No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

published_or_final_version / Civil Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Particle-laden jets are an important type of multiphase flow which can be found in various natural and technical processes. This study focuses on the flow mechanisms in a horizontally discharging sediment-laden jet that is of particular interest in environmental science and engineering. Experimental techniques and mathematical models are developed to investigate horizontal sediment-laden jets, both for the buoyant and non-buoyant jet discharge cases. In the laboratory, the separation of images of the fluid and the particulate phases is achieved by harnessing light signals of visualization at different wavelengths. Whole field measurements of velocities of the two phases are made by the adoption of particle image velocimetry (PIV) algorithms. Numerical models are developed in two approaches with regard to the treatment of the particulate phase. In the Lagrangian approach, individual sediment particles are tracked while the flow field of the fluid phase is computed with large-eddy simulation (LES). This simulation successfully captures the transient nature of the particle-laden flow. In the Eulerian approach, a two-phase model is used to obtain steady flow simulations in a much shorter computation time. The experimental and numerical results for the horizontal momentum jets show that, at low initial particle concentrations, the sediment particles generally follow the jet flow but with some levels of deficit velocities. In the upper layer of the jet the particles do not follow the fluid flow as well as in its lower layer. More particles are observed in the lower layer than in the upper one. For the momentum-dominated zone of a horizontal buoyant jet, the flow exhibits similar behaviors as the horizontal particle-laden momentum jet, except that there are some slight modifications from the effects of buoyancy. In the bending zone of the buoyant jet, the effects of buoyancy become significant. Notably, the locations of maximum velocity magnitude and those of maximum turbulence intensity are well separated in this zone. A strong correlation of particle abundance and high turbulence intensity is observed in the lower outer jet layer in this bending zone. Significant modifications to the global behaviors of horizontal sediment jets are observed as the particle concentration increases to relatively high levels. The jet trajectories are brought downwards by the particle loads and the jet widths are also increased. For the flow regime being investigated, turbulence intensity in the fluid flow is found to be increased by the presence of sediment particles. The results suggest that turbulence helps suspend sediment particles in horizontally discharging jets. A Stokes number is proposed to represent the ability of particles to follow the fluid flow. It is defined as St=W_s/U_j , where ws is the particle settling velocity in still fluid and Uj is the jet exit velocity, which indirectly governs the turbulence characteristics of the jet flow. The advecting large eddies in a turbulent jet are found to play the role of organizing particles in patches. Interaction and coalescence between particle-concentrated eddies may result in the sudden drop of a group of particles, which contributes to sediments falling from a horizontal jet in the form of particle-rich “fingers”. / published_or_final_version / Civil Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Sediment-laden turbulent buoyant jets are commonly encountered in the natural and man-made environments. Examples of sediment-laden buoyant jets include volcanic eruptions, deep ocean hydrothermal vents (“black smokers”), ocean dumping of dredged spoils and sludge, and submarine discharge of wastewater effluent. It is important to understand the fluid mechanics of sediment jets for environmental impact assessment, and yet there is currently no general model for predicting the mixing of sediment-laden jets. This study reports a theoretical and experimental investigation the sediment mixing, fall-out and deposition from sediment-laden buoyant jets. It is well known that turbulence generates fluctuations to the particle motion, modulating the particle settling velocity. A general three-dimensional (3D) stochastic particle tracking model is developed to predict the particle settling out and deposition from a sediment-laden jet. Particle velocity fluctuations are modelled by a Lagrangian velocity autocorrelation function that accounts for the loitering and trapping of sediment particles in turbulent eddies which results in the reduction of settling velocity. The model is validated against results of independent experimental studies. Consistent with basic experiments using grid-generated turbulence, the model predicts that the apparent settling velocity can be reduced by as much as 30% of the stillwater settling velocity. The mixing and deposition of sediment-laden horizontal momentum jets are studied using laboratory experiments and 3D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling. It is shown that there is a significant settling velocity reduction up to about 25-35%, dependent on jet turbulent fluctuations and particle properties. The CFD approach necessitates an ad hoc adjustment/reduction on settling velocity and lacks generality. Using classical solutions of mean velocity, and turbulent fluctuation and dissipation rate profiles derived from CFD solutions, 3D particle tracking model predictions of sediment deposition and concentration profiles are in excellent agreement with measured data over a wide range of jet flow and particle properties. Unlike CFD calculations, the present method does not require any a priori adjustment of particle settling velocity. A general particle tracking model for predicting sediment fall-out and deposition from an arbitrarily inclined buoyant jets in stagnant ambient is successfully developed. The model incorporates the three flow regimes affecting the sediment dynamics in a buoyant jet, namely turbulent jet flow, jet entrainment-induced external flow and surface spreading current. The jet mean flow velocity is determined using a well-validated jet integral model. The external jet-induced irrotational flow field is computed by a distribution of point sinks along the jet trajectory. The surface spreading current is predicted using an integral model accounting for the interfacial shear. The model is validated against experimental data of sediment deposition from vertical and horizontal sediment-laden buoyant jets. / published_or_final_version / Civil Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

The assumption of perfect stratification in an aquifer has been widely used in solute-transport modeling studies. This assumption is especially useful for applied studies where limited site characterization data are available, but geologic well logs indicate significant layering. Chapter 3 investigates the issue of vertical sampling density via a sensitivity analysis of the number of aquifer layers used in a model of tracer transport through a heterogeneous synthetic aquifer. Tracer breakthrough in the synthetic aquifer is predicted by layered models. Given a variance of ln K of 2 and an exponential covariance function, sampling the synthetic aquifer at more than 12 elevations did not produce any significant improvement in the predictions. Even six sampling points, however, produced more accurate predictions of transport compared to a full-aquifer, homogeneous approach employing a local-scale dispersivity. Chapter 4 presents and interprets data from a dual-well, forced-gradient tracer experiment conducted in a confined aquifer underlying a contaminant source zone of a Superfund site. Tracer breakthrough was monitored at an extraction well and at four levels of a centerline monitoring well. A perfectly stratified numerical transport model based on multi-level data successfully predicted tracer breakthrough at the extraction well. Given the added vertical resolution associated with the layered model, it was possible to use dispersivity values more than an order of magnitude lower than the value used in a vertically integrated model. It is expected that the multi-layer model would allow for more robust analyses of solute transport at the site. In Chapter 5, TCE elution during the same dual-well experiment is predicted with a stratified numerical model incorporating rate-limited desorption, rate-limited diffusion, and rate-limited dissolution of nonaqueous phase liquid (NAPL). Based on model results, initial mass calculations, and other indirect lines of evidence, it is concluded that NAPL is the primary cause of rate limitations for TCE transport at the site. NAPL presence is the primary reason a large pump-and-treat system at the site has failed to reduce contaminant concentrations to federal drinking water standards. Alternative remediation technologies are thus necessary for restoring the aquifer, especially in the contaminant source zone.

published_or_final_version / abstract / Mechanical Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

No description available.

ANSWERS, an event-oriented, distributed parameter nonpoint source pollution model for simulating runoff and sediment transport was modified to develop a continuous nonpoint source model to simulate runoff, erosion, transport of dissolved and sediment-bound nutrients, and nutrient transformations. The model was developed for use by nonpoint source pollution managers to study the long-tenn effectiveness of best management practices (BMPs) in reducing runoff, sediment, and nutrient losses from agricultural watersheds. The Holtan's infiltration equation used in the original version of ANSWERS was replaced by the physically-based Green-Ampt infiltration equation. Soil evaporation and plant transpiration were modeled separately using the Ritchie equation. If soil moisture exceeds field capacity, the model computes percolation based on the degree of soil saturation. Nutrient losses include nitrate, sediment-bound and dissolved ammonium; sediment-bound TKN, and sediment-bound and dissolved phosphorus. A linear equilibrium is assumed between dissolved and sediment-bound phases of ammonium and phosphorus. Nutrient loss is assumed to occur only from the upper cm of the soil profile. The model simulates transformations and interactions between four nitrogen pools including stable organic N, active organic N, nitrate and ammonium. Transformations of nitrogen include mineralization simulated as a combination of ammonification and nitrification, denitrification, and plant uptake of ammonium and nitrate. The model maintains a dynamic equilibrium between stable and active organic N pools. / Ph. D.