A two-phase flow model of sediment transport: transition from bedload to suspended load

The transport of dense particles by a turbulent flow depends on two dimensionless numbers. Depending on the ratio of the shear velocity of the flow to the settling velocity of the particles (or the Rouse number), sediment transport takes place in a thin layer localized at the surface of the sediment bed (bedload) or over the whole water depth (suspended load).

Moreover, depending on the sedimentation Reynolds number, the bedload layer is embedded in the viscous sublayer or is larger. We propose here a two-phase flow model able to describe both viscous and turbulent shear flows. Particle migration is described as resulting from normal stresses, but is limited by turbulent mixing and shear-induced diffusion of particles.

Using this framework, we theoretically investigate the transition between bedload and suspended load.