MEAN FLOW AND TURBULENCE STRUCTURE OF A LARGE STREAM: THE PARANA RIVER (ARGENTINA)

摘要

The use of Acoustic Current Doppler Profilers (ADCP) in hydrometry defines a newrnera in river flow measurements, not only because of its simplicity and relatively lowrncost, but mainly because it allows for the quantification of the flow field in space andrntime, providing thus information that is impossible to obtain through conventionalrnmethods. In this way, variables and flow characteristics in large rivers can bernestimated that highly contribute to a better understanding of fluvial dynamics, as wellrnas to the spatial and temporal resolution of the mean flow and the turbulencernstructure as well as the associated transport processes. This work presents results ofrnfield measurements on different cross-sections of the Paraná River, Argentina.rnProcessing and analysis of the information allowed, on the one side, for a clearerrnunderstanding of the principles of operation of the equipment, hence defining itsrnversatility, potentiality and limitations, and on the other side, for the estimation ofrnhydraulic variables (turbulence intensities, shear velocities, relative roughness,rnresistance coefficients, etc.) that coincide fairly well with observations usingrntraditional methods at much higher operational costs.