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

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

THE CHARACTERISTICS OF HYDRAULIC JUMPS

Hydraulic jumps in open-channel flow are characterized a drop in Froude
number Fr, where

Fr

U
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

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.

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.

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.

Frd

U
RCgH

U = flow velocity
g = gravitational acceleration
H = flow thickness
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

Flow into a confined basin:
good place for a hydraulic
jump

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.

VOLUME, MASS, MOMENTUM DISCHARGE

H = depth
U = flow velocity
Channel has a unit width 1
1
U
H

Ut

UtH1

In time t a fluid particle flows a distance Ut

The volume that crosses normal to the section in time t = UtH1
The flow mass that crosses normal to the section in time t is density x
volume crossed = (1+RC)UtH1 UtH
The sediment mass that crosses = sCUtH 1
The momentum that cross normal to the section is mass x velocity =
10
(1+RC)UtH1U U2tH

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

Ut

UtH1

qf = UtH1/(t1)

thus

qf = UH

qmass = UtH1/ (t1)

thus

qmass = UH

qsedmass = sCUtH1/ (t1) thus

qsedmass = sCUH
11
2

FLOW MASS BALANCE ON THE CONTROL VOLUME

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

0 qmassu qmassd
or
0 UuHu UdHd
where

qmass const
qmass cons tan t qf

qf UH flow discharge / width

12

FLOW MASS BALANCE ON THE CONTROL VOLUME contd/

Thus flow discharge

qf UH
is constant across the hydraulic jump

13

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

14

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!

15

PRESSURE FORCE/WIDTH ON DOWNSTREAM SIDE OF

CONTROL VOLUME
dp
g(1 RC) , p z H pref
d
dz

p pref g(1 RC)(Hd z)

fpd

Hd

1
pdz 1 g(1 RC)Hd2
2

16

PRESSURE FORCE/WIDTH ON UPSTREAM SIDE OF

CONTROL VOLUME
g , Hu z Hd
dp

dz g(1 RC) , 0 z Hu

pref

, p z H pref
d

pref g(Hd z) , Hu z Hd
g(Hd Hu ) g(1 RC)(Hu z) ,0 z Hu

17

PRESSURE FORCE/WIDTH ON UPSTREAM SIDE OF

CONTROL VOLUME contd.

pref

pref g(Hd z) , Hu z Hd
g(Hd Hu ) g(1 RC)(Hu z) ,0 z Hu

Hd

Hu

Hd

Hu

fpu pdz 1 pdz 1 pdz 1

1
1
pref Hu g(Hd Hu )Hu (1 RC)Hu2 pref (Hd Hu ) g(Hd Hu )2
2
2
1
1
pref Hd (1 RC)Hu2 g(Hd Hu )Hu g(Hd Hu )2
2
2

18

NET PRESSURE FORCE

1
1
fpnet fpu fpd pref Hd (1 RC)Hu2 g(Hd Hu )Hu g(Hd Hu )2
2
2
1
pref Hd (1 RC)gHd2
2
1
RCg Hu2 Hd2
2

19

STREAMWISE MOMENTUM BALANCE ON CONTROL

VOLUME
/(momentum in control volume) = forces + net inflow rate of momentum

1
1
2
0 RCgHu RCgH2d Uu2Hu Ud2Hd
2
2

20

REDUCTION

UH qf

2
q
U2H Uqf f
H

thus
1
1
2
0 RCgHu RCgH2d Uu2Hu Ud2Hd
2
2
2
2
q
q
1
1
0 RCgHu2 RCgH2d f f
2
2
Hu Hd

21

REDUCTION (contd.)

2
2
q
q
1
1
0 RCgHu2 RCgH2d w w
2
2
Hu Hd

Now define = Hd/Hu (we expect that 1). Also

Frdu
Thus

Uu
RCgHu

qf
RCg Hu3 / 2

1
2Fr 1 1 2 0

2
du

22

REDUCTION (contd.)

But

1 1
1

1 2 ( 1)( 1)

( 1)
2Fr
( 1)( 1) 0

2
du

2
2 - 2Frdu
0

23

RESULT

Hd 1

Hu 2

1 8Fr 1

2
du

This is known as the conjugate depth relation.

24

RESULT

Hd 1

Hu 2

Frdu

2
1 8Frdu
1

25

ADD MATERIAL ABOUT JUMP SIGNAL!

AND CONTINUE WITH BORE!

26

SLUICE GATE TO FREE OVERFALL

Define the momentum function Fmom such that

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

Fmom (H) left Fmom (H) right

27
The fact that Hleft = Hu Hd = Hright at the jump defines a shock

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

2
2

U
H
U
Fr 2 ~
~
1
gH2 gH
2

Here ~ means scales as, not equals.

28

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

29

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
30

ANALYSIS FOR A BORE

The bore migrates with speed c

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

31

THE ANALYSIS ALSO WORKS IN THE OTHER DIRECTION

The case c = 0 corresponds to a hydraulic jump

32

CONTROL VOLUME
q = (U-c)H

Mass balance
Momentum
balance

qmass = (U-c)H

qmom = (U-c)2H

0 (Uu c )Hu (Ud c )Hd

1
1
2
0 gHu gH2d (Uu c )2 Hu (Ud c )2 Hd
2
2
33

EQUATION FOR BORE SPEED

Hu
(Ud c ) (Uu c )
Hd
2
H
1
1
0 gHu2 gH2d (Uu c )2 Hu (Uu c )2 u
2
2
Hd

Hu

1
(Uu c ) Hu
1 g(Hu2 H2d )
2
Hd

c Uu

1
g(Hu2 H2d )
2
Hu

Hu
1
Hd

34

LINEARIZED EQUATION FOR BORE SPEED

Let

1
U (Uu Ud )
2
1
Uu U U
2
1
Hu H H
2

1
H (Hu Hd )
2
1
Ud U U
2
1
Hd H H
2

Limit of small-amplitude bore:

H
1
H

U
1
U

35

LINEARIZED EQUATION FOR BORE SPEED (contd.)

1 U

c U 1

2 U

1 U

c U 1

2 U

c U gH

1 2
1 H
1 H

g H 1
1

2
2 H
2 H

1 H
1

1 H
2 H

H 1
1

1 H
2 H

2 H

1 2 H
gH 2

2
H

1 H H
H
1
o


2 H H
H

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