Numerical Model for Convective Flow in Meandering Channels with Various Sinuosities

Abstract

The flow in every meandering channel with a specific sinuosity has its own convective pattern. However, most of the previous numerical works did not take this nature as an essential aspect when validating their computed flows, and even some typical works turned out to fail to capture the correct convective patterns of meandering flows. In this paper, a numerical model is established on the basis of the three-dimensional continuity and Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations and used to simulate two representative laboratory tests where the channels had different sinuosities and the flows manifested different convective patterns. The agreement between the computed and measured flow characteristics for both tests demonstrates that the present model can capture the correct convective patterns of meandering flows for various sinuosities. The reasons are inferred as the use of the k-ε turbulence model to determine the eddy viscosity throughout almost the whole flow depth and the use of the antisymmetrically identical condition at the inlet and outlet boundaries of a meander loop.