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Influence of the secondary motions on pollutant mixing in a meandering open channel flow

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Abstract

This paper presents large eddy simulation of turbulent flow in a meandering open channel with smooth wall and rectangular cross-section. The Reynolds number based on the channel height is 40,000 and the aspect ratio of the cross-section is 4.48. The depth-averaged mean stream-wise velocity agree well to experimental measurements. In this specific case, two interacting cells are formed that swap from one bend to the other. Transport and mixing of a pollutant is analysed using three different positions of release, e.g. on the inner bank, on the outer bank and on the centre of the cross section. The obtained depth-average mean concentration profiles are reasonably consistent with available experimental data. The role of the secondary motions in the mixing processes is the main focus of the discussion. It is found that the mixing when the scalar is released on the centre of the cross-section is stronger and faster than the mixing of the scalar released on the sides. When the position of release is close to a bank side, the mixing is weaker and a clear concentration of scalar close to the corresponding side-wall can be observed in both cases.

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Acknowledgements

The simulation was carried out using the supercomputing facilities of the Steinbuch Centre for Computing (SCC) of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. The authors would like to thank Clemens Chan-Braun for his valuable and constructive suggestions during the development of this research. MGV acknowledges the financial support of the Spanish Ministry of Education through the program Jose Castillejo.

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Author notes

  1. Frederik Folke

    Present address: Federal Waterways Engineering and Research Institute (BAW), Karlsruhe, Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hydraulic Division, Department of Rural and Agrifood Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022, Valencia, Valencia, Spain

    Ignacio J. Moncho-Esteve & Guillermo Palau-Salvador

  2. Institute for Hydromechanics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany

    Frederik Folke

  3. Bioengineering and Aerospace Engineering Department, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, 28911, Leganés, Madrid, Spain

    Manuel García-Villalba

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  1. Ignacio J. Moncho-Esteve
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Correspondence to Ignacio J. Moncho-Esteve.

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Moncho-Esteve, I.J., Folke, F., García-Villalba, M. et al. Influence of the secondary motions on pollutant mixing in a meandering open channel flow. Environ Fluid Mech 17, 695–714 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10652-017-9513-4

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