Mean Flow and Turbulence Structure of a large stream: The Parana River (Argentina)

LÓPEZ, F. M.; GARCÍA, C.M.; DROZ,C.J.; PRENDES, H.

Graz. Austria.

Congreso; XXVIII IAHR Congress. International Association of Hydraulic Engineering and Research (IAHR); 1999

International Association of Hydraulic Engineering and Research (IAHR)

The use of Acoustic Current Doppler Profilers (ADCP) in hydrometry defines a newera in river flow measurements, not only because of its simplicity and relatively lowcost, but mainly because it allows for the quantification of the flow field in space andtime, providing thus information that is impossible to obtain through conventionalmethods. In this way, variables and flow characteristics in large rivers can beestimated that highly contribute to a better understanding of fluvial dynamics, as wellas to the spatial and temporal resolution of the mean flow and the turbulencestructure as well as the associated transport processes. This work presents results offield measurements on different cross-sections of the Paraná River, Argentina.Processing and analysis of the information allowed, on the one side, for a clearerunderstanding of the principles of operation of the equipment, hence defining itsversatility, potentiality and limitations, and on the other side, for the estimation ofhydraulic variables (turbulence intensities, shear velocities, relative roughness,resistance coefficients, etc.) that coincide fairly well with observations usingtraditional methods at much higher operational costs.