Massively Scalable Mixture Model for Small-scale Sand Ripples
Abstract
Our long-term goal is to develop a modeling framework to predict sediment transport, the evolution of seafloor roughness, and acoustic propagation through the seafloor in the near shore and littoral battlespace environment. The primary objective of this project is to implement a massively parallel version of an existing mixture model, SedMix3D, for simulating small-scale ripple dynamics in shallow littoral environments. The applicability of the existing serial version of SedMix3D is severely hampered by the physical limitations (memory and CPU speed) of typical desktop workstations. The scalable version of SedMix3D developed here will be able to simulate prototype size domains found in the center of a laboratory U-tube (up to 1 m in length). The parallel version of SedMix3D is a powerful research tool that will be used to study the details of small-scale sand ripple dynamics, including the following: (1) the effects of suspended sediment concentration on turbulence modulation, (2) the dynamics of ripple transitions from 2D to 3D (and back to 2D) under changing forcing conditions, and (3) the role of terminations and bifurcations on ripple migration and growth rates. SedMix3D treats the fluid-sediment mixture as a single continuum with effective properties that parameterize the fluid-sediment and sediment-sediment interactions using several closures for the sediment phase. The capability of SedMix3D to simulate small-scale sand ripple dynamics has been illustrated both qualitatively and quantitatively. The research tool developed here will be used to improve understanding of bedform dynamics, and more generally, bottom boundary layer physics in shallow sandy environments.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA527053
Entities
People
- A. Penko
- Joseph Calantoni
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory