Numerical Study on Instantaneous Discharge of Unsorted Particle Cloud in Cross Flow

The mixing characteristics of particles such as dredged sediment of variable size discharged into cross flow are studied by a 3D numerical model, which is developed to model the particle-fluid two-phase flow. The Eulerian method with the modified k-ε parameterization of turbulence for the fluid phase is used to solve fluid phase, while a Lagrangian method for the solid phase (particles), both the processes are coupled through the momentum sources. In the model the wake turbulence induced by particles has been included as additional source term in the k-ε model; and the variable drift velocities of the particles are treated efficiently by the Lagrangian method in which the particles are tracked explicitly and the diffusion process is approximated by a random walk model. The hydrodynamic behavior of dumping a cloud of particles is governed by the total buoyancy of the cloud, the drag force on each particle and the velocity of cross-flow. The computed results show a roughly linear relationship between the displacement of the frontal position and the longitudinal width of the particle cloud. The particle size in the cloud and the velocity of cross flow dominate the flow behavior. The computed results are compared with the results of laboratory experiments and satisfactory agreement is obtained.     

The Mathematical and Parameterized Expressions for Wave Induced Excess Flow of Momentum

Wave induced excess flow of momentum(WIEFM)is the averaged flow of momentum over a wave period due to wave presence,which may also be called 3-D radiation stress.In this paper,the 3-D current equations with WIEFM are derived from the averaged Navier-Stokes equations over a wave period,in which the velocity is separated into the large-scale background velocity,the wave particle velocity and the turbulent fluctuation velocity.A concept of wave fluctuating layer(WFL)is put forward,which is the vertical column from the wave trough to wave ridge.The mathematical expressions of WIEFM in WFL and below WFL are given separately.The parameterized expressions of WIEFM are set up according to the linear wave theory.The integration of WIEFM in the vertical direction equals the traditional radiation stress(namely 2-D radiation stress)given by Longuet-Higgins and Stewart.     

The Levant Slumps and the Phoenician Structures: collapse features along the continental margin of the southeastern Mediterranean Sea

Two distinct series of slumps deform the upper part of the sedimentary sequence along the continental margin of the Levant. One series is found along the base of the continental slope, where it overlies the disrupted eastern edge of the Messinian evaporites. The second series of slumps transects the continental margin from the shelf break to the Levant Basin. It seemed that the two series were triggered by two unrelated, though contemporaneous, processes. The shore-parallel slumps were initiated by basinwards flow of the Messinian salt, that carried along the overlying Plio-Quaternary sediments. Seawater that percolated along the detachment faults dissolved the underlying salt to form distinctly disrupted structures. The slope-normal slumps are located on top of large canyons that cut into the pre-Messinian sedimentary rocks. A layer of salt is found in the canyons, and the Plio-Quaternary sediments were deposited on that layer. The slumps are bounded by large, NW-trending faults where post-Messinian faulted offset was measured. We presume that the flow of the salt in the canyons also drives the slope-normal slumps. Thus thin-skinned halokynetic processes generated the composite post-Tortonian structural patterns of the Levant margin. The Phoenician Structures are a prime example of the collapse of a distal continental margin due to the dissolution of a massive salt layer.     

Computation of Viscous Uniform and Shear Flow over A Circular Cylinder by A Finite Element Method

The incompressible viscous uniform and shear flow past a circular cylinder is studied. The two-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations are solved by a finite element method. The governing equations are discretized by a weighted residual method in space. The stable three-step scheme is applied to the momentum equations in the time integration. The numerical model is firstly applied to the computation of the lid-driven cavity flow for its validation. The computed results agree well with the measured data and other numerical results. Then, it is used to simulate the viscous uniform and shear flow over a circular cylinder for Reynolds numbers from lO0 to lO00. The transient time interval before the vortex shedding occurs is shortened considerably by introduction of artificial perturbation. The computed Strouhal number, drag and lift coefficients agree well with the experimental data. The computation shows that the finite element model can be successfully applied to the viscous flow problem.     

Artificial Upwelling of Deep Seawater Using the Perpetual Salt Fountain for Cultivation of Ocean Desert

Deep seawater in the ocean contains a great deal of nutrients. Stommel et al. have proposed the notion of a “perpetual salt fountain” (Stommel et al., 1956). They noted the possibility of a permanent upwelling of deep seawater with no additional external energy source. If we can cause deep seawater to upwell extensively, we can achieve an ocean farm. We have succeeded in measuring the upwelling velocity by an experiment in the Mariana Trench area using a special measurement system. A 0.3 m diameter, 280 m long soft pipe made of PVC sheet was used in the experiment. The measured data, a verification experiment, and numerical simulation results, gave an estimate of upwelling velocity of 212 m/day. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Pressure prediction in the Bullwinkle Basin through petrophysics and flow modeling (Green Canyon 65, Gulf of Mexico)

Reservoir pressures within the Bullwinkle minibasin (Green Canyon 65, Gulf of Mexico continental slope) increase at a hydrostatic gradient whereas pressures predicted from porosity within mudstones bounding these reservoirs increase at a lithostatic gradient: they are equal at a depth 1/3 of the way down from the crest of the structure. Two- and three-dimensional steady-state flow models demonstrate that bowl-shaped structures will have lower pressures than equivalent two-dimensional structures and that if a low permeability salt layer underlies the basin, the pressure is reduced. We conclude that at Bullwinkle, pressure is reduced due to an underlying salt body and the bowl-shape of the basin. A geometric approach to predict sandstone pressure is to assume that the reservoir pressure equals the area-weighted average of the mudstone pressure. When the mudstone pressure gradient is constant, as at Bullwinkle, the reservoir pressure equals the mudstone pressure at the average depth (centroid) of the reservoir.     

Responses of a Mediterranean soft bottom community to short-term (1993-1996) hydrological changes in the Rhone river

The polychaete fauna of muddy bottoms off the Rhone delta (NW Mediterranean) was seasonally sampled at two sites at 70 m depth, from 1993 to 1996. During this period, five severe flood events occurred. A clustering analysis (distance coefficient of Whittaker) and three way fixed factor ANOVAs (site x season x year) showed strong year-to-year changes in species density and community structure, changes that masked seasonal variations. Total density increased by a factor of 3 and density of most species significantly increased following the first flooding event. Changes in the community structure were due to the successive dominance of a few species. The opportunistic species, such as Cossura sp., Mediomastus sp. and Polycirrus sp., exhibited peaks in density 1-3 months after the flood. These peaks were followed by a drastic decline. For species with a long life span, such as Sternaspis scutata, a slower but continuous increase in density was observed which was maintained for several months. The density fluctuations of these species exhibited a good correlation with river flow with time lags of 1-2 years. The successional dynamics observed are explained according to the geographical origin of the floods and the biology and feeding ecology of species.     

A Numerical Study on the Structure and Dynamics of Turbulence in Oscillatory Bottom Layer Flow over A Flat or Rippled Bed

1 .IntroductionUnder the influence of surface waves ,sandripples often appear on beaches . Whenthe amplitudeof water oscillationis sufficientlylarge ,vortices are formed onthe lee of every sand ripple crest . A-mongthese vortices ,the most important are t…     

Numerical study of enhanced energy dissipation near a seamount

Using a two-dimensional primitive equation model, we examine nonlinear responses of a semidiurnal tidal flow impinging on a seamount with a background Garrett-Munk-like (GM-like) internal wavefield. It is found that horizontally elongated pancake-like structures of high vertical wavenumber near-inertial current shear are created both in the near-field (the region over the slope of the seamount) and far-field (the region over the flat bottom of the ocean). An important distinction is that the high vertical wavenumber near-inertial current shear is amplified only at mid-latitudes in the far-field (owing to a parametric subharmonic instability (PSI)), whereas it is amplified both at mid-and high-latitudes (above the latitude where PSI can occur) in the near-field. In order to clarify the generating mechanism for the strong shear in the near-field, additional numerical experiments are carried out with the GM-like background internal waves removed. The experiments show that the strong shear is also created, indicating that it is not caused by the interaction between the background GM-like internal waves and the semidiurnal internal tides. One possible explanation is proposed for the amplification of high vertical wavenumber near-inertial current shear in the near-field where tide residual flow resulting from tide-topography interaction plays an important role in transferring energy from high-mode internal tides to near-inertial internal waves.