Author(s): Hao Wu; George Constantinescu
Linked Author(s): Hao Wu, George Constantinescu
Keywords: Drag force; Sediment entrainment; Numerical simulations; Mussel bed
Abstract: Freshwater mussels are encountered at the water-sediment interface of many rivers. Freshwater mussels are ecological engineers that improves habitat conditions for many aquatic species. Besides filtering water and improving water quality in rivers, they enhance the stability of the river bed (Wu et al., 2022). Generally, mussels develop in very large arrays, also known as mussel beds where the mussel-to-mussel interactions are significant. One major factor that affects the long-term survival of the mussel beds is the stability of the partially-burrowed mussels. At high flow conditions, mussels can be dislocated from the substrate due to large drag forces and local scour developing around their shells. For sufficiently high mussel bed densities, mussels are partially sheltered by upstream mussels. On the other hand, increasing mussel bed density can increase near bed velocities in between the mussels and thus the potential of the flow to erode the bed. Active filtering by the mussels can also affect drag forces. In this paper, high-revolution numerical simulations are used to investigate the flow, drag forces and sediment erosion mechanisms in open channels containing large arrays of mussels which mimic a mussel bed with the mussels oriented parallel to the mean incoming flow in the channel.
Year: 2024