Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 16, 2026

Watershed Planning within a Quantitative Scenario Analysis Framework
Published on: July 24, 2016
The distribution characteristics of pollutants released at different cross-sectional positions of a river
Heqing Huang1, Guang Chen, Qian-Feng Zhang
1School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Anhui University of Technology, Ma'anshan, Anhui 243002, PR China. heqing@ahut.edu.cn
Abstract:
The distribution characteristics of heavier or lighter pollutants released at different cross-sectional positions of a wide river is investigated with a well-tested three-dimensional numerical model of gravity flows based on Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes equations and turbulence k-epsilon model. By focusing on investigating the influences of flow and buoyancy on pollutants, it is found that while carrying by the river flow downstream: i) a heavier pollutant released from the cross-sectional side position, forms transverse oscillation between two banks with decreased amplitude, i.e. forms kind of helical flow pattern along the straight part of channel bed; ii) a heavier pollutant released from the cross-sectional middle position, forms collapse oscillation in the middle of the straight channel part with reduced amplitude; iii) in the downstream sinuous channel, heavier pollutant is of higher concentration on the outer side of channel bends; iv) a light pollutant released from the cross-sectional side position, slips partly to the other side of the river, resulting in higher concentrations on two sides of the channel top; v) a light pollutant released from the cross-sectional middle position, splits into two parts symmetrically along two sides of the channel top; vi) in the downstream sinuous channel, light pollutant presents higher concentration on the inner side of channel bends. These findings may assist in cost-effective scientific countermeasures to be taken for accidental or planned pollutant releases into a river.
Related Concept Videos
Typical Model Studies
Rapidly Varying Flow
Energy Considerations in Open Channel Flow
Eulerian and Lagrangian Flow Descriptions
The Eulerian method focuses on fixed points in space where fluid properties, such as velocity, pressure, and temperature, are observed as the fluid moves between these...
Gradually Varying Flow
Freshwater Microbial Ecology

