Sediment transport and morphodynamics in marine and coastal waters with engineering solutions

Project Information

SEDIMARE

Grant agreement ID: 101072443

DOI

10.3030/101072443

EC signature date 14 July 2022

Start date 1 February 2023

End date 31 May 2027

Funded under

• Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)

Total cost

No data

EU contribution

€ 2 618 733,60

Coordinated by

PANEPISTIMIO PATRON
Greece

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SEDIMARE (Sediment transport and morphodynamics in marine and coastal waters with engineering solutions)

Reporting period: 2023-02-01 to 2025-01-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Coastal and estuarine areas are under constant erosion/sedimentation pressure. The sustainable development of these areas depends on our understanding of and ability to predict the effect of complex sediment transport and morphodynamic processes and the development of effective applied engineering solutions. The objective of the intrersectoral Network SEDIMARE is the interdisciplinary training and award of a PhD degree to Researchers in coastal processes and engineering, aiming towards a sustainable coastal use and protection.

The Network will provide a training-through-research program to 12 Doctoral Candidates on complex sediment transport processes involving sand-mud mixtures, mixed-size sands, and granular-fluid mixtures; coupling between hydrodynamics (waves, storm surges, and tides), sediment transport, and morphological changes; and engineering solutions to issues/problems related to erosion/sedimentation with emphasis on sustainability and resilience. The research methods include effective process-based engineering modelling, advanced numerical simulations, and innovative experiments.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The work carried per WP, Doctoral Candidate (DC) and Beneficiary, during the 1st reporting period, are:

Work Package 1
• DC1 (UPATRAS) focused on developing a numerical model of the large-eddy simulation of mixed sand-grain sediment transport induced by oscillatory flow over fixed ripples.
• DC6 (UCL) focused on the study of structural stability, specifically the continuous dependence of solutions, in models for flows in porous media with variable porosity.
• DC7 (DELTARES) focused on identifying the lack of flexibility in currently published sand-mud erosion equations (namely, initiation of motion and erosion) to capture the processes of different types of mud (i.e. silty or clayey).

Work Package 2
• DC3 (UTWENTE) focused on conducting two preparatory experiments as a prelude for the main one on erosion and transport of sand-silt mixtures under oscillatory conditions.
• DC4 (UNIVPM) focused on learning and applying software codes and a shallow water solver for tracking particles and simulating mixing zones in water bodies, like the Marmara Sea.
• DC5 (FIHAC) focused on numerical modelling and validation of sediment transport and morphodynamics in coastal environments based on the improvement and the validation of the IH2VOF-SED model.
• DC8 (UTWENTE) focused on the completion of a literature study on bank erosion in fluvial and marine systems and the identification of links between physical processes in bank erosion and dam breaching.
• DC9 (FUGRO) focused on building the theoretical foundation and preparing for the experimental phase of high-density sediment-laden currents by starting the design and construction of the experimental setup.
• DC11 (UNOTT) focused on testing/verification/validation of an existing morphodynamic code for simulating swash motions, and assess its performance by comparison of its output to a 3D numerical model.
• DC12 (HRW) focused on implementing and validating SedFoam, a two-phase model within OpenFOAM, to simulate sediment transport dynamics under varying hydrodynamic conditions and predict scour around marine structures.

Work Package 3
• DC2 (UNIVPM) focused on the processing of remote sensing tools (RSTs) data and developing a scheme of their proper utilization to obtain data related to nearshore hydro-morphodynamic processes.
• DC10 (MAC) focused on the development of a modelling chain that spans from offshore to the Port of Ancona to assess the performance of various ramp designs for harvesting wave energy using analytical and numerical models.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The SEDIMARE results beyond the state of the art per DC project, during the 1st reporting period, are:
• The results by DC1 demonstrated the significance of incorporating a hide/exposure factor in determining the Critical Shields parameter for the initiation of sediment motion in numerical models of coupled oscillatory fluid flow and sediment transport simulations.
• The results by DC2 are related to the successful application in the field of the developed framework, based on RSTs, by comparisons of its output to bathymetric and wave field data.
• The results by DC3, based on visual observations of motion initiation and ripple development under oscillatory flow, showed that three-dimensional ripples were primarily found in sand-silt mixtures containing 20% and 40% silt by dry weight.
• The results by DC4, based on numerical simulations of the Marmara Sea and estuarine environments, provided insights into flow patterns and transport dynamics that are critical for effective coastal management and environmental monitoring.
• The results by DC5 have delivered “IH2VOF-SED” an advanced sediment transport model capable of accurately predicting morphodynamic evolution of a beach profile under different wave conditions.
• The results by DC6 have a significant impact on the structural stability of the Brinkman–Forchheimer equations for flows in porous media with variable porosity as he established the continuous dependence of solutions with respect to the physical parameters of the equations.
• The results by DC7 made evident that initiation of motion equations have been based on site-specific sediment and are a function of 1 or 2 geotechnical parameters (e.g. bulk density, median grain size, mud or silt content).
• The results by DC8 showed that the guidelines for conducting breaching experiments are expected to lead to the production of data sets that will allow for a better understanding of breach growth and bank erosion in several ways.
• The results by DC9 defined the approach to study high-density sediment-laden currents, both from the perspective of active processes, dynamics and parametrization, as well as laboratory experiments and mathematical modelling methods.
• The results by DC10 provided insights into designing and constructing a specific type of wave energy converter (WEC) by identifying crucial components that need improvement, e.g. the ramp for the wave overtopping required for the operation of turbines.
• The results by DC11 provided an accurate prediction of beach change due to wave motions in the swash zone region where much sediment being moved on- and off-shore by a single wave.
• The results by DC12 have successfully configured the SedFoam model to simulate scour around abutments (cofferdams) subjected to steady currents, with results validated against experimental data.

Coastal interaction between waves and sand