Analysis of flow past submerged vanes

Details of recently undertaken numerical study to analyze the physics of the flow past a submerged vane is presented. The numerical model solves the fully three-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations in conjunction with the standard two-equation k-Ε turbulence closure. The governing equations are formulated in generalized boundary-fitted coordinates to accurately resolve the bed topography and the shape of the vane. The bed roughness effects are introduced by means of a two-point wall functions approach. The predictions from the numerical model are compared against measurements from an experimental study performed in a deformable-bed straight rectangular channel. Detailed experimental measurements of all three components of velocity, both in the neighborhood as well as in the far field of the vane are compared to judge the performance of the numerical model.