Three-dimensional numerical simulation of nonisotropic thermal density flow in a strongly curved open channel

The results from a 3D nonisotropic algebraic stress/flux turbulence model are presented to investigate the structure of thermal density flow and the temperature distribution in a strongly curved open channel (180° bend). The numerically simulated results show that (i) several secondary flows take place at the bend cross-section 90° of the curved open channel, the feature which is not found for the isothermal flows and thermal density flow in a straight channel, and (ii) the thermocline in a curved channel is thicker than that in a straight channel due to the secondary flows-induced strong mixing process taking place in the former. Such features may be ascribed to the complex interaction of the buoyant force, the centrifugal force and the Reynolds stresses taking place only in curved channels. The simulated results are in good agreement with available experimental data, which indicates that the developed model can be applied for predicting the motion of the nonisotropic thermal density flow in the curved open channel.