Predictive model for stage-discharge curve in compound channels with vegetated floodplains

The governing equation of the discharge per unit width, derived from the flow continuity equation and the momentum equation in the vegetated compound chan- nel, is established. The analytical solution to the discharge per unit width is presented, including the effects of bed friction, lateral momentum transfer, drag force, and secondary flows. A simple＇ but available numerical integral method, i.e., the compound trapezoidM formula, is used to calculate the approximate solutions of the sub-area discharge and the total discharge. A comparison with the published experimental data from the U. K. Flood Channel Facility （UK-FCF） demonstrates that this model is capable of predicting not only the stage-discharge curve but also the sub-area discharge in the vegetated com- pound channel. The effects of the two crucial parameters, i.e., the divided number of the integral interval and the secondary flow coefficient, on the total discharge are discussed and analyzed.     

Secondary flow coefficient of overbank flow

This paper presents a 2D analytical solution for the transverse velocity distribution in compound open channels based on the Shiono and Knight method （SKM）, in which the secondary flow coefficient （K-value） is introduced to take into account the effect of the secondary flow. The modeling results agree well with the experimental results from the Science and Engineering Research Council-Flood Channel Facility （SERC-FCF）. Based on the SERC-FCF, the effects of geography on the secondary flow coefficient and the reason for such effects are analyzed. The modeling results show that the intensity of the secondary flow is related to the geometry of the section of the compound channel, and the sign of the K-value is related to the rotating direction of the secondary flow cell. This study provides a scientific reference to the selection of theK-value.     

Two dimensional analytical solution for a partially vegetated compound channel flow

The theory of an eddy viscosity model is applied to the study of the flow in a compound channel which is partially vegetated. The governing equation is constituted by analyzing the longitudinal forces acting on the unit volume where the effect of the vegetation on the flow is considered as a drag force item, The compound channel is divided into 3 sub-regions in the transverse direction, and the coefficients in every region＇s differential equations were solved simultaneously. Thus, the analytical solution of the transverse distribution of the depth-averaged velocity for uniform flow in a partially vegetated compound channel was obtained. The results can be used to predict the transverse distribution of bed shear stress, which has an important effect on the transportation of sediment. By comparing the analytical results with the measured data, the analytical solution in this paper is shown to be sufficiently accurate to predict most hydraulic features for engineering design purposes.     

Simple analytical model for depth-averaged velocity in meandering compound channels

A simple but applicable analytical model is presented to predict the lateral distribution of the depth-averaged velocity in meandering compound channels. The governing equation with curvilinear coordinates is derived from the momentum equation and the flow continuity equation under the condition of quasi-uniform flow. A series of experiments are conducted in a large-scale meandering compound channel. Based on the experimental data, a magnitude analysis is carried out for the governing equation, and two lower-order shear stress terms are ignored. Four groups of experimental data from different sources are used to verify the predictive capability of this model, and good predictions are obtained. Finally, the determination of the velocity parameter and the limitation of this model are discussed.     

Integrated numerical model for vegetated surface and saturated subsurface flow interaction

The construction of an integrated numerical model is presented in this paper to deal with the interactions between vegetated surface and saturated subsurface flows. A numerical model is built by integrating the previously developed quasi-three-dimensional (Q3D) vegetated surface flow model with a two-dimensional (2D) saturated groundwater flow model. The vegetated surface flow model is constructed by coupling the explicit finite volume solution of 2D shallow water equations (SWEs) with the implicit finite difference solution of Navier-Stokes equations (NSEs) for vertical velocity distribution. The subsurface model is based on the explicit finite volume solution of 2D saturated groundwater flow equations (SGFEs). The ground and vegetated surface water interaction is achieved by introducing source-sink terms into the continuity equations. Two solutions are tightly coupled in a single code. The integrated model is applied to four test cases, and the results are satisfactory.     

Flow resistance and its prediction methods in compound channels

A series of experiments was carried out in a large symmetric compound channel composed of a rough main channel and rough floodplains to investigate the resistance characteristics of inbank and overbank flows. The effective Manning, Darcy–Weisbach, Chezy coefficients and the relative Nikuradse roughness height were analyzed. Many different representative methods for predicting the composite roughness were systematically summarized. Besides the measured data, a vast number of laboratory data and field data for compound channels were collected and used to check the validity of these methods for different subsection divisions including the vertical, horizontal, diagonal and bisectional divisions. The computation showed that these methods resulted in big errors in assessing the composite roughness in compound channels, and the reasons were analyzed in detail. The error magnitude is related to the subsection divisions. The project supported by the Major State Basic Research and Development Program of China (973 Program) (2003CB415202) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (50579040, 50579041). The English text was polished by Yunming Chen.     

Numerical simulation of turbulent flows in trapezoidal meandering compound open channels

Three‐dimensional (3D) numerical study is presented to investigate the turbulent flow in meandering compound open channels with trapezoidal cross‐sections. The flow simulation is carried out by solving the 3D Reynolds‐averaged continuity and Navier–Stokes equations with Reynolds stress equation model (RSM) for steady‐state flow. Finite volume method (FVM) is applied to numerically solve the governing equations of fluid flow. The velocity magnitude, tangential velocity, transverse velocity and Reynolds stresses are calculated for various flow conditions. Good agreement between the simulated and available laboratory measurements was obtained, indicating that the RSM can accurately predict the complicated flow phenomenon. Comparison of the calculated secondary currents of four cases (one being inbank flow and other three being overbank flow) with different water depths reveals that (i) the inbank flow exhibits different flow behaviors from that of the overbank flow does and (ii) the water depth has significant effects on the magnitude and direction of secondary currents. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Acoustic resonance phenomena in air bleed channels in aviation engines

The existence of axial–radial acoustic resonance oscillations of the basic air flow in bleed channels of aviation engines is demonstrated theoretically and experimentally. Numerical and analytical methods are used to determine the frequency of acoustic resonance oscillations for the lowest modes of open and closed bleed channels of the PS-90A engine. Experimental investigations reveal new acoustic resonance phenomena arising in the air flow in bleed channel cavities in the core duct of this engine owing to instability of the basic air flow. The results of numerical, analytical, and experimental studies of the resonance frequencies reached in the flow in bleed channel cavities in the core duct of the PS-90A engine are found to be in reasonable agreement. As a result, various types of resonance oscillations in bleed channels can be accurately described.     

Analytical solutions for transverse distributions of stream-wise velocity in turbulent flow in rectangular channel with partial vegetation

The theory of poroelasticity is introduced to study the hydraulic properties of the steady uniform turbulent flow in a partially vegetated rectangular channel. Plants are assumed as immovable media. The resistance caused by vegetation is expressed by the theory of poroelasticity. Considering the influence of a secondary flow, the momentum equation can be simplified. The momentum equation is nondimensionalized to obtain a smooth solution for the lateral distribution of the longitudinal velocity. To verify the model, an acoustic Doppler velocimeter (ADV) is used to measure the velocity field in a rectangular open channel partially with emergent artificial rigid vegetation. Comparisons between the measured data and the computed results show that the method can predict the transverse distributions of stream-wise velocities in turbulent flows in a rectangular channel with partial vegetation.     

Analytical techniques for analysis of fully developed laminar flow through rectangular channels

Approximate analytical techniques are established to determine the velocity distribution for laminar fluid flow through straight rectangular channels. The separation of variables is adopted for the exact analytical solution. The closed form solution for the temperature distribution in the flow field is demonstrated and the Nusselt number is evaluated. The result determined by different techniques has been presented in a comparative way to easily understand the accuracy level of predictions.     

Weissenberg effect and its dependence upon the experimental geometry

The flow of a second-order fluid with a free surface between two coaxially mounted cylinders of finite length, the inner one of which is rotating, is being studied. In the case of slow flow and small shear rates the flow can be divided into a primary flow in the plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation and a secondary flow in the meridional plane. These flow components are numerically calculated and the results are compared with the analytical results for the semi-infinite cylinder approximation. The influence of the finiteness of the cylinders (end effect) upon the free surface deformation is analysed. The numerical results for the secondary flow are compared with results obtained by flow visualisation.     

Unsteady non-darcian fluid flow in parallel-plates channels partially filled with porous materials

Using Green's function method, analytical solutions are obtained for the problem of transient fluid flow in parallel-plate channels partially filled with porous materials. The unsteadiness in the fluid flow is caused either by a sudden change in the imposed pressure gradient or (and) by a sudden change in the velocity of the channel boundaries. The Brinkman-extended Darcy model is used to model the flow inside the porous domain. Received on 9 April 1997     

An observation on the origin of secondary flow in straight noncircular ducts

This note is concerned with the origin of secondary flow in straight noncircular ducts. A critical examination of the analytical expressions for the secondary flow production terms is made to show that the essential requirement for secondary flow is a finite gradient of the difference in the turbulent stresses in the plane of the duct cross section in a peripheral direction. This conclusion has been reached following an investigation of the turbulent stress distributions in unidirectional pipe flow and assumes that, in general, the normal stresses only are significant in secondary flow production. An observation is made on “vorticity reversal” in the immediate vicinity of the boundary of a noncircular duct.     

Experimental study of flow and heat transfer in rib-roughened rectangular channels

Secondary flow patterns, pressure drop and heat transfer in rib-roughened rectangular channels have been investigated. The aspect ratio of the channels is 1–8, and ribs are attached to the wide channel walls in order to set up swirling motions. The geometries tested consist of channels having cross ribs, parallel ribs, cross V-ribs, parallel V-ribs, and multiple V-ribs (Swirl Flow Tube). The flow patterns were investigated using smoke wire visualization and LDV measurements. The smoke wire experiments have been performed at Re=1100 and the LDV measurements at Re=3000 at periodic fully developed conditions. The heat transfer and pressure drop are described by j and f factors for Reynolds numbers from 500 to 15 000. The distributions of axial mean velocity and turbulent fluctuations are strongly influenced by the secondary flows. Large mean velocities and small fluctuations are found in regions where the secondary flow is directed towards a surface, while small mean velocities and large fluctuations are found in regions where the secondary flow is directed away from a surface. The Swirl Flow Tube provides a significant increase in the j factor at Reynolds numbers from 1000 to 2000, but unfortunately also an increase in the f factor. At higher Reynolds numbers, the j and f factors of the Swirl Flow Tube are of the same order of magnitude as for the other rib-roughened channels. It is found that the flow direction in a channel with parallel V-ribs has important influence on the j/f ratio. At Reynolds numbers above 4000, this channel provides the highest j/f ratio if the V-ribs are pointing upstream; while it provides the lowest j/f ratio of all rib configurations, if the V-ribs are pointing downstream.     

Behavior of near-field dilution of thermal buoyant jet discharged horizontally in compound open-channel

The RNG κ-ε model considering the buoyancy effect, which is solved by the hybrid finite analytic method, is used to simulate the mixture of the horizontal round thermal buoyant jet in compound open channel flow. The mixing features near the spout and flowing characteristic of the secondary currents are studied by numerical simulation. Meanwhile, （1） the distribution of the measured isovels for stream-wise velocity, （2） secondary currents, （3） the distribution of the measured isovels for temperature of typical cross-section near the spout, were obtained by the three-dimensional Micro ADV and the temperature measuring device. Compared with experimental data, the RNG κ-ε model based on buoyancy effect can preferably simulate the jet which performs the bifurcation phenomenon, jet reattachment （Conada effect） and beach secondary currents phenomenon with the effect of ambient flow, buoyancy, and secondary currents of compound section and so on.     

Fluid flow through heterogeneous porous media in a rotating square channel

An analytical three-dimensional solution to the fluid flow problem through heterogeneous porous media in a rotating square channel is presented. The permeability of the fluid saturated porous domain varies in the vertical direction, thus affecting the imposed main flow in the channel. As a result of Coriolis acceleration, secondary circulation in a plane perpendicular to the main flow direction is created. A particular example of a monotonic distribution of the permeability function is analyzed leading to a single vortex secondary circulation. Nevertheless, multiple vortex secondary flow solutions are possible depending on the particular variation of the permeability in the vertical direction. No secondary motion is expected for isothermal flows in homogeneous porous media.     

Particle imaging techniques for microfabricated fluidic systems

This paper presents the design and implementation of velocimetry techniques applicable to the analysis of microfluidic systems. The application of both micron-resolution particle image velocimetry (micro-PIV) and particle tracking velocimetry (PTV) to the measurement of velocity fields within micromachined fluidic channels is presented. The particle tracking system uses epifluorescent microscopy, CCD imaging, and specialized image interrogation algorithms to provide microscale velocity measurement resolution. The flow field in a straight channel section is measured using cross-correlation micro-PIV and compared to the analytical solution for a measured mass flow rate. Velocity field measurements of the flow at the intersection of a cross-channel are also presented and compared with simulations from a commercially available flow solver, CFD-ACE+. Discussions regarding flow seeding, imaging optics, and the flow setup for measuring flows in microfabricated fluidic devices are presented. A simple process for estimating measurement uncertainty of the in-plane velocity measurements caused by three-dimensional Brownian motion is described. A definition for the measurement depth for PTV measurements is proposed. The agreement between measured and predicted values lends further support to the argument that liquid microflows with characteristic dimensions of order 50-μm dimension channels follow macroscale flow theory.     

Large-scale turbulence phenomena in compound rectangular channels

In this article we investigate turbulent flow of air through compound rectangular channels to experimentally investigate the turbulence phenomena in compound channels. Detailed experimental data of axial mean velocity, wall shear stresses, five of six Reynolds stresses, auto- and cross-spectral densities, and two-point space correlations were measured by hot-wire anemometry in 18 geometrical configurations.

The symmetry of the present flow appears to be better than that of previous measurements and the range of measurments is more extensive. The most interesting result is the existence of a quasi-periodic large-scale turbulence structure in most of the geometries investigated. This structure is stationary and independent of the axial position in the channel. It exists in any longitudinal slot or groove in a wall or a connecting gap between two flow channels, provided its depth is more than approximately twice its width. The frequency of this flow oscillation is determined by the geometry of the slot and is linearly dependent on the bulk velocity.     

Continuum analytical modelling of thermal creep

A thermal creep process is studied in quite wide rectangular micro channels, sufficiently wide so that it is possible to consider this configuration as two parallel plates. The inlet and outlet reservoirs are maintained at the same constant pressure. A constant temperature gradient exists along the walls of the channel joining the two tanks. Thus a gas flow is induced and thermally sustained until steady conditions are reached. A complete analytical solution is derived in slip regime, yielding all the flow parameters, for Knudsen numbers smaller than 0.25. The analytical results are in good agreement with the numerical “exact” solution of the continuum equation system. Furthermore our continuum approach data are compared to those deduced from approaches based on Boltzmann equation model treatments: these various methods lead generally to a satisfactory agreement between their respective mean parameters. Nevertheless significant differences appear on the transversal velocity profiles and are further discussed.