Articles | Volume 10, issue 12
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-4367-2017
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-4367-2017
Model description paper
 | 
30 Nov 2017
Model description paper |  | 30 Nov 2017

SedFoam-2.0: a 3-D two-phase flow numerical model for sediment transport

Julien Chauchat, Zhen Cheng, Tim Nagel, Cyrille Bonamy, and Tian-Jian Hsu

Abstract. In this paper, a three-dimensional two-phase flow solver, SedFoam-2.0, is presented for sediment transport applications. The solver is extended from twoPhaseEulerFoam available in the 2.1.0 release of the open-source CFD (computational fluid dynamics) toolbox OpenFOAM. In this approach the sediment phase is modeled as a continuum, and constitutive laws have to be prescribed for the sediment stresses. In the proposed solver, two different intergranular stress models are implemented: the kinetic theory of granular flows and the dense granular flow rheology μ(I). For the fluid stress, laminar or turbulent flow regimes can be simulated and three different turbulence models are available for sediment transport: a simple mixing length model (one-dimensional configuration only), a k − ε, and a k − ω model. The numerical implementation is demonstrated on four test cases: sedimentation of suspended particles, laminar bed load, sheet flow, and scour at an apron. These test cases illustrate the capabilities of SedFoam-2.0 to deal with complex turbulent sediment transport problems with different combinations of intergranular stress and turbulence models.

Download
Short summary
This manuscript presents the development and validation of a two-phase flow Eulerian-Eulerian model based on OpenFOAM for sediment transport applications. The mathematical and numerical models are described in detail. The numerical implementation is demonstrated on four test cases: sedimentation of suspended particles, laminar bed load, sheet flow, and scour at an apron. These test cases illustrate the capabilities of SedFoam to deal with complex turbulent sediment transport problems.