Characterization of Structural Properties in High Reynolds Hydraulic Jump Based on CFD and Physical Modeling Approaches

Abstract

A classical hydraulic jump with Froude number (Fr1=6) and Reynolds number (Re1=210,000) was characterized using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) codes OpenFOAM and FLOW-3D, whose performance was assessed. The results were compared with experimental data from a physical model designed for this purpose. The most relevant hydraulic jump characteristics were investigated, including hydraulic jump efficiency, roller length, free surface profile, distributions of velocity and pressure, and fluctuating variables. The model outcome was also compared with previous results from the literature. Both CFD codes were found to represent with high accuracy the hydraulic jump surface profile, roller length, efficiency, and sequent depths ratio, consistently with previous research. Some significant differences were found between both CFD codes regarding velocity distributions and pressure fluctuations, although in general the results agree well with experimental and bibliographical observations. This finding makes models with these characteristics suitable for engineering applications involving the design and optimization of energy dissipation devices.