YesThe accurate prediction of the dilution and motion of the produced denser water (e.g. discharge of concentrated brine generated during solution mining and desalination) is of importance for environmental protection. Boundary conditions and ambient stratification can significantly affect the dilution and motion of gravity currents. In this study, a multiphase model is applied to simulate the gravity current descending a slope into a linearly stratified ambient. The k- turbulence model is used to better simulate the near bed motion. The mathematical model, initial and boundary conditions and the details of the numerical scheme are described. The time-dependent evolution of the gravity current, the flow thickness and the velocity and density field are simulated for a range of flow parameters. Simulations show that the Kelvin–Helmholtz billows are generated at the top of trailing fluid by the interfacial velocity shear. The K-H type instability becomes weaker with the slope distance from the source due to the decrease of the interfacial velocity shear along slope. The ambient stratification restricts and decreases the current head velocity as it descends slope, which differs from the situation in homogenous ambient while the head velocity remains an approximately steady state. Motion of the descending flow into the stratified ambient has two stages: initial acceleration and deceleration at later stage based on the balance of inertial, buoyancy and friction forces. When the descending current approaches the initial neutral position at later stage, it separates from the slope and spreads horizontally into environment. The simulated results, such as vertical velocity and density profiles and front positions, agree well with the measurements, indicating that the mathematical model can be successfully applied to simulate the effect of the boundary condition and ambient stratification on the dilution and propagation of gravity currents.UK EPSR

Results are presented from a numerical simulation to investigate the vertical buoyant wall jet discharged into a linearly stratified environment. A tracer transport model considering density variation was implemented. The standard $k\text{-}ϵ$ model with the buoyancy effect was used to simulate the evolution of the buoyant jet in a stratified environment. Results show that the maximum jet velocity trend along the vertical direction has two regions: acceleration and deceleration. In the deceleration region, jet velocity is reduced by the mixing taking place between jet fluid and ambient lighter fluid. Jet velocity is further decelerated by the upward buoyant force when ambient fluid density is greater than jet fluid density. The normalized peak value of the cross-sectional maximum jet velocity decreases with $\lambda$ (the ratio between the characteristic momentum length and the buoyancy length). When $\lambda <1$ , the dimensionless maximum penetration distance (normalized by the characteristic buoyancy length) does not vary much and has a value between 4.0 and 5.0, whereas it increases with increasing $\lambda$ for $\lambda \ge 1$ . General good agreement between the simulations and measurements was obtained, indicating that the model can be successfully applied to investigate the mixing of buoyant jet with ambient linearly stratified fluid.

In nearshore regions, bidirectional tidal flow is the main hydrodynamic factor, which induces local scour around submarine pipelines. So far, most studies on scour around submarine pipelines only consider the action of unidirectional, steady currents and little attention has been paid to the situation of bidirectional tidal currents. To deeply understand scour characteristics and produce a more accurate prediction method in bidirectional tidal currents for engineering application, a series of laboratory scale experiments were conducted in a bidirectional current flume. The experiments were carried out at a length scale of 1:20 and the tidal currents were scaled with field measurements from Cezhen pipeline in Hangzhou Bay, China. The experimental results showed that under bidirectional tidal currents, the scour depth increased significantly during the first half of the tidal cycle and it only increased slightly when the flow of the tidal velocity was near maximum flood or ebb in the following tidal cycle. Compared with scour under a unidirectional steady current, the scour profile under a bidirectional tidal current was more symmetrical, and the scour depth in a bidirectional tidal current was on average 80% of that under a unidirectional, steady current based on maximum peak velocity. Based on previous research and the present experimental data, a more accurate fitted equation to predict the tidally induced live-bed scour depth around submarine pipelines was proposed and has been verified using field data from the Cezhen pipeline.

This study evaluates the effectiveness of artificial Kandelia obovata forests in wave attenuation through physical model experiments conducted in a wave flume. The experiments meticulously replicated real-world hydrodynamic conditions and mangrove movement responses using the principles of gravitational and motion similarity, with a scaled 1:10 model of Kandelia obovata. Our approach included comparative experiments against a 1:100 gradient concrete slope to isolate the effects of seabed friction and flume wall reflections. The wave height was measured using strategically placed wave gauges. The findings indicated that the artificial Kandelia obovata forests significantly attenuated waves, with a decrease in the total attenuation capacity as the water depth increased from 2.75 m to 3.28 m under both regular and irregular waves. The elastic mangrove model with a canopy effect led to a 15% increase in wave attenuation over cylindrical models. Predictive models using multivariate nonlinear regression and back propagation neural networks showed that the latter provided a superior accuracy in estimating wave transmission coefficients

Based on four years of spatially synchronous topographic data of the Oujiang Estuary from 2002 to 2019, the variations and physical mechanisms of estuarine evolution driven by natural conditions and human activities since the beginning of this century were analyzed. The results show that the evolution of the Oujiang Estuary has changed dramatically in the past 20 years. From 2002 to 2019, the net sediment erosion of the estuary was 163.44 million m³, and the average bed elevation of the river-dominated section (RDS), transition section (TS) and tide-dominated section (TDS) decreased by 4.61 m, 1.30 m and 2.14 m, respectively. In addition, the pattern of the shoal channel had changed, and the river facies coefficient (width–depth ratio) decreased by 16–64%. The evolution of the Oujiang Estuary is mainly caused by human activities (such as sand mining, reclamation). Sand mining is the direct cause of riverbed undercutting, and the large undercutting of riverbed terrain causes the increase in tidal power in the estuary and further causes river channel scouring. In the last 20 years, the average annual tidal range of the estuary increased by 0.19–1.14 m, and the flood discharge increased by about 17–80%, with an average value of 58%. The impact of tidal power on the evolution and development of the estuary has increased significantly. Apart from sand mining, reclamation projects such as the Wenzhou shoal outside the mouth also cause the local velocity of the tidal current section to increase, which aggravates the scouring trend of local river sections downstream. The scouring and silting changes in the Oujiang Estuary since the beginning of this century are the result of the adjustment of the estuarine system in response to the strong intervention of human activities.