Two-dimensional turbulent burst examination and angle ratio utilization to detect scouring/sedimentation around mid-channel bar

Abstract

River morphological dynamics are complex phenomena in natural and environmental flows. In particular, the sediment transport around braid mid-channel bars has not gained enough understanding from previous research. The effect of submergence ratio on the turbulence behavior in the proximity of the bar has been investigated in this study. The spatial distribution of turbulent flow in the proximity of bar has been studied by plotting the depth-averaged two-dimensional contours of turbulent kinetic energy. The high value of TKE has been observed in regions just downstream from the bar. It is due to the vortex shedding occurring in that region. The interaction of sweep and ejection events have been analyzed using the parameter Dominance Function obtained from the ratio of occurrence probability of ejection events to the occurrence probability of sweep events. This outcome indicates that the depth averaged parameter Dominance Function has successfully predicted the high scouring region which makes it an ideal parameter for analyzing the scour phenomena in real-world water management projects. The high scouring zone lies in the close proximity of the bar. This shows that the scouring effect from the bar is limited to its close region. The magnitude of scouring occurring at the upstream region of the bar also increases with the increment of submergence ratio. The relationship of quadrant event inclination angles with the sediment transport occurring in the proximity of bar has been also studied, where an Angle Ratio parameter has been utilized for linking the bed elevation change with the inclination angle. The results indicate that the AR parameter has been successfully tested in this study to show its competence to represent the turbulent burst-induced bed sedimentation and scouring.