-dimensional velocity fields of a gas or liquid flow based on the available cross-sections of this flow. The descriptions of the main optical methods for studying flows are designed to construct a cross-section of the observed process, but it would be much more informative to obtain information in the visualization not in the cross-section of a volume, but in this volume itself. The paper deals with obtaining three-dimensional flow velocity fields using various approximation methods. The method of estimating the most suitable approximating function is also given. The determination of the optimal type of approximation for the reconstruction of the three-dimensional velocity field was tested on an artificially created vortex.

Experimental Investigation of Mean Flow Profile Effects on Impedance Eduction

The results of experimental and computational studies of the three-dimensional mean flow velocity profile influence on the impedance eduction are presented. In order to measure the three-dimensional velocity profile, the TsAGIâ€(tm)s “Interferometer with flow†facility was upgraded so that additional holes were made in one cross section of the rectangular duct. As a result, it became possible to measure the longitudinal flow velocity in this cross section along 6 lines using a Pitot tube or a hot wire anemometer. The full three-dimensional velocity profile is determined by interpolating the values measured.Experimental results of the velocity profile for various experiment conditions are presented. Based on the numerical solution of the three-dimensional Pridmore-Brown equation by means of Finite Element Method and the gradient descent method, the problem of impedance eduction are investigated. The influence of the flow velocity profile and the form of functional on the obtained impedance values are discussed. The impedance values educted by means of this approach are compared with the impedance values obtained using two-dimensional impedance eduction methods, which didnâ€(tm)t taking into account the three-dimensional non homogeneity of the flow velocity field.

Performance evaluation of three latent heat storage designs for cogeneration applications

Well-integrated thermal energy storage units can enhance flexibility and profitability for a cogeneration system by enabling its decoupling of electricity and heat production. In the present study, novel latent heat thermal energy storage technologies are numerically investigated on their thermal and economic performance to evaluate their implementation at an existing combined cycle power plant. Three commercially available storage designs are analyzed: one shell-and-tube heat exchanger design based on planar spiral coils, and two types of advanced macro-encapsulated designs with capsules resembling ellipsoid and slab in shape, respectively. For the spiral coil design, three-dimensional flow velocity and temperature fields are simulated with finite volume method to predict the transient storage heat transfer process, including the effect of secondary flow induced by centrifugal forces. For the macro-encapsulated designs, effective heat transfer coefficients between heat transfer fluid (HTF) and phase change material (PCM) are inferred from scaled-down storage prototyping and testing. A one-dimensional two-phase packed bed model was developed based on the apparent heat capacity-based enthalpy method to numerically study the heat transfer in macro-encapsulated PCM. With an operating temperature range of 46–72 °C and a HTF supplying flowrate range of 4.2–8.4 m3/h defined by the cogeneration strategy, thermal power and accumulated storage capacity are calculated and compared for the first three hours of charge and the first hour of discharge for the three designs. The effect from increasing the HTF flowrate to accelerate charging/discharging processes is indicated by the simulation results. Performance comparison among the three designs shows that the slab capsule design exhibits the highest accumulated storage capacity (710 kWh) and state of charge (40%) after three hours of charge, though it has a lower theoretical total storage capacity (1760 kWh) than the spiral coil design (1830 kWh). The ellipsoid capsule design shows a slightly lower accumulated storage capacity (700 kWh) than the slab design for 3-hr charge and an equivalent accumulated storage capacity/depth of discharge (250 kWh/14%) as the latter. Furthermore, the storage power cost of the slab capsule design is the lowest, by 6–12% lower than the spiral coil design and by 2–3% lower than the ellipsoid capsule design. However, with the highest design flowrate of 8.4 m3/h, the low state of charge (below 40%) after three hours and the low depth of discharge (below 14%) after one hour indicate that redesigning the heat transfer boundary conditions and the configurations of the three units are necessary to meet desirable storage performance in cogeneration applications.

Cut-off values of lesion and vessel quantitative flow ratio in de novo coronary lesion post-drug-coated balloon therapy predicting vessel restenosis at mid-term follow-up.

Background:Drug-coated balloons (DCBs) have emerged as potential alternatives to drug-eluting stents in specific lesion subsets for de novo coronary lesions. Quantitative flow ratio (QFR) is a method based on the three-dimensional quantitative coronary angiography and contrast flow velocity during coronary angiography (CAG), obviating the need for an invasive fractional flow reserve procedural. This study aimed to assess the serial angiographic changes of de novo lesions post-DCB therapy and further explore the cut-off values of lesion and vessel QFR, which predict vessel restenosis (diameter stenosis [DS] ≥50%) at mid-term follow-up.Methods:The data of patients who underwent DCB therapy between January 2014 and December 2019 from the multicenter hospital were retrospectively collected for QFR analysis. From their QFR performances, which were analyzed by CAG images at follow-up, we divided them into two groups: group A, showing target vessel DS ≥50%, and group B, showing target vessel DS <50%. The median follow-up time was 287 days in group A and 227 days in group B. We compared the clinical characteristics, parameters during DCB therapy, and QFR performances, which were analyzed by CAG images between the two groups, in need to explore the cut-off value of lesion/vessel QFR which can predict vessel restenosis. Student's t test was used for the comparison of normally distributed continuous data, Mann-Whitney U test for the comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for the evaluation of QFR performance which can predict vessel restenosis (DS ≥50%) at mid-term follow-up using the area under the curve (AUC).Results:A total of 112 patients with 112 target vessels were enrolled in this study. Group A had 41 patients, while group B had 71. Vessel QFR and lesion QFR were lower in group A than in group B post-DCB therapy, and the cut-off values of lesion QFR and vessel QFR in the ROC analysis to predict target vessel DS ≥50% post-DCB therapy were 0.905 (AUC, 0.741 [95% confidence interval, CI: 0.645, 0.837]; sensitivity, 0.817; specificity, 0.561; P < 0.001) and 0.890 (AUC, 0.796 [95% CI: 0.709, 0.882]; sensitivity, 0.746; specificity, 0.780; P < 0.001).Conclusions:The cut-off values of lesion QFR and vessel QFR can assist in predicting the angiographic changes post-DCB therapy. When lesion/vessel QFR values are <0.905/0.890 post-DCB therapy, a higher risk of vessel restenosis is potentially predicted at follow-up.

Role of low-order proper orthogonal decomposition modes and large-scale coherent structures on sediment particle entrainment

This study presents experimental investigations of entrainment events of a single sediment particle resting in a small pocket on a smooth bed in an open channel flow. The data were acquired with a tomographic particle tracking velocimetry system. The shake the box algorithm, a spatially high resolved Lagrangian tracking method, was applied to determine time-resolved and three-dimensional flow velocities in a volume during particle entrainment. The proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) method was applied to identify motions in the flow field carrying the most turbulent kinetic energy (TKE). Based on the POD method, the most energetic flow structures were linked with the occurring quadrant events at particle entrainment. It was shown that particle entrainment follows TKE peaks based on low-order POD modes caused by large sweeps. Two streamwise elongated counter rotating vortices with emerging sweeps in between were observed during particle entrainment. Here, most of the TKE exists in the first POD mode. This signature is suggested to be part of very large-scale coherent motions.

Flow characteristics in continuous bends with pool–point bar topography

The bar–pool morphology is a typical feature of meandering channels that strongly affects flow and transport patterns. In this study, the three-dimensional flow velocity was measured in detail at six cross-sections in two continuous reverse bends with pool–point bar topography. The streamwise velocity, cross-sectional distributions of circulation, net transversal flow, turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) and turbulent shear stress (TSS) were analysed. High values of the streamwise velocity, TKE and TSS were located in the point bar region (PBR), which were closer to the bed surface in the downstream bend. The circulations, including the main circulation (MC), upper remaining circulation (URC) and outer-bank circulation (OBC), were observed to interact with each other and affect the net transversal flow. The URC was found to exist in the PBR of the downstream bend, which restrained the tendency of the MC to move towards the inner bank. The OBC decreased the net transversal flux of fluid mass towards the inner bank or increased the flux towards the outer bank. The variations in the flow characteristics for different water depths were also analysed. The experimental data can help to validate numerical simulations and predict the evolution of meandering channels, which will provide a technical basis for river regulation.

Towards multi-modal data fusion for super-resolution and denoising of 4D-Flow MRI.

4D-Flow magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has enabled in vivo time-resolved measurement of three-dimensional blood flow velocities in the human vascular system. However, its clinical use has been hampered by two main issues, namely, low spatio-temporal resolution and acquisition noise. While patient-specific computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations can address the resolution and noise issues, its fidelity is impacted by accuracy of estimation of boundary conditions, model parameters, vascular geometry, and flow model assumptions. In this paper a scheme to address limitations of both modalities through data-fusion is presented. The solutions of the patient-specific CFD simulation are characterized using proper orthogonal decomposition (POD). Next, a process of projecting the 4D-Flow MRI data onto the POD basis and projection coefficient mapping using generalized dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) enables simultaneous super-resolution and denoising of 4D-Flow MRI. The method has been tested using numerical phantoms derived from patient-specific aneurysmal geometries and applied to in vivo 4D-Flow MRI data.

Three-dimensional US for Quantification of Volumetric Blood Flow: Multisite Multisystem Results from within the Quantitative Imaging Biomarkers Alliance.

Background Quantitative blood flow (QBF) measurements that use pulsed-wave US rely on difficult-to-meet conditions. Imaging biomarkers need to be quantitative and user and machine independent. Surrogate markers (eg, resistive index) fail to quantify actual volumetric flow. Standardization is possible, but relies on collaboration between users, manufacturers, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Purpose To evaluate a Quantitative Imaging Biomarkers Alliance-supported, user- and machine-independent US method for quantitatively measuring QBF. Materials and Methods In this prospective study (March 2017 to March 2019), three different clinical US scanners were used to benchmark QBF in a calibrated flow phantom at three different laboratories each. Testing conditions involved changes in flow rate (1-12 mL/sec), imaging depth (2.5-7 cm), color flow gain (0%-100%), and flow past a stenosis. Each condition was performed under constant and pulsatile flow at 60 beats per minute, thus yielding eight distinct testing conditions. QBF was computed from three-dimensional color flow velocity, power, and scan geometry by using Gauss theorem. Statistical analysis was performed between systems and between laboratories. Systems and laboratories were anonymized when reporting results. Results For systems 1, 2, and 3, flow rate for constant and pulsatile flow was measured, respectively, with biases of 3.5% and 24.9%, 3.0% and 2.1%, and -22.1% and -10.9%. Coefficients of variation were 6.9% and 7.7%, 3.3% and 8.2%, and 9.6% and 17.3%, respectively. For changes in imaging depth, biases were 3.7% and 27.2%, -2.0% and -0.9%, and -22.8% and -5.9%, respectively. Respective coefficients of variation were 10.0% and 9.2%, 4.6% and 6.9%, and 10.1% and 11.6%. For changes in color flow gain, biases after filling the lumen with color pixels were 6.3% and 18.5%, 8.5% and 9.0%, and 16.6% and 6.2%, respectively. Respective coefficients of variation were 10.8% and 4.3%, 7.3% and 6.7%, and 6.7% and 5.3%. Poststenotic flow biases were 1.8% and 31.2%, 5.7% and -3.1%, and -18.3% and -18.2%, respectively. Conclusion Interlaboratory bias and variation of US-derived quantitative blood flow indicated its potential to become a clinical biomarker for the blood supply to end organs. © RSNA, 2020 Online supplemental material is available for this article. See also the editorial by Forsberg in this issue.

Study of bursting events and effect of hole-size on turbulent bursts triggered by the fluid and mid-channel bar interaction

Abstract Turbulent structures of flow around the mid-channel braid bar have not been adequately investigated so far. Of late, the intrinsic fluvial hydraulics associated with the formation of braided rivers interspersed with sand bars have been vital topics of research. In this paper, the findings yielded from a research foray on the aforementioned underlying processes are presented. For obtaining the requisite experimental data, the three-dimensional flow velocity components are measured with the help of acoustic Doppler velocimetry (ADV) and these velocity data are analyzed using quadrant bursting techniques. The flow characteristics are greatly affected by the presence of a mid-channel bar. The depth-averaged contours of turbulent parameters are analyzed in the present study. Herein, the hole size concept is adopted for separating the bursting events. The effect of hole size on the quadrant events is also studied. The experiments are performed for different submergence ratios. A new parameter, Bursting Index (BI), is proposed in this research to reflect a quantitative measure of the turbulent bursting effect on streambed elevation changes. The parameter BI is the ratio of the odd event occurrence probability to the even event occurrence probability. The high values of correlation coefficients signify that the BI is profoundly influenced by streambed elevation changes, which makes it an ideal parameter for analyzing scour and deposition phenomena in real-life water management projects. The prime focus on performing the experiments has been to analyze the impact of bar height on flow structure in the vicinity of the mid-channel bar.

Three-dimensional velocity and concentration measurements and simulations of a scaled Jack Rabbit II mock urban array

Abstract Magnetic resonance (MR) techniques provide non-invasive, three-dimensional measurements of velocity and concentration fields. Applying MR techniques to measure flows of contaminants through urban arrays provides a wealth of information that is difficult to obtain with large-scale field tests. In this project, a 1:188 scaled model of the phase 1 Jack Rabbit II field test was replicated and studied using a water tunnel with properties chosen to mimic field conditions. Three-dimensional, time-averaged flow data was measured using magnetic resonance velocimetry (MRV) and magnetic resonance concentration (MRC) techniques. The scaled flow was also modeled with large-eddy simulations (LES) to provide a dataset for comparison with the MR based measurements. Despite a complex, three-dimensional flow field, both velocity and concentration show good agreement between the experimental measurements and simulation data. Measurement uncertainty was estimated to be ± 5 % of each of the measured velocity components at each location for MRV and ± 4 % of the measured concentration at each location for MRC.

Field Measurements in the Kiel Canal, Germany: Ship Waves, Drawdown, and Sediment Transport

Ship waves and ship-induced flows are the main hydrodynamic loads on waterway beds and embankments. However, the underlying physical processes are not yet understood fully. Recent field measurements, conducted in the Kiel Canal, Germany, allow a better understanding of these loads and the resulting (ship-induced) sediment transport. The measurements include high-resolution time series of pressure, three-dimensional flow velocities, and turbidity, collected using stationary as well as vessel-mounted sensors. The focus of this paper is on two aspects. First, existing drawdown estimation approaches are reviewed and validated against field measurements. Based on this, a new approach is derived to improve the general description of ship waves in confined waters. Second, a new approach to estimate the ship-induced sediment transport in the Kiel Canal is developed using turbidity and flow measurements and validated against dredging volumes. Our results show that about 10% of the total transported sediment volume in the Kiel Canal can be attributed to ship traffic, whereas the remaining volume is mainly transported during regular dewatering periods. This paper provides an empirical-based method to estimate ship-induced sediment transport in artificial waterways as basis for future canal management strategies.