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FUNDAMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF GRAVITY CURRENTS WITH VARYING DENSITY 1
Author(s) -
Warwick John J.,
Murray Willard A.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
jawra journal of the american water resources association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.957
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1752-1688
pISSN - 1093-474X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1752-1688.1988.tb03020.x
Subject(s) - arithmetic underflow , flow (mathematics) , mechanics , geology , current (fluid) , computation , fluid dynamics , flow conditions , hydraulics , geometry , hydrology (agriculture) , geotechnical engineering , physics , mathematics , thermodynamics , computer science , oceanography , algorithm , programming language
A one‐dimensional, gradually varying, non‐uniform, flow equation is developed to describe the movement of a variable density gravity current through a reservoir. A linearly decreasing underflow density function is used to investigate the effect of in‐reservoir density reduction on typical gravity current flow profiles. Only two types of flow profiles are found to exist for varying density underflows: Type I profiles where the underflow asymptotically approaches a horizontal surface, and Type III profiles where the underflow vertically approaches critical depth. Type I profiles pass through a transitional depth as the underflow density approaches that of the upper layer. Results indicate that a reservoir can be segmented into four distinct spatial regions with well defined flow profile characteristics. The location of these regions allows the sketching of interfacial flow profiles along with identifying the location of transitional depth conditions. Transitional depth conditions are utilized as the logical starting point for Type I flow profile numerical computation. (KEY WORDS: density; fluid flow; reservoirs; hydraulics.)