Sediment Concentration Distribution Research Articles

The distribution of velocity and sediment concentration under currents in coastal seas

A power law velocity profile for engineering application was obtained based on the field data set of flow velocity and sediment concentration in coastal areas of Jinzhou, Nantong, and Zhoushan. Using theoretical analyses, van Rijn's formula for sediment concentration profile was modified. Tests of the new power-law velocity profile and the modified formula of suspended sediment concentration against a large data set were performed. The results show a good fit to the data and that these two formulae could demonstrate the basic principles of vertical distribution of flow velocity and suspended sediment concentration, respectively.

Overbank Flow, Sediment Transport, and Channel Morphology in the Lower Yellow River: A Review

As a prerequisite and foundation for studying the evolution mechanism of river channels, an in-depth understanding of the cross-sectional morphology adjustment is required. As a starting point, it is crucial to systematically summarize and generalize the research findings on channel morphological adjustment obtained to date, particularly in the context of the significant changes in the water and sediment conditions of large rivers that have occurred worldwide. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the research findings on the three following aspects of the Lower Yellow River: the transverse distribution of overbank flow velocity, the transverse distribution of suspended sediment concentration, and the morphological adjustment of the river cross-section. There are various equations available to predict the lateral depth–average flow velocity distribution. These equations are classified into the two following categories: empirical and theoretical formulas. Theoretical formulas are obtained through consideration of the cross-sectional morphology, accounting for inertial force terms caused by secondary flow, and momentum transfer between the main channel and its floodplain. Similarly, empirical equations and theoretical formulas for sediment concentration transverse distribution are also summarized, given the different influencing factors and assumptions. We also discuss the morphological adjustment of river cross-sections based on the analysis of measured data, mathematical model calculation, and the physical model test. In particular, we propose the idea of revealing channel cross-section morphology evolution mechanisms from the theoretical level of water and sediment movement and distribution. This review aims to enhance understanding of overbank flow, sediment transport, and channel morphology in the Lower Yellow River and may also serve to some extent as a reference for the evolution and management of channels in other rivers.

The effect of bioturbation on the release behavior of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from sediments: A sediment–seawater microcosm experiment combined with a fugacity model

The effects of two benthonic species, Perinereis aibuhitensis and Matuta planipes Fabricius, on the release of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from sediments were investigated using a sediment–seawater microcosm. A Level IV fugacity model was used to simulate the behavior and fate of PAHs in the environment. This study revealed that both benthos significantly influenced the release of PAHs, and Matuta planipes Fabricius had a stronger disturbance effect than another. The final concentrations of Matuta planipes Fabricius group, Perinereis aibuhitensis group and the control group in the seawater phase reached 10.8, 9.94 and 7.90 μg/L, respectively. There were certain differences in the behaviour of the two benthonic species. Matuta planipes Fabricius caused more sediment resuspension, while Perinereis aibuhitensis increased the total organic carbon (TOC) content in the environment. The vertical concentration distribution of sediment indicated that vertical mixing was slightly stronger in the Matuta planipes Fabricius group than that in the Perinereis aibuhitensis group. The fugacity model effectively simulated the release behavior of PAHs, providing insight into PAH transport and distribution. The results demonstrated that bioturbation could promote the release of PAHs from seawater. The amount of PAHs released was significantly correlated with the biological habits of the benthos.

Parametric Investigation of Pelton Turbine Injector under Hydro-abrasive Erosion Conditions

In high-head Pelton turbines, the injector faces severe erosion due to suspended sediment leading to a reduction in turbine efficiency and higher maintenance costs. Here, the effects of design parameters such as the bend angle of the nozzle pipe, nozzle angle, and needle angle along with an operating parameter stroke ratio on hydro-abrasive erosion of Pelton turbine injector are numerically investigated. The Volume of Fluid (VOF) model was implemented for capturing the interphase between air and water; whereas, the SST k-ω model is used for modelling the turbulence effect. For tracking the discrete phase, a Eulerian-Lagrangian based Discrete Phase Model (DPM) is considered. The bend angles led to flow circulations in the nozzle pipe causing the non-uniform distribution of sediment concentration and uneven erosion patterns. Irrespective of the bend angle, the erosion hotspot in the needle is observed toward the bend side. Further, for larger sediment particles, higher bend angles lead to more erosion rate in both the nozzle and needle and must be avoided to prevent excessive damage. As the needle angle increases from 40° to 60° for a constant nozzle angle, the nozzle erosion rate increases by 70% and the needle erosion rate decreases by 99%. Hence, an injector design can be optimized in hydro-abrasive erosion conditions by selecting a needle angle between 40° and 60°. Further, the operation of the injector at too high and low a stroke ratio results in excessive erosion of the nozzle and needle, respectively. In this study, a stroke ratio of 0.45 is found to be the most suitable for hydro-abrasive erosion conditions. Moreover, the asymmetricity in the erosion pattern of the needle increases with needle angle and stroke ratio resulting in jet quality degradation, one major reason for efficiency reduction in Pelton turbines.

Efficient numerical model for sediment transport on vortex ripple bed in wave-induced oscillatory flow

Sediment motion on rippled bed under wave action plays an important role in coastal landforms, but the application of traditional numerical model is limited by large computational work or bottom sediment condition due to unsteady effects. A single-phase model is proposed to maintain low computation and high accuracy for the vortex structure development and suspended sediment motion on vortex rippled bed in wave-induced oscillatory flow. The 2D bottom sediment condition takes into account the acceleration effect and asymmetric boundary layer development under nonlinear waves as well as the sediment phase-lag. The particle inertia and wake flow around sediment particle are considered in sediment turbulence, and the SST k-ω turbulence model which is suitable for inverse pressure gradient flow on rippled bed is selected to close the Reynolds stress. The single-phase model well predicts the velocity on vortex ripples, periodic concentration at fixed points and vertical distribution of averaged sediment concentration. The results show qualitative formation, development and ejection of vortex, and demonstrate quantitative development of vortex center, radius and strength in symmetric and asymmetric flows. In addition, the model well performs the development of sediment cloud referring to vortex structure.

Hydrodynamics of turbidity currents evolving over a plane bed

In this paper, we investigate the hydrodynamics of turbidity currents evolving over a plane bed. The analytical framework encompasses the depth-averaged conservation equations for fluid mass, sediment mass, momentum, and turbulent kinetic energy (TKE). The analysis incorporates self-similar distributions of streamwise velocity, sediment concentration, and TKE. Using the self-similar distributions of streamwise velocity and sediment concentration, the distributions of turbulent diffusivity, Reynolds shear stress, and TKE production rate are determined. The analytical model of turbidity currents enables the prediction of streamwise evolutions of flow depth, depth-averaged velocity, depth-averaged sediment concentration, and depth-averaged TKE. The self-acceleration and subsidence of turbidity currents are found to depend on the initial conditions. Additionally, the model results demonstrate the sensitivity of turbidity current hydrodynamics to grain size and longitudinal bed slope. Importantly, increased grain size and longitudinal bed slope contribute to enhanced self-acceleration, leading to a decrease in the subsidence rate of turbidity currents. The model predictions satisfactorily capture the available experimental data.

Semi-analytical modeling of sediment-laden open-channel flows with the effects of stratification, hindered settling, and eddy viscosities.

This study proposes semi-analytical models for simultaneous distribution of fluid velocity and suspended sediment concentration in an open-channel turbulent flow using three kinds of eddy viscosities. Apart from the classical parabolic eddy viscosity which is based on a log-law velocity profile, we consider two recently proposed eddy viscosities based on the concept of velocity and length scales. To deal with the flows with high sediment concentration, several turbulent features such as the hindered settling mechanism and the stratification effect are incorporated in the model. The governing system of highly nonlinear differential equations is solved using the homotopy analysis method (HAM), which produces solutions in the form of convergent series. Numerical and theoretical convergence analyses are provided for all three types of eddy viscosities. The effects of parameters on the derived models are discussed physically. Experimental data on both dilute and non-dilute flows are considered to verify the HAM-based solutions. The effects of the stratification correction factor (β) and the turbulent Schmidt number (α) reveal that they should be determined optimally for applicability of the proposed models in terms of accurate prediction with data. This optimal procedure required further investigation of these parameters, and, thus, an analysis of β and α is carried out, which linked them with the particle diameter through particle settling velocity, reference fluid velocity, and reference sediment concentration by proposing regression equations. Furthermore, using the optimal values of the parameters, the proposed models corresponding to the eddy viscosities based on the exponentially decreasing turbulent kinetic energy function and von Karman's similarity hypothesis are seen to be superior to the model corresponding to a parabolic eddy viscosity. Finally, a comment on the HAM is made where it is observed that the method can remove the numerical singularity of the governing equations at the water surface, which arises because of the consideration of vanishing eddy viscosity thereat.

Suspended sediment transport generated by non-hydrostatic hydrodynamics in Northern Waters of Aceh, Indonesia

Suspended Sediment transport in the Northern Waters of Aceh is investigated in the domains between 5.4° - 5.65° N Latitude and 95.15° - 95.45° E. Therefore, this study aims to calculate the suspended sediment transport using a non-hydrostatic hydrodynamic model with an output distribution of total suspended sediment concentration. The model was run using tidal components of M2, S2, K1, O1, N2, K2, P1, Q1 and the wind every 6 h in February and August 2019 representing the North East and South West monsoons, as well as sea temperature and salinity data. The results of the model correlated with the Tide Model Driver data obtained, and the simulation results indicated the current in February 2019 is different than in August. The numerical simulation results show that the distribution of suspended sediments in Northern Waters of Aceh is driven by currents. Furthermore, the hydrodynamics and the designed model showed that the distribution value of the surface total suspended sediment concentration was lower in August than in February 2019. The verification results of the surface total suspended sediment concentration between the model and the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite showed a good match. These results can facilitate the analysis of limited observation and remote sensing data.

Effect of the Three Gorges Reservoir on vertical distribution of suspended sediment concentration and estimation accuracy of depth‐average concentration in downstream reaches

AbstractThe sediment regime in the middle Yangtze River has been significantly changed from quasi‐equilibrium to nonequilibrium since the impoundment of the Three Georges Reservoir (TGR). To understand the effects of the TGR on vertical distribution of suspended sediment concentration (SSC) and estimation accuracy of mean concentration, vertical sediment concentration and flow velocity data at the Shashi and Jianli hydrological stations in the reach before and after the impoundment were collected. Comparisons and analysis of vertical profiles of SSC before and after the TGR impoundment show that after the impoundment of the TGR, due to the coarsening of sediment particle size, the reduction in sediment load, and the significant decrease in sediment saturation, the vertical distribution of SSC in the downstream reaches became more uneven under medium and low water flows, which was reflected in the vertical gradient and the fluctuation degree of SSC significantly increased. In addition, the depth‐average sediment concentrations were calculated by the selected‐point method and the mean values calculated by the “multi‐point method” were regarded as the “true mean” to evaluate the accuracy of the mean value calculated by the “few‐point method.” It was found that the relative errors for the selected‐point method were mainly positive before impoundment but mainly negative after impoundment. Additionally, the correction factors of one‐point, two‐point, and three‐point methods and the position of the near‐bed substituted point for the five‐point method were given to reduce the error when the point measurements were used to calculate the depth‐average sediment concentration in the downstream reaches.

Inhibition of sediment erosion and phosphorus release by remediation strategy of contaminated sediment backfilling

The management of sediment-water interfaces, especially bed stability, is essential for controlling accumulated contaminants in the sediment. In this study, the relationship between sediment erosion and phosphorus (P) release under the remediation strategy of contaminated sediment backfilling (CSBT) was explored through a flume experiment, i.e. the dredged sediment was calcined into ceramsite after dewatering and detoxification and then backfilled to the dredged area for sediment capping, thus avoiding the introduction of foreign materials via in-situ remediation and the large-scale land occupation associated with ex-situ remediation. Acoustic Doppler velocimeter (ADV) and optical backscatter sensor (OBS) were used to measure the vertical distributions of flow velocity and sediment concentration in the overlying water, respectively, and diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) was used to measure the P distribution in the sediment. The results revealed that improving bed stability from CSBT can considerably improve the robustness of sediment-water interface and reduce sediment erosion by more than 70%. The corresponding P release from the contaminated sediment could be inhibited with an inhibition efficiency as high as 80%. CSBT is a potent strategy for managing contaminated sediment. This study provides a theoretical reference for controlling sediment pollution, further supporting river and lake ecological management and environmental restoration.

Downdrift Port Siltation Adjacent to a River Mouth: Effects of Mesotidal Conditions and Typhoon

The Zhuoshui River has one of the highest sediment yields in the world. The riverine sediment may have been transported away from the river mouth by strong tidal currents and deposited in a navigational channel and a harbor basin south of the Zhuoshui River. This study describes the dispersal of riverine sediments in mesotidal conditions, including transport processes of sediments via river plumes, initial deposition, resuspension, and long-term net accumulation. Our results revealed that the distribution of suspended sediment concentration (SSC) and the transport process of the river plume was markedly modulated by tidal currents in a north–south direction. Under high-discharge conditions, energetic winds and ocean currents interrupted the offshore propagation of the sediment-laden river plume with a high SSC to the ocean. The plume, induced by typhoon floods, was either propagated northward due to the Coriolis effect or was deposited near the river mouth. The sediments deposited within the inner shelf were resuspended by intensive tidal currents and transported through southward residual circulations to the navigation channel south of the river mouth.

A new method for measurement and calculation of unit width suspended sediment transport rate

Abstract The unit width suspended sediment transport rate is the basis for calculating river sediment flux, which provides an important measure of river hydrology and morpho-dynamics. By integrating the vertical distribution of the suspended sediment concentration and logarithmic flow velocity, the formula for unit width suspended sediment transport rate is presented. Based on this formula, the calculation of the near-bed relative transport rate missing in field measurement is given. Moreover, a new stratified water sampling device is invented for suspended sediment transport rate measurement by the six-point method at Mengsheng hydrological station in the Lancang River basin. Results of 24 sets of measurements show that the near-bed relative sediment transport rate ranges from 3.4 to 10.7% and is significantly positively correlated with the suspension index. The unit width suspended sediment transport rate measured by the traditional depth integrating method is on average 15.0% smaller than that calculated by the theoretical formula, which can be a reference for correcting the sediment transport rate based on the traditional method. This work provides a new device and a new method for the measurement and calculation of the unit width transport rate of suspended sediment, which has theoretical and practical significance.

In-Stream Laser Diffraction for Measuring Suspended Sediment Concentration and Particle Size Distribution in Rivers: Insights from Field Campaigns

This study evaluates the laser in situ scattering and transmissometry (LISST) instrument LISST-SL2, a laser diffraction instrument for suspended sediment sampling in rivers, with concurrent physical measurements of suspended sediment concentration (SSC) and particle size distribution (PSD) as well as velocity measurements by an acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP). We collected 136 LISST-SL2 samples along with 61 physical samples for SSC measurement, of which 24 physical samples included PSD measurement during 2018–2020 from 11 sites in Washington state and Virginia. An effective density is required to convert the measured volumetric SSC by the LISST-SL2 into a reported mass SSC, and by default the LISST-SL2 assumes a value of 2.65 g/mL. From our data set, we computed effective densities (mass SSC/volumetric SSC) that ranged from 0.5 to 5.4 g/mL, with a best-fit value of 2.05 g/mL. Additionally, the LISST-SL2 was not able to measure the finest sediment sizes in suspension, which affects the resulting PSD. Therefore, we propose some adjustments of the LISST-SL2 data with a supporting physical sample to account for these effective density and PSD issues. When doing so, we were able to reduce the root-mean square relative error (RMSRE) to 18% from 117% for SSC, and to 26% from 78% for PSD. LISST-SL2 velocities were generally higher than ADCP velocities with a 21% RMSRE. Our results and guidance will allow for more accurate sampling by the LISST-SL2, which has potential for studying spatial and temporal variation of suspended sediment characteristics in rivers.

Regime of fluvial phosphorus constituted by sediment

Phosphorus (P) is a crucial macronutrient, and recently a venture agent of pollutant, in aquatic systems worldwide. Most of P circulates with sediment through rivers, and the relationship between P and sediment is the basis for understanding the biogeochemical processes in rivers. Although studies of fluvial P have been carried out at specific sites and for particular problems, the general regime by which sediment affects P recirculation still warrants attention. In this study, a series of water samples were collected from six different rivers in China whose sediment concentration and size distribution vary widely and their P properties were analyzed in the laboratory. From this analysis of field samples, a highly consistent comet shaped pattern of sediment effects on P is revealed, i.e., generally the range of the concentration of total P has a diverge-converge trend as the sediment concentration increases. It is further supported by examining the strictly composed samples from P adsorption experiments. Furthermore, case analyses were performed on the basis of the above relationships to illustrate the impact of sediment on P cycling in rivers. The results can infer the following: 1) There is a strong positive correlation between total P and sediment concentration, indicating that sediment is a crucial agent in the movement and fate of P. 2) The negative correlation between dissolved P and sediment concentration indicates a buffering effect of sediment, especially fine sediment, on dissolved P, interpreting the intricate phenomena of increased dissolved P concentration caused by sediment reduction. Hence, natural sediment has the prevailing advantage in moderating the water quality of rivers, which is directly relevant to mitigating the present pollution and eutrophication of waters. 3) River damming causes a P blockage tendency, altering the fluvial nourishment to contamination in the river.

On the occurrence of low concentration hyperpycnal river plumes in a small mountainous river-canyon system

This study aimed to understand the mechanisms controlling the formation of hyperpycnal river plumes in small mountainous rivers. The suspended sediment concentration (SSC) and grain size distribution in the Gaoping River were obtained by field observations and used as the basis for numerical simulations. The SSC of the Gaoping River during Typhoon Soudelor was lower than 20 g/L according to the real-time SSC estimated using the calibration curve between turbidity and SSC. The calculated median grain size of the suspended sediments was 15.15 μm, which indicated that the silt accounted for a large proportion of the flow. The observed grain-size distribution and SSC were incorporated into a numerical model to examine the conditions under which hyperpycnal river plumes occur. The model results revealed a three-dimensional process near the river mouth: cross-canyon currents converge near the head of the canyon, and the topography of the submarine canyon further confines the path and width of the hyperpycnal river plume. The descending plume continues to move through the steep slope of the submarine canyon. In addition, the simulation results showed that the SSC of the hyperpycnal river plumes increases as the grain size of riverine sediment decreases. However, if the sediment grain size is smaller than 8 μm, most of the suspended sediment remains on the sea surface in a surface plume.

Modeling of suspended sediment concentration - case study in Can Gio, Ho Chi Minh city

The dynamics of suspended sediments are complicated due to the influence of hydrodynamic factors and the characterization of cohesive sediment properties. A one-dimensional model is built to calculate the vertical distribution of suspended sediment concentration (SSC). In the model, parameters that influence the vertical distribution of SSC include the settling velocity (ws) and the diffusion coefficient (Kz). The settling velocity depends on the cohesive sediment properties, and the diffusion coefficient depends on the wave-current dynamics. The model applies measured data in June 2014 on the mud flats in Can Gio, Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam. In this study, the settling velocity ws is a constant of 0.64 × 10-6 m/s. The diffusion coefficient depends on water depth, wave action, and tidal currents. Under strong wave - medium current conditions, the average Kz is 2.88 × 10-3 m2/s. Under medium wave - strong current conditions, the average Kz is 6.11 × 10-3 m2/s, while under strong wave - strong current conditions, the average Kz can reach 6.59 × 10-3 m2/s. The resulting simulations demonstrate that the SSC increases rapidly near the bottom layers. Here, the clay sediments are easily disturbed by dynamic conditions. At the bottom layer, the SSC is strongly influenced by the current factor, while the role of the wave factor has not been clearly shown.

Application of equilibrium passive sampling to assess the influence of anthropogenic activities and bioturbation on the distribution of hydrophobic organic chemicals in North Sea sediment cores

The pollution state in the German Bight was investigated by determination of pollutant concentrations of sediment samples using equilibrium passive sampling. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were determined in the pore water of North Sea sediment. The freely dissolved pore water concentration (Cfree) was measured applying Solid Phase Microextraction (SPME) by using PDMS-coated glass fibers. The obtained results show that the North Sea contamination level with the investigated pollutants is relatively low. However, the stations close to the sediment-dumping site were higher contaminated. A macrofauna analysis showed that bioturbation activities were mostly present in the upper sediment layers, but a direct bioturbation influence on the sediment concentration distribution could not be shown. Overall, the contamination load was below baseline toxicity, but considering that several other priority pollutants will also make a contribution to the baseline toxicity, it can be counted as relatively high.

2D modeling of current patterns and sediment patterns on Pasir Beach, Kebumen

Pasir beach is one of the beaches in the row of the South Coast of Java Island which is located in the Kebumen Regency, Central Java Province. On the sand beach, there is a fish landing port which is in poor condition. Some of the main port facilities are not functioning at all due to sedimentation problems. The purpose of this study is to determine the current pattern and sedimentation pattern on the Pasir beach, especially in the fish landing port area with 2-dimensional modeling. The results of 2-dimensional modeling with RMA2 and SED2D found that fluctuations in current velocity are not significant because the velocity is small. The increase in current velocity fluctuations is more dominantly caused by the influence of the narrow width of the port mouth, the body of water spreads so that the current velocity will also spread. In the sediment simulation, after simulating the distribution of sediment concentration for 10 days, in the location of the Pasir fish landing port, there is a change in the bed elevation due to the pattern of sediment distribution from the river. This basic change is strongly influenced by the concentration of sediment and sedimentation velocity of sediment grains at each location.

Typhoon triggers estuarine heavy metal risk by regulating the multifractal grainsize of resuspended sediment

The turbulent boundary layer generated by wind in the estuarine surface water serves as a main factor affecting the distribution of suspended particulate matter (SPM) and suspended sediment concentration (SSC). In this study, representative typhoon-induced variation of surface fine SPM (<63 μm) was simulated in the Yangtze River Estuary (YRE) under two time scenarios. Each scenario contained four grainsize SPM fractions named Fraction 1 (<8 μm), Fraction 2 (8–16 μm), Fraction 3 (16–32 μm), Fraction 4 (32–63 μm). The typhoon-induced resuspended multifractal SSC quantification (TRMSQ) based on the relationship between SPM grainsize and heavy metal adsorption capacity was proposed to assess the variation in the resuspended threat of heavy metal to 6 key estuarine protected objects (three reservoirs & three national reserves) between Scenarios 1 and 2. The results presented that Fraction 3 exhibited the maximum increment in SSC resuspension mass and longest regression time from typhoon. Combined with TRMSQ, chromium (Cr) was calculated to be the riskiest typhoon-induced factor. The integrated resuspended risk of heavy metals for each protected object tends to increase from the northwest of Chongming Island (1.2) towards the maximum turbidity zone (>9) downstream, with an estuary-wide mean of 3.3.

The Influence of Vertical Velocity Distribution on the Calculation of Suspended Sediment Concentration

Based on the advection-diffusion equation of suspended sediment, a general formula of vertical distribution of suspended sediment concentration was derived by considering the influence of vertical velocity. The new formula was tested against over 3000 sets of field data and obtained a reasonable agreement. Comparing with the Rouse equation of concentration, the accuracy of the new formula increases significantly, and the shortcoming of the underestimation of the Rouse profile in practical application is revised. Through the analysis of the new formula with different vertical time-averaged velocity coefficients m , it was found that vertical velocity does have an impact on the accurate estimation of sediment concentration, and the extent of which is related to the value of sediment concentration. Utilizing the regression analysis, it was found the vertical time-averaged velocity coefficient m increases with the height above the bed.