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Flow structure and turbulence characteristics downstream of a spanwise suspended linear array

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Abstract

Laboratory experiments are conducted to quantify the mean flow structure and turbulence properties downstream of a spanwise suspended linear array in a uniform ambient water flow using Particle Tracking Velocimetry. Eighteen experimental scenarios, with four depth ratios (array depth to water column depth) of 0.35, 0.52, 0.78, and 0.95 and bulk Reynolds number (length scale is the array depth) from 11,600 to 68,170, are investigated. Three sub-layers form downstream of the array: (1) an internal wake zone, where the time-averaged velocity decreases with increasing distance downstream, (2) a shear layer which increases in vertical extent with increasing distance downstream of the array, and the rate of the increase is independent of the bulk Reynolds number or the depth ratio, and (3) an external wake layer with enhanced velocity under the array. The location of the shear layer is dependent on the depth ratio. The spatially averaged and normalized TKE of the wake has a short production region, followed by a decay region which is comparable to grid turbulence decay and is dependent on the depth ratio. The results suggest that the shear layer increases the transfer of horizontal momentum into the internal wake zone from the fluid outside of the array and that the turbulence in the internal wake zone can be modeled similarly to that of grid turbulence.

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Acknowledgments

The material provided here was possible through funding from the Foundation for Science, Research and Technology, New Zealand and start-up funds to Sarah Delavan through the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the University at Buffalo, the State University of New York. The authors would like to thank Shaun Cosgrove, Peter Coursey, John Kooloos, Ian Sheppard, Alan Stokes, Michael Weavers, and Kevin Wines for technical support. Amy Richards helped with data collection. Sean Bennett contributed to data analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Civil, Structural, and Environmental Engineering, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA

    J. D. Qiao & S. K. Delavan

  2. Civil and Natural Resources Engineering, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand

    R. I. Nokes

  3. NIWA, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Christchurch, New Zealand

    D. R. Plew

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  1. J. D. Qiao
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  2. S. K. Delavan
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Correspondence to S. K. Delavan.

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Qiao, J.D., Delavan, S.K., Nokes, R.I. et al. Flow structure and turbulence characteristics downstream of a spanwise suspended linear array. Environ Fluid Mech 16, 1021–1041 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10652-016-9465-0

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