Mohamed Nabi

Detailed simulation of morphodynamics : 1. Hydrodynamic model

We present a three-dimensional high-resolution hydrodynamic model for unsteady incompressible flow over an evolving bed topography. This is achieved by using a multilevel Cartesian grid technique that allows the grid to be refined in high-gradient regions and in the vicinity of the river bed. The grid can be locally refined and adapted to the bed geometry, managing the Cartesian grid cells and faces using a hierarchical tree data approach. A ghost-cell immersed-boundary technique is applied to cells intersecting the bed topography. The governing equations have been discretized using a finite-volume method on a staggered grid, conserving second-order accuracy in time and space. The solution advances in time using the fractional step approach. Large-eddy simulation is used as turbulence closure. We validate the model against several experiments and other results from literature. Model results for Stokes flow around a cylinder in the vicinity of a moving wall agree well with Wannier’s analytical solution. At higher Reynolds numbers, computed trailing bubble length, separation angle, and drag coefficient compare favorably with experimental and previous computational results. Results for the flow over two- and three-dimensional dunes agree well with published data, including a fair reproduction of recirculation zones, horse-shoe structures, and boiling effects. This shows that the model is suitable for being used as a hydrodynamic submodel in the high-resolution modeling of sediment transport and formation and evolution of subaqueous ripples and dunes.

Computational modeling of 137Cs contaminant transfer associated with sediment transport in Abukuma River.

A numerical model capable of simulating the transfer of (137)Cs in rivers associated with transport of fine sediment is presented. The accident at Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) released radionuclides into the atmosphere, and after fallout several radionuclides in them, such as radiocesium ((134)Cs, (137)Cs) and radioiodine ((131)I) were adsorbed on surface soil particles around FDNPP and transported by surface water. To understand the transport and deposition of the radioactive contaminant along with surface soil particles and its flux to the ocean, we modeled the transport of the (137)Cs contaminant by computing the water flow and the associated washload and suspended load transport. We have developed a two-dimensional model to simulate the plane flow structure, sediment transport and associated (137)Cs contaminant transport in rivers by combining a shallow water flow model and an advection-diffusion equation for the transport of sediment. The proposed model has been applied to the lower reach of Abukuma River, which is the main river in the highly contaminated area around FDNPP. The numerical results indicate that most (137)Cs supplied from the upstream river reach with washload would directly reach to Pacific Ocean. In contrast, washload-oriented (137)Cs supplied from the upstream river basin has a limited role in the radioactive contamination in the river. The results also suggest that the proposed framework of computational model can be a potential tool for understanding the sediment-oriented (137)Cs behavior in rivers.

Experiments and modelling of cantilever failures for cohesive riverbanks

ABSTRACT This paper presents experiments and modelling of cantilever failures for a cohesive riverbank. Two types of cohesive materials with different bank cohesions were investigated under similar hydraulic conditions to clarify and simulate the failure phenomena. The experimental results showed that fluvial erosion undermined the banks during the initial stage of failure, and tension cracks then developed at the upper surface of the banks. Beam failure occurred thereafter. Additionally, a numerical model was developed using a triple-grid approach to simulate the behaviour of a cantilever within the framework of fluvial erosion, cantilever failure, slump block, and sediment transport. Moreover, cantilever failure was analysed using a limit equilibrium method to compute the stability of the overhanging block. The numerical model exhibited good agreement with the experimental results in terms of the spatial-averaged bank width along the banks and of the dominant failure type, which was beam failure.