Characteristics of very-large-scale motions in natural rivers based on large eddy simulation
Source abstract
Abstract
Exploring very-large-scale motions (VLSMs) in open channel flows (OCFs) is crucial for comprehensively understanding material transport and energy exchange. While previous studies focused on OCFs in ideal flumes with simple boundaries, this paper presents large eddy simulation (LES) results on the existence and scale characteristics of VLSMs in complex river morphologies with the Minjiang River in southwestern China as a case study. This research demonstrates that the OpenFOAM-based LES model is capable of accurately reconstructing the time-averaged flow field and providing instantaneous velocity data that capture VLSMs with sufficient resolution. Spectrum analysis of the streamwise fluctuating velocity shows that VLSMs are present in the straight segment of the river, with streamwise wavelengths approximately (16–22) times the water depth but are absent in the bend and confluence segments due to the suppression by secondary currents. This article validates the effectiveness of LES in examining the characteristics of VLSMs in natural rivers, thereby laying a good foundation for further studies on the impacts of such structures on sediment transport and pollutant dispersion.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline
Research context
OpenAlex topics: Hydrology and Sediment Transport Processes · Hydraulic flow and structures · Hydrology and Watershed Management Studies
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
State Key Laboratory of Hydroscience and Engineering, Tsinghua University 1 , Beijing 100084, China
Key Laboratory of Hydrosphere Sciences of the Ministry of Water Resources, Tsinghua University 2 , Beijing 100084, China
Department of Hydraulic Engineering, Tsinghua University 3 , Beijing 100084, China
Powerchina International Group Limited 4 , Beijing 100036, China
Department of Civil Engineering, Columbia University 5 , New York 10027, USA
Funding
National Natural Science Foundation of China
References (91)
Show source-provided references
1. Laboratory study of secondary flow in an open channel bend by using PIV10.3390/w11040659 ↗
2. Efficient investigation on fully developed flow in a mildly curved 180° open-channel10.2166/hydro.2014.108 ↗
3. Saturation of curvature-induced secondary flow, energy losses, and turbulence in sharp open-channel bends: Laboratory experiments, analysis, and modeling10.1029/2008jf001137 ↗
4. Flow separation at convex banks in open channels10.1017/jfm.2015.397 ↗
5. Flow processes near smooth and rough (concave) outer banks in curved open channels10.1029/2012jf002414 ↗
6. Drag forces on a bed particle in open-channel flow: Effects of pressure spatial fluctuations and very-large-scale motions10.1017/jfm.2018.1003 ↗
7. Very-large-scale motions in rough-bed open-channel flow10.1017/jfm.2017.24 ↗
8. Stability analysis of open-channel flows with secondary currents10.1017/jfm.2021.769 ↗
9. Very-large-scale motions in the turbulent cylinder wake10.1063/5.0092018 ↗
10. Experimental research on boundary shear stress in typical meandering channel10.1007/s13344-018-0038-5 ↗
11. Modeling of streamflow in a 30 km long reach spanning 5 years using OpenFOAM 5.x10.5194/gmd-15-2917-2022 ↗
12. Stratification effects on flow hydrodynamics and mixing at a confluence with a highly discordant bed and a relatively low velocity ratio10.1029/2017wr022292 ↗
13. Stratification effects on hydrodynamics and mixing at a river confluence with discordant bed10.1007/s10652-019-09725-6 ↗
14. Identification and analysis of very-large-scale turbulent motions using multiscale proper orthogonal decomposition10.1103/physrevfluids.7.084603 ↗
15. 2019
16. Numerical analysis of the effect of momentum ratio on the dynamics and sediment-entrainment capacity of coherent flow structures at a stream confluence10.1029/2012jf002452 ↗
17. Influence of planform geometry and momentum ratio on thermal mixing at a stream confluence with a concordant bed10.1007/s10652-016-9457-0 ↗
18. Plunging flow and coherent turbulent structures in a straight pool-riffle10.1029/2022jf007034 ↗
19. Averaged indicators of secondary flow in repeated acoustic Doppler current profiler crossings of bends10.1029/2005wr004050 ↗
20. Contributions of very large-scale motions to turbulence statistics in open channel flows10.1017/jfm.2020.174 ↗
21. Aerial observations and numerical simulations confirm density-driven streamwise vortices at a river confluence10.1029/2021wr031527 ↗
22. Velocity profiles and the structure of turbulence at the outer bank of a compound meander bend10.1016/j.geomorph.2017.06.018 ↗
23. Computational domain length and Reynolds number effects on large-scale coherent motions in turbulent pipe flow10.1080/14685248.2017.1418086 ↗
24. Scales of turbulence in open-channel flows with low relative submergence10.1063/1.5127562 ↗
25. On the cause of the maximum velocity of water flowing in open channels being below the surface10.1061/taceat.0000315 ↗
26. Estimation of wavenumber–frequency spectra of wall pressure due to turbulent flow over a flat plate using large-eddy simulation10.1063/5.0152076 ↗
27. Value of ecosystem hydropower service and its impact on the payment for ecosystem services10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.11.015 ↗
28. 3D modelling of non-uniform and turbulent flow in vertical slot fishways10.1016/j.envsoft.2017.09.011 ↗
29. The influence of three-dimensional topography on turbulent flow structures over dunes in unidirectional flows10.1029/2021jf006121 ↗
30. Space-time correlations and dynamic coupling in turbulent flows10.1146/annurev-fluid-010816-060309 ↗
31. 1978
32. Volume of fluid (VOF) method for the dynamics of free boundaries10.1016/0021-9991(81)90145-5 ↗
33. Density effects at a concordant bed natural river confluence10.1029/2019wr026217 ↗
34. Lagrangian coherent structures in flow past a backward-facing step10.1017/jfm.2022.631 ↗
35. Evidence of very long meandering features in the logarithmic region of turbulent boundary layers10.1017/s0022112006003946 ↗
36. Flow hydrodynamics, density contrast effects and mixing at the confluence between the Yangtze River and the Poyang Lake channel10.1007/s10652-022-09848-3 ↗
37. Large-eddy simulation of flow past a circular cylinder for Reynolds numbers 400 to 390010.1063/5.0041168 ↗
38. Reynolds stress modeling of supercritical narrow channel flows using OpenFOAM: Secondary currents and turbulent flow characteristics10.1063/5.0124076 ↗
39. Flow phenomena and mechanisms in a field-scale experimental meandering channel with a pool-riffle sequence: Insights gained via numerical simulation10.1029/2010jf001814 ↗
40. The application of computational fluid dynamics to natural river channels: Eddy resolving versus mean flow approaches10.1016/j.geomorph.2012.09.006 ↗
41. The theoretical foundations and potential for large-eddy simulation (LES) in fluvial geomorphic and sedimentological research10.1016/j.earscirev.2005.03.001 ↗
42. High-fidelity numerical modeling of the Upper Mississippi River under extreme flood condition10.1016/j.advwatres.2016.10.018 ↗
43. On the morphodynamics of a wide class of large-scale meandering rivers: Insights gained by coupling LES with sediment-dynamics10.1029/2022ms003257 ↗
44. Very large-scale motion in the outer layer10.1063/1.869889 ↗
45. Large-eddy simulation of the Mississippi River under base-flow condition: Hydrodynamics of a natural diffluence-confluence region10.1080/00221686.2018.1534282 ↗
46. Flexible and modular simultaneous modeling of flow and reactive transport in rivers and hyporheic zones10.1029/2019wr026528 ↗
47. Evolution of outer bank cell in open-channel bends10.1007/s10652-022-09865-2 ↗
48. Baffled clarification basin hydrodynamics and elution in a continuous time domain10.1016/j.jhydrol.2021.125958 ↗
49. Impact assessment of waterway development on the socioeconomic conditions and ecosystem in the upper Yangtze River10.1002/rra.3955 ↗
50. Flow hydrodynamics across open channel flows with riparian zones: Implications for riverbank stability10.3390/w9090720 ↗
51. Spatial and temporal variability of methane emissions from cascading reservoirs in the Upper Mekong River10.1016/j.watres.2020.116319 ↗
52. Characteristics of sedimentation and sediment trapping efficiency in the Three Gorges Reservoir, China10.1016/j.catena.2021.105715 ↗
53. Characteristics of runoff and sediment load during flood events in the Upper Yangtze River, China10.1016/j.jhydrol.2023.129433 ↗
54. Morphological environment survey and hydrodynamic modeling of a large bifurcation-confluence complex in Yangtze River, China10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139705 ↗
55. Effect of secondary currents on the flow and turbulence in partially filled pipes10.1017/jfm.2022.141 ↗
56. A computational study of 3D flow structure in two consecutive bends subject to the influence of tributary inflow in the middle Yangtze River10.1080/19942060.2023.2183901 ↗
57. Frequency-wavenumber velocity spectra, Taylor’s hypothesis, and length scales in a natural gravel bed river10.1029/2011wr011709 ↗
58. Revisiting Taylor’s hypothesis10.1017/s0022112009992126 ↗
59. Subgrid-scale stress modelling based on the square of the velocity gradient tensor10.1023/a:1009995426001 ↗
60. Three-dimensional numerical study of dam-break flood impacting problem with VOF method and different turbulence closures10.1007/s11269-023-03530-z ↗
61. On the scaling of large-scale structures in smooth-bed turbulent open-channel flows10.1017/jfm.2020.73 ↗
62. Characteristics of very large-scale motions in rough-bed open-channel flows10.3390/w15071433 ↗
63. Meandering rivers that anabranch in the upper Midwest (USA): Prevalence, morphological characteristics, and power regimes10.1016/j.geomorph.2023.108854 ↗
64. General circulation experiments with the primitive equations: I. The basic experiment10.1175/1520-0493(1963)091<0099:gcewtp>2.3.co;2 ↗
65. High–Reynolds number wall turbulence10.1146/annurev-fluid-122109-160753 ↗
66. Determining the relative contributions of climate change and multiple human activities to variations of sediment regime in the Minjiang River, China10.1002/hyp.9472 ↗
67. The spectrum of turbulence10.1098/rspa.1938.0032 ↗
68. Direct measurements of secondary currents in a meandering sand-bed river10.1038/315746a0 ↗
69. An experimental study of mean and turbulent flow in a 180 degree sharp open channel bend: Secondary flow and bed shear stress10.1007/s12205-015-1560-0 ↗
70. The role of increasing riverbank vegetation density on flow dynamics across an asymmetrical channel10.1007/s10652-021-09791-9 ↗
71. Hydrochemical processes in lowland rivers: Insights from in situ, high-resolution monitoring10.5194/hess-16-4323-2012 ↗
72. Two mechanisms of modulation of very-large-scale motions by inertial particles in open channel flow10.1017/jfm.2019.210 ↗
73. Quantitative characterization of streaky structures in open-channel flows10.1061/(asce)hy.1943-7900.0001353 ↗
74. Influence of submerged flexible vegetation on turbulence in an open-channel flow10.1017/jfm.2022.598 ↗
75. Soft-sediment deformation structures from the Diexi paleo-dammed lakes in the upper reaches of the Minjiang River, east Tibet10.1016/j.jseaes.2010.04.006 ↗
76. Primary study on circulation structures and vortex-scale characteristics of Huanghuacheng reach in the Three Gorges Reservoir area10.14042/j.cnki.32.1309.2022.02.009 ↗
77. Characteristics of large-scale coherent structures on irregularly arranged rough-bed open-channel flows10.3390/w15061105 ↗
78. A note on Taylor’s hypothesis under large-scale flow variation10.5194/npg-21-645-2014 ↗
79. High temporal resolution in situ measurement of the effective particle size characteristics of fluvial suspended sediment10.1016/j.watres.2006.11.010 ↗
80. Digital empowerment for shipping development: A framework for establishing a smart shipping index system10.1080/03088839.2021.1894364 ↗
81. Large-eddy simulation of turbulent free surface flow over a gravel bed10.1080/00221686.2021.1908437 ↗
82. Characteristics of very-large-scale motions in gradually varied open-channel flows upstream of a run-of-river dam10.1063/5.0109639 ↗
83. The vitality of very-large-scale motions upstream of an overflow structure10.1063/5.0141728 ↗
84. Implication of Taylor’s hypothesis on measuring flow modulation10.1017/jfm.2017.803 ↗
85. Large eddy simulation modeling of tsunami-like solitary wave processes over fringing reefs10.5194/nhess-19-1281-2019 ↗
86. Secondary currents and very-large-scale motions in open-channel flow over streamwise ridges10.1017/jfm.2020.8 ↗
87. Turbulence statistics and very-large-scale motions in decelerating open-channel flow10.1063/1.5129111 ↗
88. Preliminary research on characteristics of very-large-scale turbulence motions in decelerating open channel flow10.11988/ckyyb.20210617 ↗
89. Experimental study and a physical model on the geomorphic response mechanisms of meandering rivers under progressive sediment reduction10.3389/feart.2022.892926 ↗
90. Experimental study on the effects of particle-wall interactions on VLSM in sand-laden flows10.1017/jfm.2021.16 ↗
91. Statistical analysis of turbulent super-streamwise vortices based on observations of streaky structures near the free surface in the smooth open channel flow10.1002/2015wr017728 ↗