Turbulent flow structure at a 90-degree open channel confluence: Accounting for the distortion of the shear layer

• Experimental study of flow and turbulence characteristics in a 90-degree channel confluence with the distorted shear layer.
• Mean velocity field, turbulent kinetic energy, Reynolds stress, turbulence spectrum, and quadrant analysis are provided.
• Differences of flow structures between two confluence flows with or without the distorted shear layer are present.

City channels often have a smaller width-to-depth ratio in comparison to natural rivers due to the limited land availability. The penetration of the tributary into the main channel can cause the distortion of the shear layer. The main purpose of the present study is to investigate the mean and turbulent flow structure in the distorted shear layer in a discharge-adjustable plexiglass circulating flume. Three-dimensional velocities were collected and hydrodynamics and turbulence characteristics such as mean velocity field, turbulent kinetic energy, Reynolds shear stress, turbulence spectrum, and occurrence probabilities of quadrant events were analyzed. The results showed that a stronger helical cell was formed and extended for a longer distance downstream when the tributary channel had a higher flow rate than the main channel. The maximum Reynolds shear stress and the ejection and sweep events were mainly distributed at the middle zone of the water depth, rather than near the water surface, which were coincident with the shear layer as indicated by the turbulence kinetic energy. No obvious energy concentration was observed, and the power law relations for individual velocity components all had an exponent slightly larger than −5/3 in the flow frequency. The distortion of the shear layer resulted in an increase in occurrence probabilities of ejection and sweep events within the shear layer, which were related to the turbulence presenting vortices induced by wall. If the discharge ratio remained unchanged, an increase in the discharge of both channels resulted in an increase in some parameters, such as velocity, turbulent kinetic energy, and the absolute values of Reynolds shear stress, while the shear layer was distorted to a larger extent as the discharge of each channel decreased. All these results suggested that sediment transport, bed morphology and contaminant transport in the distorted shear layer at city channel confluences may differ significantly from that at natural river confluences.