Modeling particle sedimentation in viscous fluids with a coupled immersed boundary method and discrete element method

Numerical techniques have increasingly been used to model fluid–particle two-phase flows. Coupling the immersed boundary method （IBM） and discrete element method （DEM） is one promising approach for modeling particulate flows. In this study, IBM was coupled with DEM to improve the reliability and accuracy of IBM for determining the positions of particles during the sedimentation process within viscous fluids. The required ratio of the particle diameter to the grid size （D/dx） was determined by comparing the simulation results with the analytical solution and experimental data. A dynamic mesh refinement model was utilised in the IBM model to refine the computational fluid dynamics grid near the particles. In addition, an optimum coupling interval between the IBM and DEM models was determined based on the experimental results of a single particle sedimentation within silicon oil at a Reynolds number of 1.5. The experimental results and the analytical solution were then utilised to validate the IBM–DEM model at Reynolds numbers of 4.1, 11.6, and 31.9. Finally, the validated model was utilised to investigate the sedimentation process for more than one particle by modeling the drafting-kissing-tumbling process and the Boycott phenomenon. Benchmark tests showed that the IBM–DEM technique preserves the advantages of DEM for tracking a group of particles, while the IBM provides a reliable and accurate approach for modeling the particle–fluid interaction.

Sedimentation motion of sand particles in moving water(Ⅰ):The resistance on a small sphere moving in non-uniform flow

In hydraulics,when we deal with the problem of sand particles moving relative to the surrounding water,Stokes'formula of resistance has usually been used to render the velocity of sedimentation of the particles.But such an approach has not been proved rigorously,and its accuracy must be carefully considered.In this paper,we discuss the problem of a sphere moving in a non-uniform flow field,on the basis of the fundamental theory of hydrodynamics.We introduce two assumptions:i)the diameter of the sphere is much smaller than the linear dimension of the flow field,and ii)the velocity of the sphere relative to the surrounding water is very small.Using these two assumptions,we solve the linearized Navier-Stokes equations and equations of continuity by the method of Laplace transform,and finally we obtain a formula for the resistance acting on a sphere moving in a non-uniform flow field.

A simple formula for predicting settling velocity of sediment particles

Based on the general relationship described by Cheng between the drag coefficient and the Reynolds number of a particle, a new relationship between the Reynolds number and a dimensionless particle parameter is proposed. Using a trial-and-error procedure to minimize errors, the coefficients were determined and a formula was developed for predicting the settling velocity of natural sediment particles. This formula has higher prediction accuracy than other published formulas and it is applicable to all Reynolds numbers less than 2× 10^5.

Transport mechanism of eroded sediment particles under freeze-thaw and runoff conditions

Hydraulic erosion associated with seasonal freeze-thaw cycles is one of the most predominant factors,which drives soil stripping and transportation.In this study,indoor simulated meltwater erosion experiments were used to investigate the sorting characteristics and transport mechanism of sediment particles under different freeze-thaw conditions(unfrozen,shallow-thawed,and frozen slopes)and runoff rates(1,2,and 4 L/min).Results showed that the order of sediment particle contents was silt>sand>clay during erosion process on unfrozen,shallow-thawed,and frozen slopes.Compared with original soils,clay and silt were lost,and sand was deposited.On unfrozen and shallow-thawed slopes,the change of runoff rate had a significant impact on the enrichment of clay,silt,and sand particles.In this study,the sediment particles transported in the form of suspension/saltation were 83.58%–86.54%on unfrozen slopes,69.24%–84.89%on shallow-thawed slopes,and 83.75%–87.44%on frozen slopes.Moreover,sediment particles smaller than 0.027 mm were preferentially transported.On shallow-thawed slope,relative contribution percentage of suspension/saltation sediment particles gradually increased with the increase in runoff rate,and an opposite trend occurred on unfrozen and frozen slopes.At the same runoff rate,freeze-thaw process had a significant impact on the relative contribution percentage of sediment particle transport via suspension/saltation and rolling during erosion process.The research results provide an improved transport mechanism under freeze-thaw condition for steep loessal slopes.

Improvement and Application of Grain Size Distribution Characteristics Calculation of Bed Material

Grain size distribution of bed material is an important characteristic for studying evolution of natural river channel by means of experimental ways and numerical modeling of flow and sediment process.In this study,the fractal characteristic of sediment particle has been defined by means of fractal theory based on ana- lyzing the property of grain size distribution of bed material in the river channel.Furthennore,the fractal prop- erty of sediment particle has been applied to judge the process of armorin...

Analysis of the complex morphology of sediment particle surface based on electron microscope images

The morphology of sediment particles plays an important role in interfacial interactions.The difficulties in complex morphological description significantly limit the research on interfacial interactions.In this study,images of a single sediment particle extracted from electron microscope photos were used to analyze the gray values and present the probability of shape of the sediment particles.Moreover,the morphological features of the sediment particles were qualitatively described using the fractal method(surface area-volume method).The fractal dimension D of a single sediment particle was calculated to analyze the features and quantitative complexity of the sediment particle morphology.Results indicate that the probability of shape can provide intuitive morphological structure and fully describe the complex morphological characteristics of sediment particle surfaces.The fractal dimension abstractly described the complexity of the morphology of a sediment particle surface and matched well with the experimental results.The methods discussed in this study are suitable for describing the complex morphology of the sediment particle surface and lay the scientific foundation for further research on the interfacial interaction between the sediment particle and the pollutant.

STUDY ON SORPTION OF HEAVY METAL POLLUTANTS BY SEDIMENT PARTICLES

Sorption of heavy metal on sediment particles is studied theoretically am experimentally. Sorption processes of heavy metal pollutants on sediment particles can b well described by Langmuir model. Parameters in the model b,,k and k1 depend on proper ties of sediment and water, and have nothing to do with sediment concentration. By com bining the sorption dynamic equation and the mass conservation equation, the variation c N(sorption content of heavy metal pollutant by specific weight of sediment) and c (con centration of heavy metal pollutant in water phase) with time can be deduced. Further more, formulas for calculating the equilibrium sorption content N and the equilibriur concentration of heavy metal pollutant in water phase c are established too. Experimenta data well coincide with theoretical formulas. These can be treated as the basis for furthe quantitative study of sediment sorption-desorption characteristics.

Fully resolved simulations of viscoelastic suspensions by an efficient immersed boundary-lattice Boltzmann method

An efficient immersed boundary-lattice Boltzmann method(IB-LBM)is proposed for fully resolved simulations of suspended solid particles in viscoelastic flows.Stress LBM based on Giesekus and Oldroyd-B constitutive equation are used to model the viscoelastic stress tensor.A boundary thickening-based direct forcing IB method is adopted to solve the particle-fluid interactions with high accuracy for non-slip boundary conditions.A universal law is proposed to determine the diffusivity constant in a viscoelastic LBM model to balance the numerical accuracy and stability over a wide range of computa-tional parameters.An asynchronous calculation strategy is adopted to further improve the computing efficiency.The method was firstly applicated to the simulation of sedimentation of a single particle and a pair of particles after good validations in cases of the flow past a fixed cylinder and particle migration in a Couette flow against FEM and FVM methods.The determination of the asynchronous calculation strategy and the effect of viscoelastic stress distribution on the settling behaviors of one and two particles are revealed.Subsequently,504 particles settling in a closed cavity was simulated and the phenomenon that the viscoelastic stress stabilizing the Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities was observed.At last,simulations of a dense flow involving 11001 particles,the largest number of particles to date,were performed to investigate the instability behavior induced by elastic effect under hydrodynamic interactions in a viscoelastic fluid.The elasticity-induced ordering of the particle structures and fluid bubble structures in this dense flow is revealed for the first time.These simulations demonstrate the capability and prospects of the present method for aid in understanding the complex behaviors of viscoelastic particle suspensions.

Sediment Trapping from Hyperconcentrated Flow as Affected by Grass Filter Strips

To evaluate the effect of vegetative filter strips on sediment trapping, the spatial distribution of deposited sediment, and the size distribution of deposited particles from hyperconcentrated flows, a simulated grass filter strip experiment was conducted with plastic grass using an adjustable slope steel flume. The simulated vegetation cover was 36%, and the inflow sediment concentrations applied were 147, 238, 320, and 429 kg m^(-3). The sediment concentration in the outflow, and the sediment particle size were determined. The results showed that the grass filter strips trapped most of the sediment from inflow at low sediment concentration. The deposition efficiency decreased with increasing sediment concentration, being 55.2% and 15.7% in the 147 and 429 kg m^(-3)sediment treatments, respectively. Most of the deposited sediments were distributed in the upper flume. In addition, the grass filter strips mainly trapped the coarse sediment (particle size>10 μm).

Characterization of heavy metal desorption from road-deposited sediment under acid rain scenarios

Road-deposited sediments（RDS） on urban impervious surfaces are important carriers of heavy metals.Dissolved heavy metals that come from RDS influenced by acid rain,are more harmful to urban receiving water than particulate parts.RDS and its associated heavy metals were investigated at typical functional areas,including industrial,commercial and residential sites,in Guangdong,Southern China,which was an acid rain sensitive area.Total and dissolved heavy metals in five particle size fractions were analyzed using a shaking method under acid rain scenarios.Investigated heavy metals showed no difference in the proportion of dissolved fraction in the solution under different acid rain pHs above3.0,regardless of land use.Dissolved loading of heavy metals related to organic carbon content were different in runoff from main traffic roads of three land use types.Coarse particles（＆gt;150 μm） that could be efficiently removed by conventional street sweepers,accounted for 55.1%-47.1%of the total dissolved metal loading in runoff with pH 3.0-5.6.The obtained findings provided a significant scientific basis to understand heavy metal release and influence of RDS grain-size distribution and land use in dissolved heavy metal pollution affected by acid rain.

Ultrasound Imaging Signal Analysis of Underwater Topography in River Model Experiment

In this paper, we analyze the feature of ultrasonic image and investigate the effect of topography material, flow velocity and sediment concentration on the imaging of underwater topography by imaging experiments of model sands. These imaging experiments are conducted in river engineering physical model.The results show that the vertical distribution of pixel values is changed hugely at the position of imaging bright band of underwater topography. The imaging of underwater topography is not affected when flow velocity is below 40 cm/s and sediment concentration is below 5.0 ‰. The main influence factors of imaging signals are flow velocity and sediment concentration near the topographical bed. The resolution of ultrasound imaging signals is high, and the topography consisted of model sands with particle size smaller than 0.1 mm can be monitored well in the river model experiment.