Numerical simulation of sediment erosion by submerged plane turbulent jets

Erosion of loose beds acted by submerged plane turbulent jets was simulated with the Eulerian two-phase model, which implements Euler-Euler coupled governing equations for fluid and solid phases. A modified k-ɛ turbulence model was chosen to enclose the fluid phase. Both flow-particle and particle-particle interactions were considered in this model. The computational results were in a good agreement with previous laboratory measurements. The characteristics of the flow field in the two phases and the influences of hydraulic and geometric parameters on eroded bed profiles were analyzed based on the computational results. The calculational results reveal that: the Densimetric Froude number is the most important factor that influences the computational results of the eroded bed; sands may keep movable or still under the interaction among particles gravity, seepage force of pore water and friction between particles. And sands on the upwind side of the dune may be promoted along the water-sand interface to the sand mound by the local shear stress, which mainly influences the scoured shape; by adjusting the computational steps and methods, two problems in the Eulerian two-phase simulation are solved.