Showing papers in "Environmental Fluid Mechanics in 2016"

A numerical study of hypothetical storm surge and coastal inundation for AILA cyclone in the Bay of Bengal

Abstract: The head Bay region bordering the Bay of Bengal is highly vulnerable to tropical cyclones. Catastrophic risks from storm surge and associated inundation are quite high due to high population density in coastal areas, socio-economic conditions, and shallow bathymetry. It features the world’s largest deltaic system comprising of ‘Sunderbans’ bordered by West Bengal and Bangladesh. In a geomorphologic sense, the head Bay region is a low-lying belt comprising several barrier islands and river drainage systems, numerous tidal creeks, and mud flats having a high risk for widespread inundation. In addition, the high tidal range together with low-lying topography leads to high risk and vulnerability from storm surge inundation. During May 2009, a severe cyclonic storm Aila struck West Bengal causing enormous destruction to life and property along coastal belts of West Bengal and Bangladesh. It was the strongest pre-monsoon cyclone in the past two decades that had landfall in West Bengal. This work reports on a numerical study for hypothetical storm surge and associated inundation from Aila using the ADCIRC model. The study covers a comprehensive qualitative analysis on water level elevation and onshore inundation for West Bengal and Bangladesh regions. The estimated peak storm surge was about 4 m in the Sunderban region that propagated into all major riverine systems, inundating the river banks as well the inland areas. Numerical simulations indicate an average inland penetration distance of 350 m with a maximum of 600 m at various coastal locations in West Bengal and Bangladesh. The study emphasizes the need and importance of inundation modeling system required for emergency preparedness and disaster management.

Large eddy simulations of 45° inclined dense jets

Abstract: Submerged inclined dense jets (negatively buoyant jets) occur in many engineering applications such as brine discharges from seawater desalination plants and de-cooling water discharges from liquefied natural gas plants, and their mixing behavior needs to be examined in details for the environmental impact analysis. In the present study, a detailed numerical investigation was performed using the large eddy simulation (LES) approach with both the Smagorinsky and Dynamic Smagorinsky sub-grid scale (SGS) models to simulate the characteristics of the inclined dense jet with 45° inclination. The numerical predictions included the jet trajectory, geometrical characteristics, jet spread and eddy structures. Experimental measurements were also obtained for the validation of the LES predictions, and data from existing studies in the literature were included for comparison. Overall, the LES predictions were able to reproduce the geometric characteristics of the inclined dense jet in a satisfactory manner in most aspects. The dilution was however generally underestimated, which was attributed primarily to the inability of the SGS models to reproduce the convective mixing induced by the buoyancy-induced instability using the adopted grid spacing in the bottom half of the inclined dense jet.

Influence of planform geometry and momentum ratio on thermal mixing at a stream confluence with a concordant bed

Abstract: The effects of planform geometry and momentum flux ratio on thermal mixing at a stream confluence with concordant bed morphology are investigated based on numerical simulations that can capture the dynamics of large-scale turbulence. In two simulations, the bathymetry and asymmetrical planform geometry are obtained from field experiments and the momentum flux ratio is set at values of one and four. These two conditions provide the basis for studying differences in thermal mixing processes at this confluence when the wake mode and the Kelvin–Helmholtz mode dominate the development of coherent structures within the mixing interface (MI). The effects of channel curvature and angle between the two incoming streams on thermal mixing processes are investigated based on simulations conducted with modified planform geometries. Two additional simulations are conducted for the case where the upstream channels are parallel but not aligned with the downstream channel and for the zero-curvature case where the upstream channels are parallel and aligned with the downstream channel. The simulations highlight the influence of large-scale coherent structures within the MI and of streamwise-oriented vortical (SOV) cells on thermal mixing processes within the confluence hydrodynamics zone. Simulation results demonstrate the critical role played by the SOV cells in promoting large-scale thermal mixing for cases when such cells form in the immediate vicinity of the MI and in modifying the shape of the thermal MI within cross sections of the downstream channel—predictions consistent with empirical measurements of thermal mixing at the confluence. The set of numerical simulations reveal that the degree of thermal mixing occurring within the confluence hydrodynamic zone varies dramatically with planform geometry and incoming flow conditions. In some cases thermal mixing at the downstream end of the confluence hydrodynamic zone is limited to the MI and its immediate vicinity, whereas in others substantial thermal mixing has occurred over most of the cross-sectional area of the flow. Overall, the simulations highlight the flow conditions and the controls of these conditions that influence mixing within the immediate vicinity of a confluence.

RANS simulation of neutral atmospheric boundary layer flows over complex terrain by proper imposition of boundary conditions and modification on the k-ε model

Abstract: In this study, a modelling methodology is proposed for RANS simulations of neutral Atmospheric Boundary Layer (ABL) flows on the basis of the standard k-e model, which allows the adoption of an arbitrary shear stress model. This modelling methodology is first examined in the context of an open flat terrain in an empty domain to ascertain there are no substantial changes in the prescribed profiles. The results show that relatively good homogeneity can be achieved with this modelling methodology for various sets of inflow boundary profiles. In addition, to extend the solutions derived from the standard k-e model to RNG k-e model, the RNG k-e model is in detail assembly and tuned. Finally, the topographic effects on surface wind speeds over a complex terrain are assessed with the combined use of the proposed methodology and the modified RNG model. The numerical results are in good agreement with wind tunnel testing results and long-term field observations. A discussion of the effects of horizontal homogeneity and turbulence models on the simulated wind flows over a complex terrain is also given.

Self-similarity and scale effects in physical modelling of hydraulic jump roller dynamics, air entrainment and turbulent scales

Abstract: A physical study of hydraulic jump is often undertaken using down-scaled Froude-similar models with Reynolds numbers much smaller than in prototype (e.g. spillway stilling basins). The potential viscous scale effects may affect a number of physical processes including turbulence development and air entrainment, thus challenging the extrapolation of laboratory data to the prediction of prototype conditions or justification of numerical modelling. This paper presents an experimental study of hydraulic jumps with a particular focus on the scale effects in terms of free-surface fluctuation and deformation, bubble advection and diffusion, bubble-turbulence interaction and turbulence dissipation. A broad range of free-surface, air–water flow and turbulence properties were measured systematically for Froude numbers from 3.8 to 10 and Reynolds numbers from 2.1 × 104 to 1.6 × 105. Based upon self-similarities in the longitudinal evolution of a number of characteristic flow properties, the analytical expressions of time-averaged roller surface profile, void fraction distribution and longitudinal velocity distribution were derived for given Froude number. The roller surface dynamics were found free of scale effects in terms of fluctuation amplitudes but the characteristic frequencies were scale-sensitive. While some air–water flow parameters such as bubble count rate, bubble chord time distribution and bubble grouping behaviour could only be correctly quantified at full-scale prototype conditions, the aeration level and turbulent scales might be estimated with satisfactory accuracy for engineering applications given a model Reynolds number no less than 4 × 10 to 6 × 104.

Coupling between free-surface fluctuations, velocity fluctuations and turbulent Reynolds stresses during the upstream propagation of positive surges, bores and compression waves

Abstract: In open channel, canals and rivers, a rapid increase in flow depth will induce a positive surge, also called bore or compression wave. The positive surge is a translating hydraulic jump. Herein new experiments were conducted in a large-size rectangular channel to characterise the unsteady turbulent properties, including the coupling between free-surface and velocity fluctuations. Experiments were repeated 25 times and the data analyses yielded the instantaneous median and instantaneous fluctuations of free-surface elevation, velocities and turbulent Reynolds stresses. The passage of the surge front was associated with large free-surface fluctuations, comparable to those observed in stationary hydraulic jumps, coupled with large instantaneous velocity fluctuations. The bore propagation was associated with large turbulent Reynolds stresses and instantaneous shear stress fluctuations, during the passage of the surge. A broad range of shear stress levels was observed underneath the bore front, with the probability density of the tangential stresses distributed normally and the normal stresses distributed in a skewed single-mode fashion. Maxima in normal and tangential stresses were observed shortly after the passage of a breaking bore roller toe. The maximum Reynolds stresses occurred after the occurrence of the maximum free-surface fluctuations, and this time lag implied some interaction between the free-surface fluctuations and shear stress fluctuations beneath the surge front, and possibly some causal effect.

Resistance and reconfiguration of natural flexible submerged vegetation in hydrodynamic river modelling

Abstract: In-stream submerged macrophytes have a complex morphology and several species are not rigid, but are flexible and reconfigure along with the major flow direction to avoid potential damage at high stream velocities. However, in numerical hydrodynamic models, they are often simplified to rigid sticks. In this study hydraulic resistance of vegetation is represented by an adapted bottom friction coefficient and is calculated using an existing two layer formulation for which the input parameters were adjusted to account for (i) the temporary reconfiguration based on an empirical relationship between deflected vegetation height and upstream depth-averaged velocity, and (ii) the complex morphology of natural, flexible, submerged macrophytes. The main advantage of this approach is that it removes the need for calibration of the vegetation resistance coefficient. The calculated hydraulic roughness is an input of the hydrodynamic model Telemac 2D, this model simulates depth-averaged stream velocities in and around individual vegetation patches. Firstly, the model was successfully validated against observed data of a laboratory flume experiment with three macrophyte species at three discharges. Secondly, the effect of reconfiguration was tested by modelling an in situ field flume experiment with, and without, the inclusion of macrophyte reconfiguration. The inclusion of reconfiguration decreased the calculated hydraulic roughness which resulted in smaller spatial variations of simulated stream velocities, as compared to the model scenario without macrophyte reconfiguration. We discuss that including macrophyte reconfiguration in numerical models input, can have significant and extensive effects on the model results of hydrodynamic variables and associated ecological and geomorphological parameters.

Characteristics of flow structure of free-surface flow in a partly obstructed open channel with vegetation patch

Abstract: Free-surface flows over patchy vegetation are common in aquatic environments. In this study, the hydrodynamics of free-surface flow in a rectangular channel with a bed of rigid vegetation-like cylinders occupying half of the channel bed was investigated and interpreted by means of laboratory experiments and numerical simulations. The channel configurations have low width-to-depth aspect ratio (1.235 and 2.153). Experimental results show that the adjustment length for the flow to be fully developed through the vegetation patch in the present study is shorter than observed for large-aspect-ratio channels in other studies. Outside the lateral edge of the vegetation patch, negative velocity gradient ( $$\partial \overline{u}/\partial z < 0$$ ) and a local velocity maximum are observed in the vertical profile of the longitudinal velocity in the near-bed region, corresponding to the negative Reynolds stress ( $$- \overline{{u^{\prime}w^{\prime}}} < 0$$ ) at the same location. Assuming coherent vortices to be the dominant factor influencing the mean flow field, an improved Spalart–Allmaras turbulence model is developed. The model improvement is based on an enhanced turbulence length scale accounting for coherent vortices due to the effect of the porous vegetation canopy and channel bed. This particular flow characteristic is more profound in the case of high vegetation density due to the stronger momentum exchange of horizontal coherent vortices. Numerical simulations confirmed the local maximum velocity and negative gradient in the velocity profile due to the presence of vegetation and bed friction. This in turn supports the physical interpretation of the flow processes in the partly obstructed channel with vegetation patch. In addition, the vertical profile of the longitudinal velocity can also be explained by the vertical behavior of the horizontal coherent vortices based on a theoretical argument.

Computation of the Basset force: recent advances and environmental flow applications

Abstract: When numerically integrating the equation describing the motion of a particle in a carrier fluid, the computation of the Basset (history) force becomes by far the most expensive and cumbersome, as opposed to forces such as drag, virtual mass, lift, buoyancy and Magnus. The expression representing the Basset force constitutes an integro-differential term whose standard integrand is singular when the upper integration limit is enforced. These shortcomings have led some researchers to either disregard or outright neglect the contribution of the Basset force to the total force, even in those cases where it may yield to important errors in the determination of particle trajectories in the computation of sediment transport and other environmental flows. This work is devoted to review four recent contributions associated with the computation of the Basset force, and to compare their proposals to diminish the inherent problems of the term integration. All papers, except one, use variants of a window-based approach; the most recent contribution, in turn, employs a specialized quadrature to increase the accuracy of the computation. An analysis was carried out to compare CPU computation times, rates of convergence and accuracy of the approximations versus a known analytical solution. All methods provide sound solutions to the issues associated with the computation of the Basset force; further, a road map to select the best solution for each given problem is provided. Finally, we discuss the implications of the techniques for the simulation of sediment transport processes and other environmental flows.

Hydrodynamics of suspended canopies with limited length and width

Abstract: Experimental measurements and numerical simulations are carried out to determine the hydrodynamics induced by suspended canopies of limited width and height for canopies with six different densities and canopy element arrangements and two different upstream velocities. Measurements of velocity are obtained using acoustic Doppler velocimetry and the drag force via a load cell. Numerical simulation results using OpenFOAM agree very well with the experimental data and are used to investigate the generated flow fields in detail. The bulk features of the flow are similar to those of other canopies, including emergent and submerged canopies, but the finite dimensions of the canopy results in flow patterns that differ from suspended canopies of essentially infinite width. The detailed hydrodynamics of the flow are controlled by the blockage of the suspended canopy which depends both on the canopy density and the lateral spacing between consecutive longitudinal rows of canopy elements. Increased flow blockage results in increases in the drag coefficient from 0.72 to 1.4, reduction in the flow rate inside the canopy from 58 to 98 % (of the diverted flow, 20–43 % is diverted below the canopy) and increases in the steady wake zone length from 0.6 to 4 times the canopy length. Flow blockage has relatively little effect on the length of the upstream adjustment and total wake zones at 1.09 and 7 times the canopy length respectively. The flow also depends only weakly on the upstream velocity.

A modified log-law of flow velocity distribution in partly obstructed open channels

Abstract: Flow through rigid and emergent/submerged cylinder arrays are commonly found in several engineering application such as offshore structures, transmission lines, chimneys, array of silos and field array of trees. Various hydrodynamic phenomena may be occurring in the interaction between a flowing fluid and these structures. In this manuscript we focus on the study of flow structures in a channel partially obstructed by an array of equi-spaced, vertical, rigid, emergent, circular steel cylinders. Experimental results show that the presence of the cylinders array strongly affects the flow velocity distribution, forming a transversal sharp transition region at the interface between the obstructed and the unobstructed domains. At the interface, for the current and previous studies, it was observed that the flow distribution always resembles a boundary layer feature. This similarity in feature of the flow distribution as a boundary layer has led to adapting the universal law of the wall to describe the transversal profile of the mean flow velocity, considering, by analogy, the interface separating both domains as a virtual wall. The specific objectives addressed in this study is to propose and validate a new modified log-law predicting the representative transversal profile of the mean flow velocity at the interface between the obstructed and the unobstructed domains. The proposed analytical model is validated by a series of experiments carried out on a very large rectangular channel in the Department of Civil, Environmental, Building Engineering and Chemistry of the Technical University of Bari—Italy. The three-dimensional flow velocity components were measured using a 3D Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter ADV. As a result, it is observed that the measured and the predicted, applying the proposed modified log-law, mean flow velocity data have a perfect matching between them. Moreover, in the second part of the paper, detailed observations on the flow turbulence structure are analyzed and discussed.

Experimental investigation of channel flow through idealized isolated tree-like vegetation

Abstract: Riparian and floodplain tree-like emergent vegetation alter significantly the flow field and lead to complicated three-dimensional flow patterns, characterized by increased turbulence production, with the potential to induce morphological changes The canopy presence in tree-like vegetation leads to the formation of lee wake vortices and can induce a strong subcanopy flow The present experimental study employs artificial, rigid, tree-like emergent vegetation elements, with relatively simple structure, in order to investigate the canopy effects on the flow field Specifically, the tree-like canopy is simulated by placing an element on top of a wooden rod simulating the trunk Three elements with an equal encircling diameter of 16 cm are examined as canopy in tree-like vegetation, namely a circular cylinder and two hexagonal arrays comprising smaller circular cylinders with two different individual diameters The experiments were conducted in a 26 m long laboratory flume and the velocity measurements were carried out with an acoustic Doppler velocimeter The results show that the canopy porosity has a direct impact on the subcanopy flow intensity and on the required distance that the flow needs to recover In addition, the subcanopy flow disrupts the formation of a steady wake region behind the entire porous element and inhibits the development of a recognizable von Karman vortex street

Modelling nature-like fishway flow around unsubmerged obstacles using a 2D shallow water model

Abstract: n the scope to create efficient nature like fish ramps using large-scale roughness elements, the present study is an audit of modelling such complex 3D free surface flows using an industrial 2D code solving shallow water equations. Validation procedure is based upon the comparison between numerous experimental measurements and numerical runs around large-scale roughness patterns disposed on the flume bottom in order to determine what 2D reliable numerical results can be expected. In this paper, we focused on cases of unsubmerged obstacles. The results demonstrate that 2D shallow water modelling using an industrial code such as TELEMAC-2D can be a convenient way for the hydraulic engineer to help design a nature-like fishway. This article emphasizes the limitations due to 2D depth integration of velocities and turbulence modelling and gives the domain of validity of the method.

Characterization of turbulence statistics on the non-aerated skimming flow over stepped spillways: a numerical study

Abstract: In this work we address the mean flow and turbulence statistics in the non-aerated region of a stepped spillway by using two different numerical strategies in two dimensions. First, we present results regarding the flow in a large portion of the spillway, simulated with a volume of fluid (VoF) method to capture the position of the free surface (case A). Numerically-obtained data are in very good agreement with particle image velocimetry (PIV) data; further, results suggest that profiles of mean velocity, turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) and dissipation rate of TKE at the step edges are approximately self-similar. It was also found that values of TKE and dissipation rate of TKE in the boundary layer development region follow universal similarity laws which are valid for open-channel flows. In addition, the field of simulated dimensionless pressure and pressure distributions at the step edges are qualitatively similar to those reported in a recent experimental work. Second, additional simulations were developed as a pressure-driven flow for only a portion of the spillway (case B). This was possible due to prior knowledge of the water depths. We show that, despite the fact that the pressure field can not be interpreted as in case A, the numerical simulations closely reproduce the experimental data regarding averaged velocity, vorticity, and the turbulence statistics. It was also found that turbulence intensity profiles in the intermediate region are consistent with published experimental results for open-channel flows. These numerical results offer new avenues for the simulation of portions of stepped spillways to assess the physics at the inception point of air entrainment with more sophisticated turbulence closures.

Velocity measurements in inclined negatively buoyant jets

Abstract: Experiments were performed with a particle tracking velocimetry system to investigate the behaviour of inclined negatively buoyant jets with source angles of 15°, 30°, 45°, 60°, 65°, 70°, and 75° in stationary ambient conditions. Velocities were measured in a plane aligned with the central axis of the flow and the experiments were designed such that the flow did not interact with boundaries in the region were the flow behaviour was measured. The results of this study complement previous research, which has largely focused on the mean geometric characteristics and the mean dilution of the discharged fluid. Geometric characteristics, spreading rates, and time-averaged (mean) centreline velocity results are compared with relevant experimental results from previous studies and integral model predictions. Axial and transverse mean velocity profiles at maximum height and the return point provide additional insights into the detrainment of discharged fluid due to the unstable density gradient on the inner side of the flow.

Variations of bed elevations due to turbulence around submerged cylinder in sand beds

Abstract: This paper presents the spatio-temporal variations in bed elevations and the near-bed turbulence statistics over the deformed bed generated around the submerged cylindrical piers embedded vertically on loose sediment bed at a constant flow discharge. Experiments were carried out in a laboratory flume for three blockage ratios in the range of 0.04–0.06 using three different sizes of submerged cylinders individually placed vertically at the centerline of the flume. Clear-water experimental conditions were maintained over the smooth sediment bed surface with a constant flow discharge ( $$Q = 0.015\,{\rm m}^3/{\rm sec}$$ ), thereby giving three different cylinder Reynolds numbers $$Re_{D_c} = \frac{U_mD_c}{ u }$$ (=10200, 12750, 15300) away from the cylinder locations, where $$U_m$$ is the maximum mean velocity, $$D_c$$ is the cylinder diameter and $$ u$$ is the kinematic viscosity of fluid. Instantaneous sand bed elevations around the cylinders were recorded using a SeaTek 5MHz ultrasonic ranging system of net 24 transducers to estimate bed form migration, and the near-bed velocity data at transducer locations over the stable deformed bed around the pier-like structures were collected using down-looking three-dimensional (3D) Micro-acoustic Doppler velocimeter to estimate the bottom Reynolds shear stresses and the contributions of bursting events to the dominant shear stress component. The flow perturbation generated due to relatively lower flow blockage ratio favored to achieve the stable bed condition more rapidly than the others, and larger upstream scour-depth and deformed areas were noticed for greater flow blockage ratio due to larger cylinder diameter. For larger blockage ratio in the upstream of scour-hole near the bed, occurrences of probabilities of both boundary-ward interactions (Q1 and Q3) were the dominant; whereas in the downstream of the scoured region, occurrences of probabilities of second and third quadrant events (Q2 and Q4) were dominant. On the other hand, for the lower blockage ratio, quadrant (Q2) was dominant over Q4 in the downstream of scour-hole, and in the upstream of scour-hole, quadrant Q4 was the dominant.

Scale dependency of dynamic relative permeability–satuartion curves in relation with fluid viscosity and dynamic capillary pressure effect

Abstract: Capillary pressure-saturation-relative permeability relationships (Pc-Sw-Kr) are functions of importance in modeling and simulations of the hydrodynamics of two-phase flow in porous media. These relationships are found to be affected by porous medium and fluid properties but the manner in which they are affected is a topic of intense discussion. For example, reported trends in fluid viscosity and boundary conditions effects have been found to be contrary to each other in different studies. In this work, we determine the dependency of dynamic Kr-Sw relationships (averaged data) on domain scale in addition to investigating the effects of fluid viscosity and boundary pressure using silicone oil (i.e. 200 and 1000 cSt) and water as the respective non-wetting and wetting fluids with a view to eliminating some of the uncertainties reported in the literature. Water relative permeability, Krw, was found to increase with increasing wetting phase saturation but decreases with the increase in viscosity ratio. On the other hand, the oil relative permeability, Krnw, was found to increase with the increasing non-wetting phase saturation in addition to the increase in viscosity ratio. Also, it was found that with the increasing boundary pressure Krw decreases while Krnw increases. The influence of scale on relative permeability was slightly indicated in the non-wetting phase with Krnw decreasing as domain size increases. Effect of mea- surement location on dynamic relative permeability was explored which is rarely found in the literature. Comparison was also made between Kr-Sw relationships obtained under static and dynamic condition. Finally, mobility ratio (m) and dynamic coefficient (s) were plotted as a function of water saturation (Sw), which showed that m decreases as s increases at a given saturation, or vice versa.

Porous media approach for RANS simulation of compound open-channel flows with submerged vegetated floodplains

Abstract: The main goal of this study is the 3D numerical simulation of river flows with submerged vegetated floodplains. Since, vegetation layers are usually dense and present a large spatial heterogeneity they are here represented as a porous media. Standard semi-empirical relations drawn for porous beds packed with non-spherical particles are used to estimate the porous media parameters based on the averaged geometry of the vegetation elements. Thus, eliminating the uncertainty arising from a bulk drag coefficient approach and allowing the use of a coarser mesh. The free flow is described by Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations, whereas the porous media flow is described by the volumetric-average of RANS equations. The volume-of-fluid method and an anisotropic explicit algebraic Reynolds stress model are used for free-surface and turbulence closure, respectively. The simulation approach is validated against results by other authors featuring vegetated flows in horizontal and rectangular open-channel. The computed results show that the time-averaged streamwise velocity and Reynolds shear stress vertical profiles are properly simulated. The validated approach was applied to simulate compound open-channel flows with submerged vegetated floodplains and compared with data obtained in an experimental facility. The results show that the proposed porous media approach is adequate to simulate flows with submerged vegetation on the floodplains.

Prediction of the upper tail of concentration distributions of a continuous point source release in urban environments

Abstract: The peak values observed in a measured concentration time series of a dispersing gaseous pollutant released continuously from a point source in urban environments, and the hazard level associated with them, demonstrate the necessity of predicting the upper tail of concentration distributions. For the prediction of concentration distributions statistical models are preferably employed which provide information about the probability of occurrence. In this paper a concentration database pertaining to a field experiment is used for the selection of the statistical distribution. The inverses of the gamma cumulative distribution function (cdf) for 75th–99th percentiles of concentration are found to be more consistent with the experimental data than those of the log-normal distribution. The experimental values have been derived from measured high frequency time series by sorting first the concentrations and then finding the concentration which corresponds to each probability. Then the concentration mean and variance that are predicted with Computational Fluid Dynamics-Reynolds Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) methodology are used to construct the gamma distribution. The proposed model (“RANS-gamma”) is included in the framework of a computational code (ADREA-HF) suitable for simulating the dispersion of airborne pollutants over complex geometries. The methodology is validated by comparing the inverses of the model cdfs with the observed ones from two wind tunnel experiments. The evaluation is performed in the form of validation metrics such as the fractional bias, the normalized mean square error and the factor-of-two percentage. From the above comparisons it is concluded that the overall model performance for the present cases is satisfactory.

The role of materials selection in the urban heat island effect in dry mid-latitude climates

Abstract: This work investigates the role of materials selected for different urban surfaces (e.g. on building walls, roofs and pavements) in the intensity of the urban heat island (UHI) phenomenon. Three archetypal street-canyon geometries are considered, reflecting two-dimensional canyon arrays with frontal packing densities (λf) of 0.5, 0.25 and 0.125 under direct solar radiation and ground heating. The impact of radiative heat transfer in the urban environment is examined for each of the different built packing densities. A number of extreme heat scenarios were modelled in order to mimic conditions often found at low- to mid-latitudes dry climates. The investigation involved a suite of different computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations using the Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes equations for mass and momentum coupled with the energy equation as well as using the standard k-e turbulence model. Results indicate that a higher rate of ventilation within the street canyon is observed in areas with sparser built packing density. However, such higher ventilation rates were not necessarily found to be linked with lower temperatures within the canyon; this is because such sparser geometries are associated with higher heat transfer from the wider surfaces of road material under the condition of direct solar radiation and ground heating. Sparser canyon arrays corresponding to wider asphalt street roads in particular, have been found to yield substantially higher air temperatures. Additional simulations indicated that replacing asphalt road surfaces in streets with concrete roads (of different albedo or emissivity characteristics) can lead up to a ~5 °C reduction in the canyon air temperature in dry climates. It is finally concluded that an optimized selection of materials in the urban infrastructure design can lead to a more effective mitigation of the UHI phenomenon than the optimisation of the built packing density.

Eddy diffusivity: a single dispersion analysis of high resolution drifters in a tidal shallow estuary

Abstract: In an estuary, mixing and dispersion resulting from turbulence and small scale fluctuation has strong spatio-temporal variability which cannot be resolved in conventional hydrodynamic models while some models employs parameterizations large water bodies. This paper presents small scale diffusivity estimates from high resolution drifters sampled at 10 Hz for periods of about 4 h to resolve turbulence and shear diffusivity within a tidal shallow estuary (depth 0.9) on the horizontal mean velocity within the channel. Enhanced diffusivity caused by shear dispersion resulting from the interaction of large scale flow with the boundary geometries was observed. Turbulence within the shallow channel showed some similarities with the boundary layer flow which include consistency with slope of 5/3 predicted by Kolmogorov’s similarity hypothesis within the inertial subrange. The diffusivities scale locally by 4/3 power law following Okubo’s scaling and the length scale scales as 3/2 power law of the time scale. The diffusivity scaling herein suggests that the modelling of small scale mixing within tidal shallow estuaries can be approached from classical turbulence scaling upon identifying pertinent parameters.

Combined effects of bed friction and emergent cylinder drag in open channel flow

Abstract: Open channel flows subjected to a longitudinal transition in roughness, from bed friction to emergent cylinder drag and vice versa, are investigated experimentally in an 18 m long laboratory flume. These are compared to uniform flows subject to (1) bed roughness only and (2) an array of emergent vertical cylinders installed on bed roughness. The nearbed region is investigated in detail for uniform flows through the cylinder array. The water column can be divided into two parts: a region of constant velocity and a boundary layer near the channel bed. In the latter region, a local increase in velocity, or velocity bulge, is observed in line of a cylinder row. The velocity bulge may be related to the disorganization of the von Karman vortex street by the bed-induced turbulence, resulting in reduced momentum loss in the cylinder wake. The boundary layer height is found to be independent of water depth and bed roughness (smooth or rough bottom). Strong oscillations of the free surface (seiching) are observed. Oscillation amplitude is dependent on the longitudinal position within the cylinder array and is found to decrease with decreasing array length. When water depth/boundary layer height ratio is close to unity, the disorganization of the von Karman vortex street throughout the water column prevents seiching from occurring. In the case of roughness transition flows, the water depth is found to vary only upstream of the change in roughness. Vertical profiles of velocity and turbulence are self-similar upstream of the transition and collapse with the uniform flow profiles. Downstream of the roughness change, velocity and turbulence vary over a distance of 35 to 50 times the water depth. Roughness transition flows show that seiching is lowered by flow non-uniformity. A 1D momentum equation integrating bed friction and drag force exerted by the cylinder array predicts accurately the water surface profile (0.9% mean relative error). The computed profiles show that, upstream of the transition, flow depth varies over a distance of about 2600 times the uniform water depth of the upstream roughness. The 1D equation is solved analytically for zero bed friction.

SPH numerical investigation of the velocity field and vorticity generation within a hydrofoil-induced spilling breaker

Abstract: In the present work, the velocity field and the vorticity generation in the spilling generated by a NACA 0024 hydrofoil were studied. SPH simulations were obtained by a pseudo-compressible XSPH scheme with pressure smoothing; both an algebraic mixing-length model and a two-equation model were used to represent turbulent stresses. Given the key role of vortical motions in the generation of the spilling breaker, the sources of vorticity were then examined in detail to confirm the interpretation of the mean flow vortical dynamics given in a paper by Dabiri and Gharib (J Fluid Mech 330: 113–139, [1997]). The high precision of the SPH model is confirmed through a comparison with experimental data. Experimental investigations were carried out by measuring the velocity field with a backscatter, two-component four-beam optic-fiber LDA system. The agreement between the numerical results and laboratory measurements in the wake region is satisfactory and allows the evaluation of the wave breaking efficiency of the device by a detailed analysis of the simulated flow field.

Modeling and experiments of polydisperse particle clouds

Abstract: A model for polydisperse particle clouds has been developed in this study. We extended the monodisperse particle cloud model of Lai et al. (Environ Fluid Mech 13(5):435–463, 2013) to the case of polydisperse particles. The particle cloud is first considered to be a thermal or buoyant vortex ring, with the thermal induced velocity field modeled by an expanding spherical Hill’s vortex. The buoyancy of the composite thermal is assumed to be the sum of buoyancy contributed by the all particles inside the thermal. Individual particles (of different particle properties) in the cloud are then tracked by the particle tracking equation using the computed induced velocity field. The turbulent dispersion effect is also accounted for by using a random walk model. Experiments of polydisperse particle clouds were carried out to validate the model. The agreement between model predictions and experiments was reasonable. We further validate our model by comparing it with the LES study of Wang et al. (J Hydraul Eng ASCE 141(7):06015006, 2014). The limitations of our model are then discussed with reference to the comparison. Overall, although some flow details are not captured by our model, the simplicity and generality of the model makes it useful in engineering applications.

Simulations of the flow in the Mahakam river–lake–delta system, Indonesia

Abstract: Large rivers often present a river–lake–delta system, with a wide range of temporal and spatial scales of the flow due to the combined effects of human activities and various natural factors, e.g., river discharge, tides, climatic variability, droughts, floods. Numerical models that allow for simulating the flow in these river–lake–delta systems are essential to study them and predict their evolution under the impact of various forcings. This is because they provide information that cannot be easily measured with sufficient temporal and spatial detail. In this study, we combine one-dimensional sectional-averaged (1D) and two-dimensional depth-averaged (2D) models, in the framework of the finite element model SLIM, to simulate the flow in the Mahakam river–lake–delta system (Indonesia). The 1D model representing the Mahakam River and four tributaries is coupled to the 2D unstructured mesh model implemented on the Mahakam Delta, the adjacent Makassar Strait, and three lakes in the central part of the river catchment. Using observations of water elevation at five stations, the bottom friction for river and tributaries, lakes, delta, and adjacent coastal zone is calibrated. Next, the model is validated using another period of observations of water elevation, flow velocity, and water discharge at various stations. Several criteria are implemented to assess the quality of the simulations, and a good agreement between simulations and observations is achieved in both calibration and validation stages. Different aspects of the flow, i.e., the division of water at two bifurcations in the delta, the effects of the lakes on the flow in the lower part of the system, the area of tidal propagation, are also quantified and discussed.

A recycling method for the large-eddy simulation of plumes in the atmospheric boundary layer

Abstract: A method for the large-eddy simulation (LES) of dispersion and mixing of passive scalars is developed and evaluated. The new method addresses the requirements of tracking the evolution of plumes for large distances from their sources while attaining a low computational cost. To reduce computational cost, the velocity and thermodynamic fields are solved on a doubly periodic domain in the horizontal directions. In contrast, when the plume reaches the downstream end of the computational domain, it is reintroduced at the upstream plane but as a different scalar field. The same procedure is repeated when the new scalar field reaches the downstream boundary. By using several scalar fields to describe the evolution of a single plume, the simulation is computationally cheaper since the same velocity and thermodynamic fields are reused, or recycled, when computing the plume evolution. The recycling method is verified by showing that low-order plume statistics are identical to a single-domain LES. Three cases of dispersion and mixing from a point ground source in diverse boundary layer conditions (stable, convectively unstable, and shallow cumulus convection) are considered. Moreover, the LES results are compared with the predictions a Gaussian plume model, which is found to perform satisfactorily in all cases when accurate information about the state of the boundary layer is provided.

Lateral velocity distribution in open channels with partially flexible submerged vegetation

Abstract: This study implemented three analytical models to investigate the lateral distribution of depth-averaged streamwise velocity in a rectangular channel with lateral, unevenly-distributed, flexible submerged vegetation. Secondary flow, vegetation drag, and turbulent shear were introduced into the momentum equations to represent the interaction between vegetation and flow. Comparison of model results and experimental data indicated that predictions were improved with a mixing layer model, which considers the secondary flow term in the mixing region, particularly for channels with a high aspect ratio. The research established a relationship between the vegetation drag coefficient and the Reynolds number. A sensitivity analysis of the dimensionless eddy viscosity coefficient and bed friction factor indicated that the coefficient had as significant an impact as the second factor on the lateral velocity profile. A reasonable dimensionless eddy viscosity coefficient is essential to predict velocity accurately.

Revisiting the flow regimes for urban street canyons using the numerical Green’s function

Abstract: Vortex interactions within a two-dimensional street canyon are analysed using the numerical Green’s function. On account of the inhomogeneity of the domain, vortex interactions are asymmetric: the influence of a street-level vorticity source on the roof-level shear layer differs from that of the latter on the street level. Consequently the magnitudes of the induced vertical velocities are maximised at different aspect ratios. It is argued that the transition from isolated roughness to wake interference is related to the onset of strong long-range interactions while the transition from wake interference to skimming flow is related to the weakening of these interactions. The Green’s function analysis is verified using three-dimensional large-eddy simulations.

Comparison of specific sediment transport rates obtained from empirical formulae and dam breaching experiments

Abstract: Sediment transport rate determination plays an essential role in mathematical models of embankment dam breaching. The sediment transport formulae commonly used today were mostly determined under considerably different conditions than those existing during the breaching of embankment dams, i.e. in connection with relatively mild longitudinal slopes. However, due to the scarceness of sediment transport relations for sediment transport rates on steep slopes, these traditional formulae are frequently used in dam breach modelling. This paper contains a description of a physical model of a 0.86 m high sandy dike constructed and breached at an outdoor laboratory operated by the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Brno University of Technology, Czech Republic. The dike shape and material were the same for all experiments. The used material was homogeneous non-cohesive medium-uniform sand. The results of the experimental breaching of the sandy dike were discussed and compared with sediment transport rates obtained from various empirical formulae. The comparison shows differences between experimental and calculated sediment transport rates which in all analysed cases indicate overestimation of the breaching rate calculated by empirical formulae.

Development and testing of a micro wind tunnel for on-site wind erosion simulations

Abstract: Wind erosion processes affect soil surfaces across all land uses worldwide. Understanding the spatial and temporal scales of wind erosion is a challenging undertaking because these processes are diverse and highly variable. Wind tunnels provide a useful tool as they can be used to simulate erosion at small spatial scales. Portable wind tunnels are particularly valued because erosion can be simulated on undisturbed soil surfaces in the field. There has been a long history of use of large portable wind tunnels, with consensus that these wind erosion simulation tools can meet real world aerodynamic criteria. However, one consequence of striving to meet aerodynamic reality is that the size of the tunnels has increased, making them logistically difficult to work with in the field and resulting in a tendency to homogenise naturally complex soil surfaces. This homogenisation is at odds with an increasing awareness of the importance that small scale processes have in wind erosion. To address these logistical and surface homogenisation issues we present here the development and testing of a micro wind tunnel (MWT) designed to simulate wind erosion processes at high spatial resolution. The MWT is a duct-type design—0.05 m tall 0.1 m wide and with a 1.0 m working section. The tunnel uses a centrifugal motor to suck air through a flow‐conditioning section, over the working section and then through a sediment collection trap. Simulated wind velocities range from 5 to 18 m s−1, with high reproducibility. Wind speeds are laterally uniform and values of u* at the tunnel bed (calculated by measuring the pressure gradients within the MWT) are comparable with those of larger tunnels in which logarithmic profiles can be developed. Saltation sediment can be added. The tunnel can be deployed by a single person and operated on slopes ranging from 0 to 10°. Evidence is presented here that the MWT provides new and useful understanding of the erodibility of rangelands, claypans and ore stockpiles.