Premium
Modeling of Interactions Between Floating Particles and Emergent Stems in Slow Open Channel Flow
Author(s) -
Liu Xiaoguang,
Zeng Yuhong,
Huai Wenxin
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
water resources research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.863
H-Index - 217
eISSN - 1944-7973
pISSN - 0043-1397
DOI - 10.1029/2018wr022617
Subject(s) - drag , flume , mechanics , flow (mathematics) , particle (ecology) , open channel flow , collision , channel (broadcasting) , geology , physics , engineering , computer science , oceanography , computer security , electrical engineering
In slow open channel flow that features emergent vegetation, the dispersal of floating particles is affected by hydrodynamic characteristics at the free surface (e.g., surface tension), fluid drag, and inertial impaction. We investigated the interaction mechanism between floating particles and emergent stems. A mechanical model that considers the combined effect of fluid drag and inertial impaction has been presented to predict the probability that a particle collides with emergent stems. This model correctly captures the expected positive correlation between collision probability and vegetation density for dense emergent canopies. Furthermore, a new definition of the probability that a floating particle interacts with a stem is proposed. A statistical model to predict the probability that particles are permanently captured by stems is also proposed where the physical characteristics of particles (such as density and shape) are explicitly treated. Flume experiments have been conducted to explore the simultaneous effects of stem density and flow velocity on the approach and retention of slow‐moving inertial particles. These experiments are used to evaluate the scaling assumptions and the proposed model performance.