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Simulation-based optimization of in–stream structures design: bendway weirs

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Abstract

Bendway weirs are one of the most practical in–stream rock structures utilized to protect the outer bend of meandering streams and rivers from erosion. We present development of a simulation-based paradigm for effective design of bendway weir structures to enhance meandering stream bank stability and control lateral migration. To do so, we employ the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory Virtual StreamLab (VSL3D) code to elucidate the flow and sediment transport phenomena induced by interaction of flow, mobile bed, and in–stream structures in large rivers under prototype conditions. We carried out numerous numerical experiments to systematically simulate various arrangements of bendway weir in two river test-beds and gaining insights into the physical mechanisms via which such bendway weirs modify turbulent flow, sediment transport and scour processes. The so-gained physical insights are then taken into account to develop a set of practical physics-based design criteria for optimal placement of bendway weirs in large rivers.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by National Cooperative Highway Research Program Grant NCHRP-HR 24–33. Computational resources were provided by the University of Minnesota Supercomputing Institute. The VSL3D model is part of the Virtual Flow Simulator (VFS) suite of computational fluid dynamics solvers developed by the group of Professor Fotis Sotiropoulos. The code is available as open source and can be downloaded, along with supporting documentation, from https://github.com/SAFL-CFD-Lab/VFS-Rivers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. St. Anthony Falls Laboratory, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    A. Khosronejad

  2. Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, USA

    P. Diplas

  3. Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering & Applied Sciences, Stony Brook University, New York, NY, USA

    F. Sotiropoulos

Authors
  1. A. Khosronejad
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  2. P. Diplas
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  3. F. Sotiropoulos
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to F. Sotiropoulos.

Electronic supplementary material

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10652_2016_9452_MOESM1_ESM.avi

Movie 1 Simulated bedforms in the gravel bed river with no in-stream structures for over two months of physical time. The color-map shows the instantaneous bed elevation of the river bed in meters. Characteristics of these numerically captured bedforms are mentioned in the subsection 6.1. Flow is from left to right. (AVI 36802 kb)

10652_2016_9452_MOESM2_ESM.avi

Movie 2 Simulated bedforms in the gravel bed river with three bendway weirstructures (optimal in-stream arrangement) for over two months of physical time.The color-map shows the instantaneous bed elevation of the river bed in meters.Characteristics of these numerically captured bedforms are mentioned in thesubsection 6.1. Flow is from left to right (AVI 210631 kb)

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Khosronejad, A., Diplas, P. & Sotiropoulos, F. Simulation-based optimization of in–stream structures design: bendway weirs. Environ Fluid Mech 17, 79–109 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10652-016-9452-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10652-016-9452-5

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