Sediment Particle Velocity Research Articles

Mesh-free SPH modelling of sediment scouring and flushing considering grains transport and transformation

Sediment scour numerical simulation plays a critical role in the design of water-resistant foundation engineering, and this paper addresses a significant gap in most related studies, which often overlook the transformation of sediment and struggle to identify the actual riverbed obscured by yielding bed and suspended load. To tackle this challenge, a comprehensive sediment model based on the meshless Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) method was developed. Firstly, to enhance computational efficiency and mitigate the high cost of Fluid-Solid Interaction (FSI) between water and sediments, cohesionless sediment grains were modelled as non-Newtonian fluids, with yield strength determined according to a combined strength criterion. Subsequently, sediment transformation and identification were determined based on sediment particle velocity and shear stress, with the seepage force driving yield sediment particle motion at the interface. The effectiveness of this comprehensive sediment model was validated through comparison with three scour experiments. The results show better agreement between the model and experimental data, with a root-mean-square error of less than 2.17% in scour morphology simulation and successful identification of the actual post-scouring bed surface in each case. However, the free surface simulation in this model still exhibits slight error, with a root-mean-square error of less than 8.35%.

The Development of Explicit Equations for Estimating Settling Velocity Based on Artificial Neural Networks Procedure

This study proposes seven equations to predict the settling velocity of sediment particles with variations in grain size (d), particle shape factor (SF), and water temperature (T) based on the artificial neural network procedure. The data used to develop the equations were obtained from digitizing charts provided by the U.S. Interagency Committee on Water Resources (U.S-ICWR) and compiled from the measurement data of settling velocity from several sources. The equations are compared to three existing equations available in the literature and then analyzed using graphical and statistical analysis. The simulation results show the proposed equations produce satisfactory results. The proposed equations can predict the settling velocity of natural particle sediments, with diameters ranging between 0.05 mm and 10 mm in water with temperatures between 0 °C and 40 °C, and shape factor SF ranging between 0.5 and 0.95.

Machine learning methodology for determination of sediment particle velocities over sandy and rippled bed

The physics and quantification of sediment transport are still a challenge for scientists and engineers. Measurements of wave-induced sediment velocities may be conducted only in selected laboratories and require weeks of pre-tests and a very experienced team. In this study, student psychology-based optimization (SPBO) algorithm was applied to develop new integrated machine learning methods for the determination of wave-induced non-cohesive sediment particle velocities over a rippled bed by incorporating the outcome of particle image velocimetry. Easily measurable data comprising sediment characteristics, bedform details, and hydrodynamic conditions were used to train the machine learning models. The developed techniques determine well the sediment particle horizontal velocity over a horizontal profile. The analysis shows that the derived models nearly perfectly predict observed data. The proposed methodology provides insight into the physics of sediment processes and may also be applied to interpret measurement data and verify sediment transport models.

Numerical Analysis of Motion Characteristics of Sliding or Rolling and Saltation of Sediment Particles under Turbulent Flow

The processes of sediment particle movement were studied through numerical simulation using a coupled method with focus on discussing the characteristics of sliding or rolling and saltation sediment particles, respectively. Turbulent flow was simulated using large eddy simulation (LES). The sediment particle was simulated using the combined finite-discrete element method (FDEM). The interaction forces of turbulent flow and sediment particle were calculated using the immersed boundary method (IBM). It indicated that the collisions of saltating particle with low concentration increase the saltation length and flight time. In response, sediment particle velocity also increases. The particle angular velocity is largest at the takeoff moment, and decreases gradually in the saltation progress. The drag and lift forces near the bed are large, and away from the bed decrease and trend to be a stable value, gradually. From the relative magnitudes of the drag and lift forces, the lift force plays a more important role than the drag force in the sediment saltation. The relative magnitudes of drag and lift forces influence the incident and takeoff angles. The sediment transport rate calculated based on the characteristics of saltation sediment particles is overestimated, ignoring the effect of sliding or rolling sediment particles and inter-particle collisions.

Incipient flow velocity of non-uniform sediment particles by considering the additional mass force

The sediments on the natural seabed are generally non-uniform particles. The incipient motion of non-uniform sediment particles has always been a key problem in the ocean engineering. In this paper, the incipient flow velocity of non-uniform sediment particles by considering the additional mass force is studied by means of mechanical analysis and comparative verification. Firstly, the mechanical model of non-uniform sediment particles is established in consideration of the seepage force, cohesion and the additional mass force caused by non-uniformity. Combined with the randomness of the position of non-uniform particles on the bed surface and the relative exposure degree of non-uniform particles, a systematic and comprehensive formula of the additional mass force is proposed. The mechanical equilibrium equations of critical incipient motion of the non-uniform sediment particles are established, and the critical incipient flow velocity of sediment particles under sliding instability and rolling instability are derived. Then, the accuracy and validity of the proposed formulas are verified by comparison with the results of flume test, field measurement and other formulas. Finally, the influence factors of the incipient flow velocity of non-uniform sediment particles are analyzed, and the change laws of influence factors are obtained. The results show that: 1) The incipient motion form of sediments on the natural seabed is generally the rolling instability. 2) The incipient flow velocity of sediment particles decreases first and then increases with particle diameter. 3) The incipient flow velocity of sediment particles increases with the dry bulk density. 4) The incipient flow velocity of sediment particles decreases with the increase of hydraulic gradient and relative exposure degree.

Sediment Particle Velocity and Activity During Dune Migration

AbstractThe processes underlying sediment transport mechanics are still debated. Here, we present novel ensemble particle bedload measurements, obtained with high‐frequency imaging of particle velocities and activity over various bedform migration stages. We show that the bedload particle flux quickly responds to the unsteady non‐uniform flow over the bed. Mean particle velocity linearly increases over the dune slopes towards the crest. In contrast, particle activity exhibits a power law increase over the dune slopes, with the top layer almost saturating in the saltation regime. Furthermore, the spatial and temporal variability of particle motion over dune slopes is high. For lower flow, spatial and temporal variability from small‐scale topography, such as superposed bedforms, spurs, and irregular crestlines, are shown to be important for quantifying sediment dynamics. With increasing flow, however, the cross‐stream particle velocities increase significantly, influenced by the large‐scale dune topography (transverse slopes). Overall, variability in the particle flux increases with both flow strength and frequency of turbulent events. For the mean particle flux over the dune slopes, however, differences between neighboring dunes are large, which are attributed to dune topography variations and flow acceleration. The presented insights are essential to validate numerical simulations of sediment dynamics in three‐dimensional flow conditions over dune beds.

Incorporating the Memory Effect of Turbulence Structures Into Suspended Sediment Transport Modeling

AbstractModeling of the random movement of fine sediment particles in open‐channel turbulent flow is mostly built upon the memoryless Brownian motion process. Such a process describes the chaotic behavior of small particles without considering temporal correlations in terms of the particle moving velocity and direction (i.e., memory). However, when particles are transported in time‐persistent turbulent flow, the movements of the suspended particles may exhibit persistency that depends on the various temporal durations of turbulent flow structures—such persistence results in direction and magnitude variations in the velocity of the fine moving particles. The diffusion property of the particles may then deviate from normal diffusion. The conventional memoryless random walk models may not provide a comprehensive description of the particle diffusion process for the duration of turbulence structures when the particles are subject to memory effects. In this study, a novel random walk model is proposed to present the temporal correlation of the suspended sediment particle velocity caused by turbulence structures in open channel flow. The probabilistic properties of the proposed model are discussed. In particular, enhanced physical insights are obtained regarding the particle diffusion behavior in turbulent flows. Numerical simulations are conducted to demonstrate that, similar to the conventional memoryless random walk models, the proposed model shows normal diffusion for long‐term observations, despite its local superdiffusion behavior. The effective diffusion coefficient of the proposed stochastic process on a long‐term time scale is formulated.

Numerical Assessment of Shear Boundary Layer Formation in Sewer Systems with Fluid-Sediment Phases

Numerical and empirical studies of soil slurry transport and deposition in urban stormwater sewers are few, presumably due to the difficulty of direct observation of soil slurry flow in stormwater pipes. Slurry in a sewer system includes both suspended load and bedload, but few studies have attempted to demarcate these two components. A boundary layer is a crucial determinant of sediment transport capacity. Stormwater runoff enters the sewer in turbulent flow, mostly mixed with soil slurry generated by rainfall. In this paper, we attempt analysis using ANSYS Fluent commercial CFD software. We describe the development of a numerical analytical methodology capable of predicting the flow of soil slurry in stormwater pipes, and propose a method for estimating the sediment–flow boundary layer. Using this model, we simulated stormwater runoff with a large content of soil slurry during a rainfall event. We investigated soil slurry transport and predict the formation of shear boundary layer by varying the inlet conditions (volume of soil slurry entering the stormwater sewer system) and by analyzing the flow velocity field and soil slurry volume fraction in the pipes under various experimental flow conditions. Based on the shear and settling velocity of sediment particles, we propose criteria for the formation of a shear boundary layer in stormwater pipes.

Modeling of Flocculation and Sedimentation Using Population Balance Equation

Flocculation is a special phenomenon for fine sediment or silt in reservoirs and estuaries. Flocculation usually results in changes of size, morphology, and settling velocity of sediment particles and finally changes of bed topography of reservoirs and estuaries. The process of flocculation and sedimentation was simulated based on population balance modeling (PBM) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD); the changes of particle or floc size and their settling velocities over time were examined. The results showed that flocculation is a dynamic and nonlinear process containing aggregation, breakage, reaggregation, and rebreakage between particles, microflocs, and macroflocs. Furthermore, the visual process of flocculation and sedimentation was directly created by the simulation results and is in good agreement with the results of the previous experiments.

A three-dimensional numerical model to estimate the fall velocity of sediment particles

The fall velocity of sediment particles plays a key role in sediment transport studies. Researchers have attempted to determine the terminal fall velocity, and most of the studies in this regard have been based on experimental, quasi-experimental, and in-situ measurements. The present study aimed to use a numerical model to estimate the fall velocity of a single sediment particle in distilled and motionless water. We used spherical quartz particles with the diameters of 0.77, 1.09, 2.18, and 4.36 millimeters and density of 2,650 kg/m3. The Flow-3D software was applied to estimate the fall velocity based on the environment of experiment by Ferguson and Church (2004) using the void of flow method. The main objective of this research was to demonstrate the power of the numerical model to simulate the fall velocity of sediment particles. To validate the results of the model, they were compared with the experimental results and 26 well-known publications during 1933-2016 using the root-square-mean and mean-absolute-percentage errors. The results showed good agreement between the experimental and numerical data. Therefore, the proposed numerical model could be used to determine the fall velocity of sediment particles with a wide range of diameters in the proposed environment and particle types.

Experimental and numerical simulation research of sedimentation process in stationary column of aqueous suspension of solids

Our study proposes a new mathematical model for predicting the gravitational settling velocity of sediment particles, a measure to evaluate water clarity, to provide information to environmental engineers, first responders dealing with environmental emergencies or farmers, for the most rapid and efficient management responses. New and simplified simulation program are developed to the study sedimentation process. The mathematical model proposes a first-order differential equation who is solved by a numerical method algorithm. The proposed formula has the highest degree of predictive accuracy when compared with experimental data.

Experimental and theoretical study of bed load particle velocity

ABSTRACTThis paper reports an experimental study of sediment particle velocity in the Hydraulic Engineering Laboratory at the University of Arizona. The experiments were performed in a rectangular channel filled with a layer of coarse sand or gravel. The instantaneous particle velocity was measured by using the images captured with a commercial camera. An innovative image processing technique was developed for tracking individual particle motion, which leads to the determination of instantaneous particle velocity vector. Both the mean particle velocity and the distribution of particle velocities were analyzed. It was found that the instantaneous bed shear stress dominated the particle velocity as well as the probability density function of its distribution. This observation is consistent with the theoretically derived equations for particle velocity and its distribution. Furthermore, the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test confirmed the agreement between the distribution of experimental data and that obtained from the theoretical analysis.

Estimation of settling velocity of sediment particles in estuarine and coastal waters

A model for estimating the settling velocity of sediment particles (spherical and non-spherical) in estuarine and coastal waters is developed and validated using experimental data. The model combines the physical, optical and hydrodynamic properties of the particles and medium to estimate the sediment settling velocity. The well-known Stokes law is broadened to account for the influencing factors of settling velocity such as particle size, shape and density. To derive the model parameters, laboratory experiments were conducted using natural flaky seashells, spherical beach sands and ball-milled seashell powders. Spectral light backscattering measurements of settling particles in a water tank were made showing a distinct optical feature with a peak shifting from 470-490 nm to 500–520 nm for particle populations from spherical to flaky grains. This significant optical feature was used as a proxy to make a shape determination in the present model. Other parameters experimentally determined included specific gravity (ΔSG), Corey shape factor (CSF), median grain diameter (D50), drag coefficient (Cd) and Reynolds number (Re). The CSF values considered ranged from 0.2 for flaky to 1.0 for perfectly spherical grains and Reynolds numbers from 2.0 to 105 for the laminar to turbulent flow regimes. The specific gravity of submerged particles was optically derived and used along with these parameters to estimate the sediment settling velocity. Comparison with the experiment data showed that the present model estimated settling velocities of spherical and non-spherical particles that were closely consistent with the measured values. Findings revealed that for a given D50, the flaky particles caused a greater decrease in settling velocity than the spherical particles which suggests that the particle shape factor has a profound role in influencing the sediment settling velocity and drag coefficients, especially in transitional and turbulent flow regimes. The present model can be easily adopted for various scientific and operational applications since the required parameters are readily measurable with the commercially available instrumentations.

Development of new sensor systems for continuous bedload monitoring using a submerged load‐cell system (SLS)

AbstractIt is important to evaluate bedload discharge and temporal changes of the bed surface, and bed deformation can be estimated during floods if the bedload discharge is properly evaluated in an arbitrary cross‐section. With the exception of grain size and its distribution within the bedload, bedload discharge has been measured using both direct and indirect methods. Bedload slot is a direct method but cannot be used to measure bedload during a flood because of volume limitations. Indirect methods require correlation between the signals and sediment volume measured using another method. In the present study, a small, automatically recording bedload sensor with an iron plate and a pair of load cells is developed in order to evaluate not only large particles but also sand particles as bedload. Bedload mass is calculated by integrating with respect to both the velocity of sediment particles and the averaged particle weight as measured by a pair of load cells, and, as an example, the velocity is estimated by the cross‐correlation function of weights measured by load cells. The applicability of the proposed sensor is discussed based on the results of flume tests in the laboratory (2014) and the observation flume of the Hodaka Sedimentation Observatory of Kyoto University in Japan (2015). The system was installed in the observation flume in November of 2012, and flume data were obtained using natural sediment particles. In particular, it was difficult to estimate the velocity of averaged bedload particles, and it was better to apply a cross‐correlation function in the laboratory tests. However, it appears that the previous estimation can estimate these velocities in the observation flume using a connecting tube and submerged load‐cell systems. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Development of a numerical model for simulating bed-level changes in front of a sea wall

Anticipating the trend of seabed changes and scouring phenomena is one of the most important issues in coastal engineering, and several numerical models have already been presented to simulate coastal seabed evolutions and estimate the depth of scouring in front of coastal structures. The sea wall as a reflective structure plays an important role in protecting the coast, and how the presence or absence of these structures influences the sediment transport rate and consequently seabed changes should be studied more carefully. In this study, bed-profile changes and the potential for scouring were calculated by a numerical model at different locations in the vicinity of a sea wall. Unlike previous models in which the velocity of sediment particles was assumed to be equal to the velocity of water particles, a more detailed process was considered here to calculate the velocity of water and sediment particles. Finally, it became clear that using the sediment transport coefficient parameter did not significantly improve the seabed changes that were predicted by the modified model in the present study. This achievement shows the rationality of considering the velocity of sediment particles as being equal to the velocity of water particles in predicting seabed changes.

Video-derived near bed and sheet flow sediment particle velocities in dam-break-driven swash

This short communication considers a video-based approach to quantify near bed and sheet flow swash zone sediment particle velocities over a mobile bed in a laboratory setting and relate the profile shape to sheet thickness and a velocity that can be measured outside the sheet layer (by for instance a current meter) Near bed high speed imagery was recorded during a dam-break driven swash event in a flume with optically clear walls. Repeated swash events for two different median sediment sizes were tested. Optical Current Meter (OCM) analysis was applied to bed parallel image time stacks extracted at elevations from below the at rest bed to within the lower water column. OCM results were compared to in situ velocity measurements, where possible, obtained with an acoustic Doppler profiling velocimeter (ADPV). OCM results compared well with ADPV measurements for moderate suspended sediment concentrations (based on visual observation; sediment concentrations were not measured). Too high of a sediment concentration over saturated the image and did not provide distinct sediment particle trajectories in a consistent direction for OCM analysis. This saturation occurred during uprush for both sediment sizes. Too little of a sediment concentration provided an inadequate number of sediment particle trajectories to track, such as during flow reversal for the coarser sediment. For coarser sediment, backwash velocities were well resolved in OCM analysis with velocities comparing well (correlation coefficient > 0.8) to ADPV estimates. The dimensionless backwash sheet flow sediment particle velocity profile (normalized by the velocity at the top of the sheet) scaled with the dimensionless elevation (normalized by the sheet layer thickness) to the 0.62 power with 95% confidence intervals for the exponent ranging from 0.47 to 0.76.

Particle size distribution and settling velocity of sediments in water diverted from the Yellow River during border-strip irrigation

Li, J., Fei, L., Chen, Z., & Sun, X. (March-April, 2017). Particle size distribution and settling velocity of sediments in water diverted from the Yellow River during border-strip irrigation. Water Technology and Sciences (in Spanish), 8(2), 31-41. Diversion of river water for irrigation is an important factor in sustainable agricultural development in the Yellow River basin. This study examines patterns in the advance of sediment in irrigation water diverted from the Yellow River during border-strip irrigation. An irrigation experiment was carried out on a 1.8 m-wide strip and a 2.7 m-wide strip of a fruit field in order to observe the advance rate of irrigation water, the distribution of settled sediment, and the concentration and particle size distribution of sediment in the water flow. The settling velocity of sediment particles was then calculated using an empirical formula. The results show that the irrigation water gradually slowed as it advanced along the strip length, and the amounts of deposited particles decreased from the top ends of the strips to their bottom ends. The decrease was especially sharp on the section of each strip between 40 and 120 m from the water pipe outlet. Overall, the size of particles carried by the irrigation water fell within the range of 0.004 to 0.016 mm, with coarse and fine particles making up small proportions of the sediment. The concentration of coarse particles was higher at the top ends than at the bottom ends, while the concentration of fine particles was higher at the bottom ends than at the top ends. Water content in the soil at several locations varied significantly before and after irrigation, and the deposition of sediment was found to exert a great influence on the infiltration of irrigation water. The particle size distribution of the sediment deposited along the strips accords with the law of sedimentation in that coarse particles accumulated primarily at the top ends of the strips as a result of high settling velocity. Moreover, the results demonstrate that it is feasible to simplify the water flow over the field to open-channel flow when calculating settling velocity. However, the formula for calculating settling velocity needs further modification to take into account the influences of flume rate and the scouring action of irrigation water on the surface sediment deposited on the strips.

Empirical model for estimating vertical concentration profiles of re-suspended, sediment-associated contaminants

Vertical distribution processes of sediment contaminants in water were studied by flume experiments. Experimental results show that settling velocity of sediment particles and turbulence characteristics are the major hydrodynamic factors impacting distribution of pollutants, especially near the bottom where particle diameter is similar in size to vortex structure. Sediment distribution was uniform along the distance, while contaminant distribution slightly lagged behind the sediment. The smaller the initial sediment concentration was, the more time it took to achieve a uniform concentration distribution for suspended sediment. A contaminants transportation equation was established depending on mass conservation equations. Two mathematical estimation models of pollutant distribution in the overlying water considering adsorption and desorption were devised based on vertical distribution of suspended sediment: equilibrium partition model and dynamic micro-diffusion model. The ratio of time scale between the sediment movement and sorption can be used as the index of the models. When this ratio was large, the equilibrium assumption was reasonable, but when it was small, it might require dynamic micro-diffusion model.

Review of Fluvial Hydrodynamics: Hydrodynamic and Sediment Transport Phenomena by Subhasish DeyGeoPlanet: Earth and Planetary Sciences Book Series, Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg; 2014; ISBN 978-3-642-19061-2, ISBN 978-3-642-19062-9 (eBook); DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-19062-9; 687 pp.; $139/€107.09/£93.50.

Review of Fluvial Hydrodynamics: Hydrodynamic and Sediment Transport Phenomena by Subhasish DeyGeoPlanet: Earth and Planetary Sciences Book Series, Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg; 2014; ISBN 978-3-642-19061-2, ISBN 978-3-642-19062-9 (eBook); DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-19062-9; 687 pp.; $139/€107.09/£93.50.

Biofilm effects on size gradation, drag coefficient and settling velocity of sediment particles

Sediment particles are often colonized by biofilm in a natural aquatic ecological system, especially in eutrophic water body. A series of laboratory experiments on particle size gradation, drag coefficient and settling velocity were conducted after natural sediment was colonized by biofilm for 5, 10, 15 and 20 days. Particle image acquisition, particle tracking techniques of Particle Image Velocimetry and Particle Tracking Velocimetry were utilized to analyze the changes of these properties. The experimental results indicate that the size gradation, the drag force exerted on bio-particles, and the settling velocity of bio-particles underwent significant change due to the growth of biofilm onto the sediment surface. The study proposes a characteristic particle size formula and a bio-particle settling velocity formula based on the regression of experiment results, that the settling velocity is only 50% to 60% as the single particle which has the same diameter and density. However, biofilm growth causes large particle which the settling velocities are approximately 10 times larger than that of primary particles. These results may be specifically used in the low energy reservoir or lake environment.