Turbulence Flow Characteristics of Suspended Sediments and its Transport Rate in Open Channel

Abstract

This paper presents an attempt to describe velocity distribution of suspended sediment laden flow by using a theory based on Monin-Obukhov Length L. It will be shown that experimental results from open channel flow with suspended sediments are better accounted for by this theory. The method involves the coupling of energy production equation by Reynold stresses with the velocity distribution equation in flow with suspended sediments. These are inturn integrated to give the hydraulic resistance law for sediment laden flow. The law of velocity distribution in open channel flow with suspended sediments was derived introducing Monin-Obukhov Length L . The distribution equation agrees well with the observation of velocity profile in the experiments. The Von-Karman constant, has a value of 0.4 for flows with suspended sediments. The collapse of turbulence in open channel in the suspended sediments was predicted by the theory, and a good agreement with measured values was observed. These results were in agreement with the work of [1], [2] , [5] and, [23].

Journal of the Nigerian Association of Mathematical Physics, Volume 19 (November, 2011), pp 301 – 314