ABSTRACT
In this paper the origin of secondary currents in a real compound meandering channel is analyzed. Three-dimensional ADV measurements were made on a measuring grid on a 1:20 physical Froude model of a real reach in River Mero (A Coruña) for bankfull flow and flood conditions. Terms of the longitudinal vorticity transport equation were calculated to quantify the influence of advection, geometry and turbulence on the transverse flow pattern in the bend apex. Advection has been found to play a major role in the generation of secondary currents for bankfull flow conditions, while vertical segregation of the hydrodynamic pattern has been observed in the flooding scenario. Some of the transverse features of the flow were not explained by the transport of longitudinal vorticity, so the contribution of the turbulent kinetic energy transfer between mean flow and turbulence was also evaluated.
