Turbulent flows in river meander with and without a radiative heat source.

What is it about?

The main goal of this paper is to present detailed numerical data on the turbulent flow in an open-channel meander with and without radiatively-driven thermal stratification, including mean flow velocity and temperature fields, and the dominant turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) budget terms.

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Photo by Nick Russill on Unsplash

Photo by Nick Russill on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Thermal stratification can lead to the damping of turbulence, which reduces mixing solutes in a fluid body and affects river health. Fluid flow through a meander often has a very complex structure due to the generation of lateral circulations, which influence large scale circulations, turbulent processes, and the distribution of temperature in the water body, hence stratification. There are currently no published studies of thermally stratified flow in a meandering open channel. The present paper’s main aim is to contribute to a better understanding of the distribution of turbulence in a stratified meander flow, focusing on the turbulent kinetic energy budget terms and the amplifying turbulence by sharp curvature and thermal stratification.