High-resolution simulations of turbidity currents

High-resolution simulations of down-slope turbidity currents into a stratified saline ambient

We explore the properties of turbidity currents down a slope into a stratified saline ambient through highly resolved direct Navier-Stokes simulations, and compare our results to experimental results and analytical scaling arguments. Turbidity currents are buoyancy-driven flows where a denser fluid, charged with suspended particles, propagates through a lighter fluid under the effect of gravity...

Turbidity Currents and Seabed Morphology

Our main goal is to assess the hydrodynamics of turbidity currents and mudflows and their ability to produce morphological features such as ripples, dunes, antidunes and gullies along their paths. Of particular interest is to elucidate the role played by turbidity currents on the inception of submarine channels and canyons. To this end, understanding the mechanics of sediment erosion, including...

Turbidity Currents and Their Deposits

The article surveys the current state of our understanding of turbidity currents, with an emphasis on their fluid mechanics. It highlights the significant role these currents play within the global sediment cycle, and their importance in environmental processes and in the formation of hydrocarbon reservoirs. Events and mechanisms governing the initiation of turbidity currents are reviewed, alon...

Venting of Turbidity Currents: When to Act?

During floods, sediments are transported from watersheds into reservoirs, slowly decreasing water volumes and this leading to economic losses. Thus, in the long term, sedimentation endangers reservoirs’ sustainability. Sediments can also block low-level hydraulic structures such as bottom outlets and powerhouse intakes and cause abrasion of gates and turbines. Additionally, the trapped sediment...

High-resolution numerical simulations of resuspending gravity currents: conditions for self-sustainment