Near-Full-Scale Hydraulic Modeling of Fish-Friendly Culvert with Full-Height Sidewall Baffles
Publication: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 150, Issue 4
Abstract
The adoption of baffles is relatively common in the construction of culverts, to assist with the upstream passage of migrating fish species. However, there still is a lack of systematic studies of the complicated hydraulic conditions induced by the baffles to optimize the designs. Herein, near-full-scale physical modeling was performed, focusing on the oscillation and instability of open-channel flow in a fish-friendly culvert equipped with full-height sidewall baffles. High-resolution measurements of the instantaneous flow velocity were obtained using an acoustic Doppler velocimeter. The physical results were marked by the existence of some low-frequency oscillations. A triple decomposition technique was applied to the free-surface and velocity time series. The low-pass components confirmed a unique flow structure, consisting of a high-velocity zone in the main channel and a low-velocity flow reversal within the lateral cavities. The band-pass components corresponded to the low-frequency flow oscillations, highlighting the complicated transverse interactions between the lateral cavity and the main channel. The high-pass velocity components were related to the true turbulence characteristics. This study provides a quantitative data set in support of the sustainable design of culverts to assist with upstream fish migration in artificial and natural fast waterways.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank Dr. Carlos Gonzalez (Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads), Professor Richard Brown Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and Dr. Hang Wang (Sichuan University) for some helpful comments. The authors acknowledge Jason Van Der Gevel and Stewart Matthews (The University of Queensland) for their technical assistance. The financial support of the Australian Research Council (Grant DP190103379) and Apiary Financial (Grantor RE333704) is greatly acknowledged.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 150 • Issue 4 • July 2024
Copyright
© 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 4, 2023
Accepted: Jan 3, 2024
Published online: Mar 25, 2024
Published in print: Jul 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Aug 25, 2024
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Baffles (hydraulic)
- Continuum mechanics
- Culverts
- Dynamics (solid mechanics)
- Ecosystems
- Engineering fundamentals
- Engineering mechanics
- Environmental engineering
- Fish and fishery management
- Flow (fluid dynamics)
- Fluid dynamics
- Fluid mechanics
- Fluid velocity
- Hydraulic engineering
- Hydraulic models
- Hydraulic structures
- Hydrologic engineering
- Infrastructure
- Models (by type)
- Motion (dynamics)
- Oscillations
- Pipeline systems
- Pipes
- River engineering
- Rivers and streams
- Solid mechanics
- Water and water resources
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