Author(s): David F. Vetsch; Lukas Schmocker; Robert M. Boes; Benjamin Hohermuth

Linked Author(s): David Vetsch, Robert Boes

Keywords: Erated flows; Chute flow; Drift-flux; RANS model; Mixture model

Abstract: Numerical models are used increasingly to tackle aerated flows for example in spillway design. However, these models are usually empirical and often lack thorough calibration. Herein a mixture model is calibrated with experimental data on uniform aerated flow from literature. A commercial code was used to solve the mixture Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations. Air entrainment was modelled with a turbulent kinetic energy based sub-grid model. The effects of drag, swarm correction and bubble diameter were evaluated with different models for sub-grid scale air-transport. Employing dynamic bubble size calculation and swarm correction resulted in ∼10% typical error in the simulated mixture flow depth and concentration profile for chute slopes from 7.5° to 75° and unit discharges from 0.20 to 0.51 m 2 s −1 . The obtained calibration parameters are independent of mean air concentration over a wide range of parameters; thereby providing a basis for air entrainment simulations of more complex flows.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00221686.2020.1780492

Year: 2021