The role of different forms of natural riparian vegetation on turbulence and kinetic energy characteristics

Flow measurements were conducted by ADV Vectrino to investigate the role of different forms of single natural emergent vegetation elements on kinetic energy characteristics and the flow structure in open channel flow. Experiments were carried out for both forms of “erect” and “compressed” vegetation. The findings revealed that the form of “erect” has greater retaining influence on time-averaged mean velocity characteristics than “compressed” form. Furthermore, the turbulence and kinetic energy patterns behind the single vegetation were also examined. An empirical equation giving the relationship between the kinetic energy components of flow was derived based on the data. The ratio between turbulence kinetic energy and mean kinetic energy at a certain distance downstream of vegetation element was predicted by the empirical equation depending on the vegetation characteristics. These predictions were compared with a different experimental data set and produced satisfactory results. Also, the mean flow and turbulence characteristics behind an isolated natural plant and a volumetrically equivalent rigid cylinder were also compared.