Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian approach for finite element modeling of two-dimensional turbidity currents

A finite element numerical model is proposed for the simulation of two-dimensional turbidity currents. Time-dependent, layer-averaged governing equations - a hyperbolic system of partial differential equations - are chosen for the numerical analysis. The Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian description is introduced to provide a computational framework for the moving boundary problem. A dissipative-Galerkin formulation is used for the spatial discretization, and a second-order finite difference scheme is used for the time integration. A deforming-grid generation technique is employed to cope with the moving boundary of a propagating front. In order to estimate the bed elevation change by the turbidity current, the double-grid finite element technique is used. The developed numerical algorithm is applied to the simulation of a laboratory experiment.