Coherent Structures at the Interface between Water Masses of Confluent Rivers

The paper presents the results of field measurements and numerical modeling of the influence of various factors on the formation of coherent structures in the confluence zone of the Sylva and Chusovaya rivers, which are dammed by the Kamskaya Hydroelectric Power Station (HPS). A characteristic feature of the measured parameters in the zone under study is that they experience both seasonal fluctuations and fluctuations of much higher frequency associated with intraday regulation of the HPS operation. These intraday fluctuations give rise to coherent structures with periodicity T~2–10 min, which manifest themselves in the fluctuations of the specific electrical conductivity of water. The flow velocity also experiences significant fluctuations with a sufficiently wide frequency spectrum, although the characteristic period of its fluctuations is less than the period of electrical conductivity fluctuations and is equal to ~1 min. In order to study the features of the formation of such structures, numerical simulation was carried out within the framework of the three-dimensional approach. Calculations were performed for a 300-meter-long stretch of the Chusovaya River, which is located downstream of the confluence of Chusovaya and Sylva rivers and is the site of the Chusovskoy water intake of Perm city. It was found that the intraday irregularity of HPS operation gives rise to the occurrence of vortex structures in this layer, leading to the temporal variation of concentration at a given point of space and the formation of the wave structure of the concentration field at different moments of time. Time period and spatial scale of such vortex structures depend on the ratio of velocities of water masses and difference in their mineralization and, accordingly, in densities. Moreover, the period of fluctuations is proportional to the ratio of flow velocities. These estimations are of fundamental importance for the implementation of stable selective intake of water with required consumer properties under conditions of intraday irregularity of hydroelectric power station operation.