<p> Minimizing coastal wetland loss is a high priority in coastal areas throughout the world. Commonly used protection methods are costly, and may have negative impacts on the surrounding areas. The Wave Suppression and Sediment Collection (WSSC) system is an alternative shoreline protection structure. Primary goals of this study are to evaluate the sediment collection performance of three WSSC units under different sand conditions, to determine the performance characteristics of the units in terms of energy coefficients, and to validate a Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) model to determine the parameters governing wave attenuation. Sand collection results showed the units collected a minimum of 25% more fine sand than coarse, and that collection was affected by pipe size and row location. A mass transfer model was developed to predict the collection rate of sands based on wave and sand characteristics. The model fit experimental data well, with R2 values over 0.84 for three units and two different sands. A mass transfer coefficient alpha (a) was used within the model to compare the actual sand collection to the predicted amount. Resulting alpha values showed that sediment collection efficiency is governed by open area and pipe location within the devices. Performance characterization showed the WSSC units have wave reflections of 0.45 to 0.80, wave transmissions ranging from 0.10 to 0.40, and wave energy dissipation between 0.50 and 0.90, depending upon the unit and wave conditions. The WSSC units reflect more wave energy and transmit less energy compared to other breakwaters. The CFD model was validated using experimental velocity measurements. Statistical tests showed model velocities were not significantly different from experimental data. Units were modeled parametrically using CFD. Results indicated that wave reduction could be increased by decreasing pipe diameter, reducing the face slope, or increasing the number of rows.</p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:10163277 |
| Date | 01 December 2016 |
| Creators | Besse, Grant A. |
| Publisher | University of Louisiana at Lafayette |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
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