Author(s): Yunqiang Zhu; Saiyu Yuan; Hongwu Tang; Vladimir Nikora
Linked Author(s): Vladimir Nikora, Saiyu Yuan, Hongwu Tang
Keywords: Coherent structures; Secondary flows; Confluences; PIV
Abstract: Channel confluences are critical nodes in fluvial systems where complex vortex structures affect the substance mixing, sediment dynamics, and aquatic ecosystems. The large-scale vortex structures at the confluences can be classified into three main groups: vertically orientated vortices; secondary flow cells; and streamwise orientated vortices (Cheng & Constantinescu, 2021). Past studies of vertically orientated vortices have mainly focused on their effects on the time-averaged characteristics (Yuan et al., 2016) while knowledge on the individual vortices and their development downstream is essentially absent. The objectives of this work therefore are (1) to capture and quantify the complex vortices in laboratory experiments; and (2) to explore relationships between vertical vortices and secondary flows formed due to the flow curvature.
Year: 2024