Velocity and turbulence measurements for assessing the stability of riverbeds: a comparison between UVP and ADVP

Maintaining the overall stability of active riverbeds requires a deep understanding of the complex interactions between turbulent flow forces and forces stabilizing the riverbed. Standard approaches do not properly take into account the turbulence fluctuations in non-uniform flows, while these are of primary importance in the mechanisms determining the stability of stones. In a new approach, the flow forces are quantified by means of parameters combining explicitly the velocity and turbulence distributions over a certain water depth above the riverbed. In this paper, as an onset for using these newly developed bed stability parameters, we report on new experimental measurements of velocity and turbulent kinetic energy based on acoustic methods, whereas all previous uses at the new bed stability parameters relied on Laser PIV Techniques. For quasi-uniform and non-uniform flow conditions, velocity measurements were conducted with two complementary devices: an ultrasonic velocimeter probe (UVP) and an acoustic Doppler velocimeter profiler (ADVP). The results are compared and discussed in detail. A general consistency between the two types of measurements is obtained, while some discrepancies are highlighted close to the bed and tentative explanations are given.