Numerical study of sediment transport in turbulent two-phase flows around an obstacle

This paper numerically investigates the transport of dissolved and particulate pollutants in turbulent channel flows. We present a predictive hydrodynamic model in order to explore the dispersion phenomenon of a pollutant injected at a free surface around an obstacle. The air/water interface was modeled using the volume of fluid method (VOF). Numerical results agree well with experimental data and the penetration of pollutant released at different inlet positions of the channel is studied. The Lagrangian tracking of individual particles was performed, and the transport and deposition of various particle size, density and velocity in the channel were analyzed. The standard k-ε turbulence model was chosen for this simulation.We found that large particles with a density of 1600 kg/m3, a velocity of 2 m/s and a diameter higher than 70 mm are deposited around the obstacle and near the end sill of the channel, while particles of very small size (lower than 5 mm) remain suspended in the flow and arrive at the outlet of the channel without any deposition rate. This factor must be taken into account during the discharge of effluents and pollutants in coastal water.