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The Influence of Anisotropic Sediment Layer on Dissolved Oxygen Transfer in Turbulent Flows
Author(s) -
Wang Kunpeng,
Li Qingxiang,
Zhou Quan,
Dong Yuhong
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
water resources research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.863
H-Index - 217
eISSN - 1944-7973
pISSN - 0043-1397
DOI - 10.1029/2020wr027932
Subject(s) - turbulence , anisotropy , sediment , mechanics , stratification (seeds) , mass transfer , schmidt number , water column , environmental science , soil science , hydrology (agriculture) , geology , geotechnical engineering , physics , reynolds number , geomorphology , oceanography , seed dormancy , germination , botany , quantum mechanics , dormancy , biology
The concentration and distribution of dissolved oxygen (DO) are critical to the self‐purification capacity of water and the survival of aquatic organisms, and they are important factors considered in the ecological balance system of water resources. In this work, the high‐Schmidt number DO transfer phenomenon in open channel flows with anisotropic sediment beds is studied using large eddy simulation. The volume‐averaged Navier‐Stokes equations coupled with the Monod equation is used to describe the in‐sediment flow and the sediment oxygen demand of micro‐organisms, so as to examine the transport characteristics of DO inside and outside the sediment layer. The effects of various permeable conditions of sediments (characterized by the anisotropy index of permeability, i.e., λ) on the distribution of DO concentration and flux, penetration depth, and mass transfer processes is studied by means of the time‐averaged statistics variations in flow and scalar fields. A larger anisotropy index λ is found can enhance the transport of DO from the water flowing into the sediment layer, which is caused by turbulent diffusions and turbulence bursting events. It suggests that the λ‐dependent distributions of the DO fluctuations and fluxes are highly correlated with the coherent structures in the turbulence over the sediment‐water interface (SWI). A key relationship between the Sherwood number and the anisotropy index is found by means of the current simulations and also is verified by our theoretical analysis. The dependence of λ on DO penetration depth is consistent with the hypothesis that coherent turbulence in the water column drives mass transport across the SWI.