Author(s): A. Richard
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Keywords: No Keywords
Abstract: Run of the river reservoirs differ from hydrolakes in that they are shallower, approx imately two- dimensional and have a significant mean through-flow. Density currents formed by changes in temperature, turbidity or salinity of the inflow will propagate through the shallow reservoir at a rate dependent upon the total water depth h, and the inflow rate q. The degree to which the density current is confined is described by the dimensionless shallowness parameter ▲, 3 where g' ls the reduced gravitational accelera tion. Decreasing the total water depth restricts the density current but also produces an increase in the translation velocity. An experimental investigation has shown that these effects balance each other and the velocity of the head is independent of q#. The head thickness is independent of water depth for small q# (deep reservoirs) but. tends to a maximum value of 0.63 h, for large q# (shallow res ervoirs). These results are different from lock-exchange experiments which have' no mean through flow. A theoretical model based on the conservation of momentum and energy is used to explain' these differences.
Year: 1985