Modeling streamlines and mass transport in circulating flow

Alavian, Vahid; Broeren, Sally M.; Bintz, David W.

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/90134 Copy

Description

Title

Modeling streamlines and mass transport in circulating flow

Author(s)

• Alavian, Vahid
• Broeren, Sally M.
• Bintz, David W.

Contributor(s)

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Issue Date

1983-10

Keyword(s)

• Water resources center
• Water resources center--Illinois
• Hydrology and hydraulics
• Mass transport
• Mixing
• Flow pattern
• Circulating flow
• Dispersion
• Finite element
• Fluid mechanics

Geographic Coverage

Illinois (state)

Abstract

State-of-the-art of hydraulic and water quality modeling in streams and rivers does not include the role of large, slowly circulating regions in dilution and transport of effluents discharged in such water bodies. Examples of circulating regions include meander, blocked arms of the stream, and flow behind engineering structures such as jetties, wing dams, and bridge piers as well as flow within small marinas and fleeting areas. Numerical schemes have been developed to simulate streamline patterns and mass transport within a circulating region approximated by a square cavity on the side of a channel. The circulating flow is assumed two-dimensional (depth averaged) and is generated and maintained by a known main flow at the open boundary. Results are given for characteristic Reynolds numbers ranging from 500 to 30,000. The equation governing the mixing and transport of a finite quantity of conservative tracer instantaneously introduced at any location in the flow field has been numerically solved. The numerical scheme is based on the finite element approximation of the governing differential equation and uses the method of weighted residuals. The flow geometry is represented by triangular elements, and a linear basis function is used in the interpolation scheme. The unsteady term is approximated by finite differencing in full-forward time steps. Dispersion coefficient has been represented as a first-order tensor, the components of which are functions of the dispersion coefficients along and normal to the streamlines. Results are given for scalar and vectorized dispersion coefficients as well as a range of computation time steps.

Publisher

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Water Resources Center

Type of Resource

text

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/90134

Sponsor(s)/Grant Number(s)

• U.S. Department of the Interior
• U.S. Geological Survey

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 1983 held by Vahid Alavian, Sally M. Broeren, David W. Bintz

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