Numerical Simulation of Sediment-Laden Jets in Static Uniform Environment using Eulerian Model

Abstract

Sediment-laden jets were simulated with an Eulerian two-phase model that implements Euler-Euler coupled governing equations for fluid and solid phases. Both flow-particle and particle-particle interactions were considered in this model. A modified k-ε turbulence model was chosen to close the fluid phase equations. The computational results compared well with previous laboratory measurements. The characteristics of the flow fields of the two phases and the influences of hydraulic and geometric parameters on the distribution of the sediment-laden jet were analyzed on the basis of computational results. The calculation results reveal that if the initial velocity of the sediment-laden jet is high, the jet is sprayed higher and spreads further in the radial direction. The turbulent kinetic energy k and turbulent dissipation rate ε, whose decay rates are higher than that of the jet velocity, decrease rapidly after the sediment-laden jet enters the nozzle. For different values of the exit densimetric Froude number F, the profiles of deposited sediment and the axial distributions of the jet velocity, density deficit and turbulent kinetic energy are self-similar on a certain jet axis. The decay rate of the sand velocity is higher than that of water velocity along the axis of the sediment-laden jet, and if the sediment particle has a higher settling velocity, it has higher inertia and spreads less radially.