Abstract
We present a numerical model for the simulation of 3D poly-dispersed sediment transport in a Newtonian flow with free surfaces. The physical model is based on a mixture model for multiphase flows. The Navier–Stokes equations are coupled with the transport and deposition of the particle concentrations, and a volume-of-fluid approach to track the free surface between water and air. The numerical algorithm relies on operator-splitting to decouple advection and diffusion phenomena. Two grids are used, based on unstructured finite elements for diffusion and an appropriate combination of the characteristics method with Godunov’s method for advection on a structured grid. The numerical model is validated through numerical experiments. Simulation results are compared with experimental results in various situations for mono-disperse and bi-disperse sediments, and the calibration of the model is performed using, in particular, erosion experiments.
Highlights
The modeling of sediment transport in rivers, lakes or shores is relevant in hydraulic engineering to determine the amount and location of granular matters in the liquid
The modeling of sediment transport in a flow classically relies on a multiphase model
We investigate a macroscopic model for the sediment transport based on a sediment concentration with a single momentum balance for the mixture
Summary
The modeling of sediment transport in rivers, lakes or shores is relevant in hydraulic engineering to determine the amount and location of granular matters in the liquid. The model proposed here couples the Navier–Stokes equations, with a volume-of-fluid approach for the tracking of the free surfaces between water and air, plus a nonlinear advection equation for the sediments’ migration from low to high concentration areas. The coupled multiphysics problem consists in finding the time evolution of the position of the volume fraction of liquid φ in the cavity , together with the velocity v, the pressure p, and the sediment solid fraction of each sediment particles population fsi in the liquid mixture domain only
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