Laboratory Analysis of Vortex Dynamics For Shallow Tidal Inlets

Estuaries depend on the transport of nutrients and sediments from the open sea to help maintain a prosperous environment. One of the major transport mechanisms is the propagation of large two dimensional vortical structures. At the mouth of an inlet, tidal flow forces the formation of two dimensional vortical structures whose lateral extent is much greater than the water depth. After the starting jet vortex dipole detaches from the inlet, secondary vortices shed due to separation from the inlet boundary and eventually reach the starting-jet dipole. An idealized inlet con figuration was utilized for laboratory experiments detailing the formation and propagation of the vortex structures with water depths of 3, 5, and 9 centimeters and flow Froude scaled to inlets along the Texas coast. Using surface particle image velocimetry, the entrainment of the secondary structures into the vortex system are shown as well as variations in characteristics such as trajectory, size, vorticity, and circulation for the vortices as they move downstream.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Ocean Engineering

Grantor

Texas A&M University

Year dc:date.issued

2010

Author dc:creator

• Whilden, Kerri Ann

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Socolofsky, Scott A.
• Chang, Kuang-An

Committee member dc:contributor.committeemember

• Hetland, Robert

• shallow flow
• dipole formation
• secondary vortices

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/ETD-TAMU-2009-08-7178

OAI record oai:identifier

https://oaktrust.library.tamu.edu/server/oai/request?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=dim&identifier=oai%3Aoaktrust.library.tamu.edu%3A1969.1%2FETD-TAMU-2009-08-7178