CEE 598, GEOL 593

TURBIDITY CURRENTS: MORPHODYNAMICS AND DEPOSITS

LECTURE 13
TURBIDITY CURRENTS AND HYDRAULIC JUMPS

Hydraulic jump of a turbidity current in the laboratory. Flow is 1

from right to left.
 WHAT IS A HYDRAULIC JUMP?
A hydraulic jump is a type of shock, where the flow undergoes a sudden
transition from swift, thin (shallow) flow to tranquil, thick (deep) flow.

Hydraulic jumps are most familiar in the context of open-channel flows.

The image shows a hydraulic jump in a laboratory flume.

flow

2
 THE CHARACTERISTICS OF HYDRAULIC JUMPS
Hydraulic jumps in open-channel flow are characterized a drop in Froude
number Fr, where
U
Fr 
gH
from supercritical (Fr > 1) to subcritical (Fr < 1) conditions. The result is a
step increase in depth H and a step decrease in flow velocity U passing
through the jump.

flow

supercritical subcritical

3
 WHAT CAUSES HYDRAULIC JUMPS?
The conditions for a hydraulic jump can be met where
a) the upstream flow is supercritical, and
b) slope suddenly or gradually decreases downstream, or
c) the supercritical flow enters a confined basin.

Fr < 1
Fr > 1

Fr < 1
Fr > 1

4
 INTERNAL HYDRAULIC JUMPS
Hydraulic jumps in rivers are associated with an extreme example of flow
stratification: flowing water under ambient air.

Internal hydraulic jumps form when a denser, fluid flows under a lighter
ambient fluid. The photo shows a hydraulic jump as relatively dense air
flows east across the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California.

5
Photo by Robert Symons, USAF, from the Sierra Wave Project in the 1950s.
 DENSIMETRIC FROUDE NUMBER
Internal hydraulic jumps are mediated by the densimetric Froude number
Frd, which is defined as follows for a turbidity current.
U = flow velocity
U g = gravitational acceleration
Frd  H = flow thickness
RCgH C = volume suspended sediment concentration
R = s/ - 1  1.65

Subcritical: Frd < 1 Supercritical: Frd > 1

Water surface

internal hydraulic jump

entrainment of ambient fluid6
INTERNAL HYDRAULIC JUMPS AND TURBIDITY CURRENTS

Slope break: good place

for a hydraulic jump

7
Stepped profile, Niger Margin
From Prather et al. (2003)
INTERNAL HYDRAULIC JUMPS AND TURBIDITY CURRENTS
Frd > 1
jump
Flow into a confined basin:
Frd < 1
Frd << 1 good place for a hydraulic
jump
ponded flow
coarser top/foreset

finer bottomset

"ultimate" profile

8
 ANALYSIS OF THE INTERNAL HYDRAULIC JUMP
Definitions: “u”  upstream and “d”  downstream
U = flow velocity
C = volume suspended sediment concentration
z = upward vertical coordinate
p = pressure
pref = pressure force at z = Hd (just above turbidity current
fp = pressure force per unit width
qmom = momentum discharge per unit width
Flow in the control volume is steady.
USE TOPHAT ASSUMPTIONS FOR U AND C.
pref

f pd

Hd
f pu Ud
qmomu Hu Uu qmomd
z p
p

9
control volume
 VOLUME, MASS, MOMENTUM DISCHARGE
H = depth
U = flow velocity
Channel has a unit width 1

1
U
H

x Ut UtH1

In time t a fluid particle flows a distance Ut

The volume that crosses normal to the section in time t = UtH1

The flow mass that crosses normal to the section in time t is density x
volume crossed = (1+RC)UtH1 UtH
The sediment mass that crosses = sCUtH 1
The momentum that cross normal to the section is mass x velocity =
(1+RC)UtH1U U2tH 10
 VOLUME, MASS, MOMENTUM DISCHARGE (contd.)
qf = volume discharge per unit width = volume crossed/width/time
qmass = flow mass discharge per unit width = mass crossed/width/time
qsedmass = sediment mass discharge per unit with = mass crossed/width/time
qmom = momentum discharge/width = momentum crossed/width/time
1
U
H

x Ut UtH1

qf = UtH1/(t1) thus qf = UH

qmass = UtH1/ (t1) thus qmass = UH

qsedmass = sCUtH1/ (t1) thus qsedmass = sCUH

qmom = UtH1U /(t1) thus qmom = U2H 11

 FLOW MASS BALANCE ON THE CONTROL VOLUME

/t(fluid mass in control volume) = net mass inflow rate

0  qmassu  qmassd  qmass  const

or
0  UuHu  UdHd  qmass  cons tan t  qf
where qf  UH  flow discharge / width
pref

f pd

Hd
f pu Ud
qmomu Hu Uu qmomd
z p
p

12
control volume
FLOW MASS BALANCE ON THE CONTROL VOLUME contd/

Thus flow discharge

qf  UH
is constant across the hydraulic jump

pref

f pd

Hd
f pu Ud
qmomu Hu Uu qmomd
z p
p

13
control volume
 BALANCE OF SUSPENDED SEDIMENT MASS ON THE
CONTROL VOLUME

/t(sediment mass in control volume) = net sediment mass

inflow rate
0  qsedmassu  qsedmassd  qsedmass  const
or
0  sCuUuHu  sCdUdHd  qsedmass  cons tan t
pref

f pd

Hd
f pu Ud
qmomu Hu Uu qmomd
z p
p

14
control volume
 BALANCE OF SUSPENDED SEDIMENT MASS ON THE
CONTROL VOLUME contd
Thus if the volume sediment discharge/width is defined as
qsedvol  CUH
then qsedvol = qsedmass/s is constant across the jump.

But if
qf  UH  const , qsedvol  CUH  const
then C is constant across the jump!
pref

f pd

Hd
f pu Ud
qmomu Hu Uu qmomd
z p
p

15
control volume
 PRESSURE FORCE/WIDTH ON DOWNSTREAM SIDE OF
CONTROL VOLUME
dp
 g(1  RC) , p z H  pref
dz d


p  pref  g(1  RC)(Hd  z)

Hd 1
fpd   pdz 1  g(1  RC)H2d
0 2
pref

f pd

Hd
f pu Ud
qmomu Hu Uu qmomd
z p
p

16
control volume
 PRESSURE FORCE/WIDTH ON UPSTREAM SIDE OF
CONTROL VOLUME

dp  g , Hu  z  Hd
 , p z H  pref
dz g(1  RC) , 0  z  Hu d


 pref  g(Hd  z) , Hu  z  Hd
p
pref  g(Hd  Hu )  g(1  RC)(Hu  z) ,0  z  Hu
pref

f pd

Hd
f pu Ud
qmomu Hu Uu qmomd
z p
p

17
control volume
 PRESSURE FORCE/WIDTH ON UPSTREAM SIDE OF
CONTROL VOLUME contd.

 pref  g(Hd  z) , Hu  z  Hd
p
pref  g(Hd  Hu )  g(1  RC)(Hu  z) ,0  z  Hu
Hd Hu Hd
fpu   pdz 1   pdz 1   pdz 1 
0 0 Hu

1 1
pref Hu  g(Hd  Hu )Hu  (1  RC)Hu  pref (Hd  Hu )  g(Hd  Hu )2
2

2 2
1 1
 pref Hd  (1  RC)Hu  g(Hd  Hu )Hu  g(Hd  Hu )2
2
pref 2 2

f pd

Hd
f pu Ud
qmomu Hu Uu qmomd
z p
p

18
control volume
 NET PRESSURE FORCE

1 1
fpnet  fpu  fpd  pref Hd  (1  RC)Hu  g(Hd  Hu )Hu  g(Hd  Hu )2
2

2 2
1
 pref Hd  (1  RC)gHd2 
2
1
2
RCg Hu2  H2d 

pref

f pd

Hd
f pu Ud
qmomu Hu Uu qmomd
z p
p

19
control volume
 STREAMWISE MOMENTUM BALANCE ON CONTROL
VOLUME
/(momentum in control volume) = forces + net inflow rate of momentum

1 1
0  RCgHu  RCgHd2  Uu2Hu  Ud2Hd
2

2 2

pref

f pd

Hd
f pu Ud
qmomu Hu Uu qmomd
z p
p

20
control volume
 REDUCTION

f pd

Hd
f pu Ud
qmomu Hu Uu qmomd
p
p

control volume

2
q
UH  qf  U2H  Uqf  f
H
thus
1 1
0  RCgHu  RCgHd2  Uu2Hu  Ud2Hd 
2

2 2
2 2
1 1 q q
0  RCgHu2  RCgH2d  f  f
2 2 Hu Hd 21
 REDUCTION (contd.)

f pd

Hd
f pu Ud
qmomu Hu Uu qmomd
p
p

control volume

2 2
1 1 q q
0  RCgHu2  RCgH2d  w  w
2 2 Hu Hd
Now define  = Hd/Hu (we expect that   1). Also
Uu qf
Frdu  
RCgHu RCg Hu3 / 2
 1
Thus 2Fr  1    1  2  0
2

 
du 22
 REDUCTION (contd.)

f pd

Hd
f pu Ud
qmomu Hu Uu qmomd
p
p

control volume

 1     1
But 1      1  2  (  1)(   1)
    
(  1)
2Fr 2
 (  1)(  1)  0

du

2   - 2Frdu
2
0
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 RESULT

f pd

Hd
f pu Ud
qmomu Hu Uu qmomd
p
p

control volume

Hd 1 
  1 8Frdu  1
2

Hu 2  

This is known as the conjugate depth relation.

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 pref

RESULT f pd

Hd
f pu Ud
qmomu Hu Uu qmomd
z p
p

control volume
Conjugate Depth Relation

3.5

2.5
Hd/Hu

1.5
Hd 1 
1   1 8Frdu
2
 1
Hu 2  
0.5

0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5
25
Fr
Frdu
u
ADD MATERIAL ABOUT JUMP SIGNAL!
AND CONTINUE WITH BORE!

26
 SLUICE GATE TO FREE OVERFALL
sluice gate, Fr > 1
Fr < 1
free overfall, Fr = 1

Fr > 1

Define the momentum function Fmom such that

1 2 q2
Fmom (H)  gH 
2 H
Then the jump occurs where

Fmom (H) lef t  Fmom (H) right

The fact that Hleft = Hu  Hd = Hright at the jump defines a shock
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 SQUARE OF FROUDE NUMBER AS A RATIO OF FORCES

Fr2 ~ (inertial force)/(gravitational force)

inertial force/width ~ momentum discharge/width ~ U2H

gravitational force/width ~ (1/2)gH2

U 2
H U2
Fr 2 ~ ~
1
gH2 gH
2

Here “~” means “scales as”, not “equals”.

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 MIGRATING BORES AND THE SHALLOW WATER WAVE
SPEED
A hydraulic jump is a bore that has stabilized and no longer
migrates.

Tidal bore, Bay of Fundy,

Moncton, Canada

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MIGRATING BORES AND THE SHALLOW WATER WAVE
SPEED

Bore of the Qiantang River,

China

Pororoca Bore, Amazon River

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
2VMI8EVdQBo

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 ANALYSIS FOR A BORE
The bore migrates with speed c

Uu Ud

The flow becomes steady relative to a coordinate system moving with speed
c.

Uu - c
Ud - c
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 THE ANALYSIS ALSO WORKS IN THE OTHER DIRECTION

Uu Ud

The case c = 0 corresponds to a hydraulic jump

32
 CONTROL VOLUME
q = (U-c)H qmass = (U-c)H qmom = (U-c)2H

f pu
Ud - c f pd
qmomu Hu Uu - c
Hd p qmomd
p

control volume

Mass balance 0  (Uu  c )Hu  (Ud  c )Hd

1 1
Momentum 0  gHu  gH2d  (Uu  c )2 Hu  (Ud  c )2 Hd
2

balance 2 2 33
 EQUATION FOR BORE SPEED
Hu
(Ud  c )  (Uu  c )
Hd
2
1 1 H
0  gHu2  gH2d  (Uu  c )2 Hu  (Uu  c )2 u
2 2 Hd

 Hu  1
(Uu  c ) Hu 
2
 1  g(Hu2  H2d )
 Hd  2

1
g(Hu2  H2d )
c  Uu  2
 Hu 
Hu   1
 Hd  34
 LINEARIZED EQUATION FOR BORE SPEED
Let

1 1
U  (Uu  Ud ) H  (Hu  Hd )
2 2
1 1
Uu  U  U Ud  U  U
2 2
1 1
Hu  H  H Hd  H  H
2 2
Limit of small-amplitude bore:

H U
 1  1
H U
35
 LINEARIZED EQUATION FOR BORE SPEED (contd.)

1  2  1 H   1 H   
  2 2

gH 1    1   
 1 U  2   2 H   2 H   
c  U1   
 
 2 U    1 H  
 1   
 1 H    2 H  
H1   1
 2 H   1  1 H  
  2 H  

1 2  H 
gH  2 
 1 U  2  H 
c  U1  
 2 U   1  H    H  H  
2

H1    o  
 2 H   H  H  
 c  U  gH Limit of small-amplitude bore 36
 SPEED OF INFINITESIMAL SHALLOW WATER WAVE

c  U  c sw
c sw  gH

Froude number = flow velocity/shallow water wave speed

U
Fr 
gH

37