Total mechanical energy budget in open-channel transitions with turbulent flows

Abstract

Abstract The issue of mechanical energy budget has received a lot of attention in open-channel flows which are frequently turbulent. Turbulent motions play a major role in the total mechanical energy of the flow field. It is difficult to evaluate total mechanical energy balance and energy loss for 3-D turbulent flows in irregular open channels due to the formation of vortices and the presence of secondary currents. In 3-D turbulent flows, the effect of these phenomena has often been considered as the empirical coefficient of energy loss. In this study, these details in the total mechanical energy budget are investigated through theoretical analysis and numerical simulation, a new form of the total mechanical energy equation and a relationship for the energy loss in 3-D turbulent flows are derived, and their applications are examined in open-channel transitions. For this purpose, the Navier-Stokes equations are solved numerically, and the results are used to obtain the various terms in the total mechanical energy balance equation and analyze the details. The relationships derived in this study generally support the concept of the total mechanical energy budget to comprehend the turbulence parameters affecting the mechanical energy balance in various open-channel flows.