3D CFD simulations of trailing suction hopper dredger plume mixing: a parameter study of near-field conditions influencing the suspended sediment source flux.

Frequency, duration and intensity of stresses like turbidity and sedimentation caused by dredging must be known to determine the environmental impact of dredging projects. These stresses depend on the amount of sediment spill from a dredger and on how much of this spill still is in suspension near environmentally sensitive areas. Near-field mixing close to a dredger influences the deposition behaviour of the sediment spill.

3D CFD simulations of trailing suction hopper dredger plume mixing: comparison with field measurements.

A 3D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model is used to simulate mixing of an overflow plume within 400 m from a trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD). The simulations are compared with new field measurements. It is the first time simulations of overflow dredging plumes are compared in such detail to field measurements this close to a TSHD.