Turbidity Currents Propagating Through a Mini-basin: a Computational Parametric Study

In this work, we investigate turbidity currents flowing into a mini-basin. Turbidity currents are particle-driven gravity flows with small density differences between particle-laden and clear fluid. The power of these flows can be enormous and can cause big damage to their environment. One practical relevance for the understanding of the physics of such flows is inter alia that mini-basins are prime targets for oil exploration when they are filled with sediments and thus of economic importance. The simulations in this study are two-dimensional, using finite difference direct numerical simulation of Navier-Stokes and transport equations. In this study, we test several configurations of geometries and change the physical properties of the currents. In the results, we present how these parameters influence the flow of the current, the deposit profile of the settled particles, and we show how much of the initial mass is trapped in the basin. As the focus of this study is on a lock-exchange configuration, we additionally present results for a constant inflow into the basin.