Said Alhaddad

This study utilizes three-dimensional simulations to investigate scour in combined wave–current flows around rectangular piles with various aspect ratios. The simulation model solves the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations using the k–ω turbulence model, and couples the Exner equation to compute bed elevation changes. The model also employs the level-set approach to realistically capture the free surface, and couples a hydrodynamic module with a morphological module to simulate the scour process. The morphological module employs a modified critical bed shear stress formula on a sloping bed and a sand-slide algorithm for erosion and deposition calculations in the sediment bed. To validate the numerical model, simulations are conducted in a truncated numerical wave tank with the Dirichlet boundary condition and active wave absorption method. After validation, the numerical model is used to investigate the effect of aspect ratio and the Keulegan–Carpenter (KC) number on scour depth in a combined wave–current environment. The study finds that the normalized scour depth is highest for a rectangular pile with an aspect ratio of 2:1 and lowest for an aspect ratio of 1:2. The maximum normalized scour depth (S/D) for aspect ratios of 2:1 are 0.151, 0.218, and 0.323 for KC numbers 3.9, 5.75, and 10, respectively, whereas the minimum normalized scour depth (S/D) for aspect ratios of 1:2 are 0.132, 0.172, and 0.279. Additionally, the research demonstrates that the normalized scour depth increases with an increase in the KC number for a fixed wave–current parameter (Ucw).

To date, hydraulic collection is the most widely considered technology in polymetallic-nodule mining, since there is no direct contact between hydraulic collectors and ocean floor. To construct a hydraulic collector that results in the least sediment disturbance, it is critical to develop an insightful understanding of the interaction between the collector and sediment bed. To this end, we conducted a set of small-scale experiments in which several operational conditions were tested, delivering the first quantitative data for sediment erosion resulting from a hydraulic collector driving over a sand bed. This paper presents and discusses the experimental results and observations. It is found that the collector’s forward velocity is inversely proportional to the bed-sediment erosion depth, since the bed is exposed to the flow for a longer time when the collector drives slower and vice versa. In contrast, an increased jet velocity leads to a larger erosion depth. Furthermore, when the collector underside is nearer to the sediment bed, a larger sediment layer is exposed to the water flow, resulting in a larger erosion depth. Finally, the experimental results show that collector water jets strike the sediment bed under an inclined angle, destabilizing the upper sediment layer and consequently dragging sediment particles along toward the collection duct and behind the collector head. This study improves the predictability of sediment erosion created by Coandă-effect-based collectors, which is a crucial asset to optimize the collector design and decrease the extent of the associated sediment plumes.