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Flocculation effect on turbidity flows generated by deep-sea mining

A numerical study

Journal Article (2023)
Author(s)

Mohamed Elerian (TU Delft - Offshore and Dredging Engineering)

Ziyang Huang (Student TU Delft)

C. van Rhee (TU Delft - Offshore and Dredging Engineering)

Rudy L.J. Helmons (Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), TU Delft - Offshore and Dredging Engineering)

Research Group
Offshore and Dredging Engineering
Copyright
© 2023 M.F.A.I. Elerian, Ziyang Huang, C. van Rhee, R.L.J. Helmons
DOI related publication
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oceaneng.2023.114250
More Info
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Publication Year
2023
Language
English
Copyright
© 2023 M.F.A.I. Elerian, Ziyang Huang, C. van Rhee, R.L.J. Helmons
Related content
Research Group
Offshore and Dredging Engineering
Volume number
277
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Abstract

We have developed and investigated a hydrodynamic model of Deep-Sea Mining (DSM) collector turbidity flows that captures sediment particle aggregation and breakup. Flocculation is expected to have a significant impact on determining the spread patterns of the turbidity flows and the resulting turbidity currents. The recently validated drift-flux model by Elerian et al. (2022) has been coupled to the Population Balance Equation (PBE) for modelling real-life discharge scenarios. This advanced approach accounts for the dynamics of flocculation and offers a comprehensive simulation of discharge systems. We hypothesize that this will produce a more accurate representation of DSM turbidity flows in the near-field region, where the turbulence mixing is expected to be the highest. Particular emphasis is placed on the settling velocity closure, as the flocs that form are porous and have a complex geometry. The flocculation parameters are calibrated using the experiments of Gillard et al. (2019). Finally, we investigate the effect of flocculation in the near-field region by numerically solving the new model in a computational domain of the near-field region. The results indicate that aggregation is the primary mechanism, however, it does not have a visible impact on the turbidity flow in the immediate vicinity, but it is likely to have a substantial effect on the far-field region.