Numerical simulation on the evolution of sediment waves caused by turbidity currents

Interest in the forming mechanism of sediment waves increases recently because of its significance on submarine engineering, sedimentary dynamics and hydrocarbon reservoir prediction in deep water. In this paper, the time-averaged continuity equations and Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations are applied in the numerical simulation of fluid dynamics. The modeling results are used to illuminate the effects of topography on turbidity current and explore the origin of submarine sediment waves. The research results show that (1) deposition occurs firstly at the lower ramp due to the deceleration of fluid, increase of density, loss of flow capacity and longer duration of flow passage; (2) density increase at the upslope due to the local jam results in velocity decrease and pressure increase; (3) sediment waves begin to be formed and migrated toward upstream in an area far away from the source with increase of the turbidity events; (4) deposition becomes more slowly with decrease of grain sizes, but the shape and sequences of these deposits are controlled by topography, not grain size.