Submarine channel initiation using realistic computational fluid dynamic simulation

Abstract

Submarine channel initiation is the process that involved turbulence fluid flow and sculpting submarine channels. The fundamental factor that affects this process is fluid flow velocity and grain-size deposit that the fluid itself carry. This study presents a realistic computational fluid dynamic simulation to simulate the process of submarine channel initiation in a time-dependent equation. This study uses a standard slope model but with the novel approach of adjusted parameters of the actual condition of the submarine channel initiation such as depth hydrostatic pressure, fluid density, and fluid velocity. The result of the simulation showed the correlation between fluid flow velocity and deposited grain-size distribution, which resulting bigger grain size are deposited along with higher fluid flow velocity at the highest activity of 14 m/s and smaller grain size are deposited at lower fluid flow velocity at the lowest activity of 0 m/s among the geometry of the submarine fan.