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Porous media approach for RANS simulation of compound open-channel flows with submerged vegetated floodplains

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Abstract

The main goal of this study is the 3D numerical simulation of river flows with submerged vegetated floodplains. Since, vegetation layers are usually dense and present a large spatial heterogeneity they are here represented as a porous media. Standard semi-empirical relations drawn for porous beds packed with non-spherical particles are used to estimate the porous media parameters based on the averaged geometry of the vegetation elements. Thus, eliminating the uncertainty arising from a bulk drag coefficient approach and allowing the use of a coarser mesh. The free flow is described by Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations, whereas the porous media flow is described by the volumetric-average of RANS equations. The volume-of-fluid method and an anisotropic explicit algebraic Reynolds stress model are used for free-surface and turbulence closure, respectively. The simulation approach is validated against results by other authors featuring vegetated flows in horizontal and rectangular open-channel. The computed results show that the time-averaged streamwise velocity and Reynolds shear stress vertical profiles are properly simulated. The validated approach was applied to simulate compound open-channel flows with submerged vegetated floodplains and compared with data obtained in an experimental facility. The results show that the proposed porous media approach is adequate to simulate flows with submerged vegetation on the floodplains.

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Acknowledgments

This work was partially funded by FEDER, program COMPETE, and by national funds through Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) projects PTDC/ECM/117660/2010 and RECI/ECM-HID/0371/2012. The second author acknowledges the support of that foundation through the Grant No. SFRH/BD/37839/2007.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CEris, DECivil, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001, Lisbon, Portugal

    Moisés Brito

  2. DHA, National Laboratory for Civil Engineering, Av. do Brasil 101, 1700-066, Lisbon, Portugal

    João Fernandes

  3. Faculty of Engineering and Science, University of Adger, Postboks 509, 4898, Grimstad, Norway

    João Bento Leal

  4. UNIDEMI, FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Campus da FCT/UNL, 2829-516, Caparica, Portugal

    João Bento Leal

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  1. Moisés Brito
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  2. João Fernandes
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  3. João Bento Leal
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Correspondence to Moisés Brito.

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Brito, M., Fernandes, J. & Leal, J.B. Porous media approach for RANS simulation of compound open-channel flows with submerged vegetated floodplains. Environ Fluid Mech 16, 1247–1266 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10652-016-9481-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10652-016-9481-0

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