3D numerical modelling of braided channel formation

A numerical model was used to compute the formation of a braided channel system. The model calculated the water flow field from the fully 3D Navier-Stokes equations on a non-orthogonal unstructured adaptive grid. The sediment transport was computed from the Engelund-Hansen formula. A free surface algorithm based on local pressure gradients was used. The model was applied to an idealized geometry of an initially straight alluvial channel, where the evolution of the braided channel system over time was computed. The complex processes and geometry for this case made it very well suited for testing the numerical model. The purpose of the study was also to explain avulsion processes of a braided river in more detail. Figures are presented with water depth, velocity, water level and secondary currents during an avulsion. The effect of the water level changes and the secondary currents are shown. The geometry, sediment size and water discharge used in the numerical model was identical to a laboratory study. Reasonable agreement was found when comparing the active braiding intensity (BIA) computed by the numerical model with measurements from the flume experiment. Parameter tests include sediment transport formula, grid size, secondary current damping and grid parameters related to wetting/drying. The results using the Engelund-Hansen formula show a higher degree of braiding than the van Rijn or Mayer-Peter Müller formula. The secondary current strength is also shown to be very important for the braiding process and the BIA values.