Geometric properties of river cross sections and associated hydrodynamic implications in Wuhan-Jiujiang river reach,the Yangtze River

Based on measured hydrological data by using ship-mounted Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler （ADCP） instrument, we analyzed shapes of river cross sections of the middle Yangtze River basin （mainly focusing on Makou and Tianjiazhen river reach）. Hydrodynamic properties of river channels were also discussed. The research results indicate that nonlinear relationships can be identified between river-width/river-depth ratio （W/D ratio）, sizes of cross section and mean flow velocity. Positive relations are detected between W/D ratio and mean flow velocity when W/D〈1; and negative relations are observed when W/D〉1. Adverse relationships can be obtained between W/D ratio and cross-section area. Geomorphologic and geologic survey indicates different components of river banks in the wider and narrower river reaches respectively. These may be the main driving factors causing unique hydrological properties of river channels in the middle Yangtze River basin. Narrower river cross sections tend to raise water level in the upstream river reach near narrower river channel, giving rise to backwater effects. River knots can cause serious backwater effects, which is harmful for flood mitigation. However river knots will also stabilize river channel and this will be beneficial for river channel management. The results of this paper may be helpful for flood mitigation and river channel management in the middle Yangtze River basin.

HYDRODYNAMICS OF FRACTAL FLOCS DURING SETTLING

The settling and hydrodynamic properties of 3-D fractal flocs in quiescent water are investigated with a numerical model based on the Lattice Boltzmann Method （LBM）, with considering the settling velocity, hydrodynamic drag force and infra-floc flow. The comparisons of floc settling velocities and effective densities indicate that the numerical results present good agreements with observations in field and at laboratory. The results show that the drag force Fo increases with the floc size dr according to the relationship FD ∝ df^3. Moreover, the intra-floc flow field and movement of the pore water provide a better understanding of the intra-floc flow from the microscopic viewpoint. The results also indicate that the lattice Boltzmann method is a promising approach to reveal the mechanisms of the flocculation in aquatic environments.