Partially obstructed channel: Contraction ratio effect on the flow hydrodynamic structure and prediction of the transversal mean velocity profile

In this manuscript, we focus on the study of flow structures in a channel partially obstructed by arrays of vertical, rigid, emergent, vegetation/cylinders. Special attention is given to understand the effect of the contraction ratio, defined as the ratio of the obstructed area width to the width of the unobstructed area, on the flow hydrodynamic structures and to analyze the transversal flow velocity profile at the obstructed-unobstructed interface. A large data set of transversal mean flow velocity profiles and turbulence characteristics is reported from experiments carried out in a laboratory flume. The flow velocities and turbulence intensities have been measured with a 3D Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV)-Vectrino manufactured by Nortek. It was observed that the arrays of emergent vegetation/cylinders strongly affect the flow structures, forming a shear layer immediately next to the obstructed-unobstructed interface, followed by an adjacent free-stream region of full velocity flow. The experimental results show that the contraction ratio significantly affects the flow hydrodynamic structure. Adaptation of the Prandtl’s log-law modified by Nikuradse led to the determination of a characteristic hydrodynamic roughness height to define the array resistance to the flow. Moreover, an improved modified log-law predicting the representative transversal profile of the mean flow velocity, at the obstructed-unobstructed interface, is proposed. The benefit of this modified log-law is its easier practical applicability, i.e., it avoids the measurements of some sensitive turbulence parameters, in addition, the flow hydrodynamic variables forming it are predictable, using the initial hydraulic conditions.