Two-phase hydrodynamic and sediment transport modeling of wave-generated sheet flow

This numerical investigation was carried out to advance mechanistic understanding of sediment transport under sheet flow conditions. An Euler-Euler coupled two-phase flow model was developed to simulate fluid-sediment oscillatory sheet flow. Since the concentration of sediment particles is high in such flows, the kinematics of the fluid and sediment phases are strongly coupled. This model includes interaction forces, intergranular stresses and turbulent stress closure. Each phase was modeled via the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes equations, with interphase momentum conservation accounting for the interaction between the phases. The generation and transformation of turbulence was modeled using the two-equation k-epsilon turbulence model. Concentration and sediment flux profiles were compared with experimental data for sheet flow conditions considering both symmetric and asymmetric oscillatory flows. Sediment and fluid velocity variations, concentration profiles, sediment flux and turbulence parameters of wave-generated sheet flow were studied numerically with a focus on sediment transport characteristics. In all applications, the model predictions compared well with the experimental data. Unlike previous investigations in which the flow is driven by a horizontal pressure gradient, the present model solves the Navier-Stokes equations under propagating waves. The model's ability to predict sediment transport under oscillatory sheet flow conditions underscores its potential for understanding the evolution of beach morphology. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.