The above video clip shows fine sediment input into flow fields around Grays Harbor Inlet, Washington. Colors of sediments indicate location of introduction into the flow. The flow fields were generated using ADCIRC.

• Evaluation of sediment mobility

• Determination of the fate of dredge spoil

• Scour around structures such as breakwaters, offshore platforms, pipelines

• Determination of the sediment transport conditions in waterways and the influence of proposed operational or structural changes on sediment behavior.
  
  

The formulation of sediment transport processes into a discrete Lagrangian model provides valuable insight into the paths individual parcels of sediment take and the roles of individual particle characteristics in the overall sediment behavior. This type of model is unrestricted in the range of sediment types that can be simultaneously modeled (e.g. silts, clays and sands).

Advantages of using PSed include:

• Any combination of sediment sizes and properties can be used

• A clear visualization of the path of sediments is provided

• At any time in the simulation, the source and history of any sediment parcel can be determined. Parcels can readily be coded to carry other processes such as biological changes, changes in chemistry, etc.

• The discrete element formulation of sediment dynamics avoids much of the empiricism inherent in most sediment transport formulations

• Modern coding methods and data structures allow very large simulations to be rapidly run on PC platforms. Typical simulations of 10,000 sediment parcels can be run in a matter of minutes

• Fluid dynamics are modeled using any finite element or finite difference models, including Telemac2D for unsteady flow in rivers and estuaries, WaveSim for waves in coastal waters, Wake2D for ship-generated waves

For further information, please contact:

E-mail coastal@piengr.com