Experimental Tests of Lateral Bedload Transport Induced by a Yawed Submerged Vane Array in Open-Channel Flows

Abstract

This work proposes the use of an array of yawed porous vanes to control the lateral bedload transport by locally steering bedform migration and maximize the amount of sediments redirected toward a potential sediment extraction system or bypass channel. A laboratory experiment was conducted in a quasifield-scale channel with an array of permeable vanes installed on one side, in live-bed conditions under bedload dominant regime, i.e., negligible suspended load. A baseline experiment without vanes was also performed for comparison. The evolution of migrating bedforms of different scales was tracked in space and time using a high-resolution, state-of-the-art laser scanning device. The bedload transport rate in the streamwise direction was first calculated using bedforms’ geometry and migration velocity, and then spatially distributed over the entire monitored area using a new Eulerian-averaged grid-mapping method. This allowed us to introduce a new methodology to estimate the lateral bedload transport using control volume theory and applying mass conservation. Quantitative assessments of lateral bedload transport along the channel yield consistent results, suggesting that the vanes effectively move sediments laterally as intended. Under the investigated setup, the maximum lateral sediment transport rate ranges from 9% to 18% of the whole domain-averaged streamwise transport rate. The developed methodology also allowed to identify the location where sediment capture could be maximized for the given vane spatial distribution. In river engineering, in-stream structures are used to control flow and sediment movement to prevent erosion, intake clogging, and habitat disruption. Submerged vanes are small, angled structures that are installed to redirect sediments toward a preferred direction by creating secondary flow circulations. This study tests experimentally an array of porous vanes in an open channel to measure and quantify the lateral displacement of sediment. Porous plates were selected to minimize local scour and anchoring requirements while directing flow, bedforms, and sediment laterally. The amount of sand moved laterally is measured by comparing the streamwise bedform transport within and outside of the vane array. The proposed vane array is part of a modular hydrosuction sediment bypass system being developed for low-head dams, which features inlets to collect coarse sediments and siphon them over the dam via a slurry conduit. The vane array is meant to be installed upstream of the collector to increase the lateral transport of coarse sediment toward the intake structures. Porous elements can potentially be replaced by vegetation and log structures for nature-based alternatives.