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Advances in Open-Channel Flow Hydrodynamics
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Advances in Open-Channel Flow Hydrodynamics

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Hydraulics and Hydrodynamics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2026 | Viewed by 1655

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yeo Howe Lim

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Civil Engineering, University of North Dacota, Upson II Room 260D, 243 Centennial Drive Stop 8115, Grand Forks, ND 58202-8115, USA
Interests: flood prediction; water resources; machine learning; hydraulic structures; hydrology; climate change
Dr. Reza Barati

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
Interests: hydrology; hydraulics; flood prediction; rivers; sedimentation; machine deep learning
Dr. Vida Atashi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Civil Engineering, University of North Dakota, Upson II Room 260K, 243 Centennial Drive Stop 8115, Grand Forks, ND 58202-8115, USA
Interests: hydrology; hydraulics; flood prediction; rivers; sedimentation; machine deep learning

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Open‐channel flows continuously interact with natural and man-made structures—vegetation, grade controls, piers, and culverts, among others—shaping turbulence, sediment transport, and morphodynamics. This Special Issue aims to compile cutting-edge research on these fluid–structure interactions, emphasizing both fundamental insights and practical applications for river restoration, flood control, and sustainable infrastructure design.

We welcome contributions that employ experimental, numerical, or field approaches, covering topics including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Turbulence and coherent structures in natural and engineered channels.
  • Flow–vegetation interaction and bio-hydraulic feedbacks.
  • Local scouring and sediment transport around hydraulic structures.
  • Hydraulic jump dynamics and flow transitions.
  • Boundary layer and wall effects in open channels.
  • Turbulent jets in cross‐flows and submerged outlets.
  • Solitary waves and tidal bores in riverine and coastal environments.
  • Remote sensing and nonintrusive measurement techniques.
  • Data-driven and machine learning models for flow prediction.
  • Adaptive control strategies for flood and sediment management.

Dr. Yeo Howe Lim
Dr. Reza Barati
Guest Editors

Dr. Vida Atashi
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • open‐channel flow
  • hydrodynamic structures
  • turbulence modeling
  • sediment scouring
  • flow–structure interaction
  • experimental and numerical modeling
  • ecohydraulics
  • remote sensing
  • data‐driven hydrodynamics

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 10214 KB  
Article
Evolution of Turbulent-Structure Scale Distribution in Decelerating Open-Channel Flow
by Qian Mei, Peng Zhang, Yongqiang Wang, Shangwu Liu and Jiang Hu
Water 2026, 18(7), 815; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18070815 - 29 Mar 2026
Viewed by 392
Abstract
To investigate the evolution of turbulent-structure scales in decelerating open-channel flow, this study uses a high-frequency particle image velocimetry system in combination with a 28 m high-precision variable-slope flume to conduct controlled flume experiments. The analysis includes cross-sectional specific energy, velocity profiles, turbulence [...] Read more.
To investigate the evolution of turbulent-structure scales in decelerating open-channel flow, this study uses a high-frequency particle image velocimetry system in combination with a 28 m high-precision variable-slope flume to conduct controlled flume experiments. The analysis includes cross-sectional specific energy, velocity profiles, turbulence intensity, Reynolds stress, cross-correlation, and power spectral density. The study examines the turbulent statistical characteristics of decelerating flow and the evolution of turbulent-structure scale distributions during streamwise development. The results show that the velocity profile within the decelerating-flow region generally follows a logarithmic distribution, whereas the outer-region velocity profile gradually deviates from the logarithmic law as water depth increases. Compared with uniform open-channel flow, decelerating flow exhibits significantly higher turbulence intensities and Reynolds-stress levels. During flow development, turbulent structures maintain stronger spatial coherence, with spatial correlation increasing as water depth increases. As the nonuniformity coefficient γ increases, the turbulent-structure scale distribution shifts from bimodal to unimodal. Across the measured sections, the dominant turbulent-structure scales range approximately from λ/H = 2.5 to 20, over the ranges Reτ = 596–849 and γ = 1.2–2.8. During downstream development, turbulent kinetic energy increases progressively and is redistributed from large and small scales toward intermediate scales. These results provide new insight into turbulence-scale redistribution in decelerating open-channel flow. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Open-Channel Flow Hydrodynamics)
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13 pages, 434 KB  
Article
New Approach for Design of Broad-Crested Weirs with Exponential Sections
by Ahmed M. Abdelrazek and Mohammed A. Abourohiem
Water 2026, 18(7), 771; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18070771 - 24 Mar 2026
Viewed by 341
Abstract
A design framework is presented for broad-crested weirs with exponential (power-law) head–discharge behavior and three practical control-section shapes: Rectangular, parabolic, and triangular. Unlike ideal-flow sizing, the approach explicitly accounts for real-flow effects through a velocity coefficient at the control section. Starting from the [...] Read more.
A design framework is presented for broad-crested weirs with exponential (power-law) head–discharge behavior and three practical control-section shapes: Rectangular, parabolic, and triangular. Unlike ideal-flow sizing, the approach explicitly accounts for real-flow effects through a velocity coefficient at the control section. Starting from the energy equation and the critical-depth condition, analytical relations are obtained for the control-section depth, the critical depth, and the velocity and discharge coefficients. These relations are coupled with geometry-specific critical-flow expressions to derive a general, dimensionless design equation that links the required contraction ratio to the approach-velocity coefficient, the control-section velocity coefficient, and the head exponent n. The core innovation of the framework is a general dimensionless design equation that directly yields the required control-section area ratio A*/Ao, i.e., the geometric contraction relative to the approach section, for a specified design head and approach-velocity condition. The method provides direct design parameters for each section family: Rectangular width, parabolic parameter, and triangular head angle. A short quantitative check against representative classical experimental ratios shows very good agreement with measured values. For the applied design example based on a trapezoidal approach section and conservative lower-bound Cv values, neglecting real-flow effects underpredicts the required contraction ratio by about 28–39%, depending on the selected section shape. The developed framework provides a transparent, theoretically grounded, and practical tool for the hydraulic design of broad-crested weirs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Open-Channel Flow Hydrodynamics)
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19 pages, 4815 KB  
Article
Comparison of Hydraulic Behavior of Single-Baffled Block Stepped Spillways Between Regular and Irregular Designs
by Hassan Jasim Alrikaby, Abdul-Hassan K. Al-Shukur, Ahmed Mageed Hussein, Halah Kadhim Tayyeh, Brahim Benzougagh, Qosai S. Radi Marshdi, Amnah Alasqah and Khaled Mohamed Khedher
Water 2026, 18(5), 629; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18050629 - 6 Mar 2026
Viewed by 491
Abstract
This study evaluated the hydraulic performance of regular and irregular stepped spillways experimentally to reduce the hydraulic leap length and enhance energy dissipation. The study tested fourteen physical models with 40° and 45° slopes and step numbers of 5 and 10, analyzing the [...] Read more.
This study evaluated the hydraulic performance of regular and irregular stepped spillways experimentally to reduce the hydraulic leap length and enhance energy dissipation. The study tested fourteen physical models with 40° and 45° slopes and step numbers of 5 and 10, analyzing the effect of a single barrier block and its horizontal position through 98 rectangular flume experiments to evaluate energy dissipation and hydraulic jump length. The results showed that when the nappe flow transitioned to the skimming flow, energy dissipation decreased as discharge increased. Irregular stepped spillways achieved higher energy dissipation than regular ones by about 10–25%, with five-step models outperforming ten-step models due to increased turbulence. A strong positive relationship between discharge and hydraulic jump length was also observed, with jump length increasing by approximately 30–45% at 40° and 45° slopes. Five-degree irregular stepped spillways produced the shortest hydraulic jump lengths, confirming that step irregularity reduces downstream residual energy. Adding a single barrier block improved performance by shortening the hydraulic jump by about 20–35%, especially at higher discharges, with the optimal position at B/2. Overall, an irregular stepped spillway with a barrier block at B/2 was identified as the most effective configuration, enabling shorter hydraulic jumps, smaller stilling basins, and more efficient and economical spillway designs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Open-Channel Flow Hydrodynamics)
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