Sediment Transport

 Not all channels are formed in sediment and not all

rivers transport sediment. Some have been carved into
bedrock, usually in headwater reaches of streams
located high in the mountains. These streams have
channel forms that often are dominated by the nature of
the rock (of varying hardness and resistance to
mechanical breakdown and of varying joint definition,
spacing and pattern) in which the channel has been cut.
Some Useful Definitions
Competence :
Competence refers to the largest size (diameter) of
sediment particle or grain that the flow is capable of
moving; it is a hydraulic limitation. If a river is sluggish
and moving very slowly it simply may not have the power
to mobilize and transport sediment of a given size even
though such sediment is available to transport. So a river
may be competent or incompetent with respect to a given
grain size. If it is incompetent it will not transport
sediment of the given size. If it is competent it may
transport sediment of that size if such sediment is available
Capacity:

Capacity refers to the maximum amount of sediment of a

given size that a stream can transport. Capacity depends on
channel gradient and discharge. Capacity transport is the
competence-limited sediment transport (mass per unit time)
predicted by all sediment-transport equations. Capacity
transport only occurs when sediment supply is abundant
(non-limiting).
Sediment supply:

Sediment supply refers to the amount and size of sediment

available for sediment transport. Capacity transport for a
given grain size is only achieved if the supply of that caliber
of sediment is not limiting (that is, the maximum amount of
sediment a stream is capable of transporting is actually
available). Because of these two different potential
constraints (hydraulics and sediment supply) distinction is
often made between supply-limited and capacity-limited
transport. Most rivers probably function in a sediment-
supply limited condition.
Modes of Sediment Transport
The sediment load of a river is transported in various ways
although these distinctions are to some extent arbitrary and
not always very practical in the sense that not all of the
components can be separated in practice:
1. Dissolved load
2. Suspended load
3. Wash load
4. Bed load
Dissolved Load
Dissolved load is material that has gone into solution and is
part of the fluid moving through the channel. The amount of
material in solution depends on supply of a solute and the
saturation point for the fluid. For example, in limestone
areas, calcium carbonate may be at saturation level in river
water and the dissolved load may be close to the total
sediment load of the river. In contrast, rivers draining
insoluble rocks, such as in granitic terrains, may be well
below saturation levels for most elements and dissolved
load may be relatively small.
Total dissolved-material transport, Qs(d)(kg/s), depends on
the dissolved load concentration Co (kg/m3), and the stream
discharge, Q (m3/s): Qs(d) = CoQ
Suspended-sediment load

Suspended-sediment load is the clastic (particulate)

material that moves through the channel in the water
column. These materials, mainly silt and sand, are kept
in suspension by the upward flux of turbulence
generated at the bed of the channel. The upward
currents must equal or exceed the particle fall-velocity
(Figure ) for suspended-sediment load to be sustained.
Fall velocity vs grain size
 Suspended-sediment concentration in rivers is measured
with an instrument like the DH48 suspended-sediment
sampler shown in Figure. The sampler consists of a cast
housing with a nozzle at the front that allows water to enter
and fill a sample bottle. Air evacuated from the sample bottle
is bled off through a small valve on the side of the housing.
The sampler can be lowered through the water column on a
cable. the sampler is lowered from the water-surface to the
bed and up to the surface again at a constant rate so that a
depth-integrated suspended sediment sample is collected.
The instrument must be lowered at a constant rate such
that the sample bottle will almost but not quite fill by
the time it returns to the surface. The sample bottle is
then removed and capped and returned to the
laboratory where the fluid volume and sediment mass
is determined for the calculation of suspended-
sediment concentration.
Wash Load:
Although wash load is part of the suspended-sediment load it
is useful here to make a distinction. Unlike most suspended-
sediment load, wash load does not rely on the force of
mechanical turbulence generated by flowing water to keep it
in suspension. It is so fine (in the clay range) that it is kept
in suspension by thermal molecular agitation (sometimes
known as Brownian motion, named for the early 19th-
century botanist who described the random motion of
microscopic pollen spores and dust). Because these clays
are always in suspension, wash load is that component of
the particulate or clastic load that is “washed” through the
river system.
 Unlike coarser suspended-sediment, wash load tends to be
uniformly distributed throughout the water column. That is,
unlike the coarser load, it does not vary with height above
the bed.
Bed Load (Traction Load)
Bed load is the clastic (particulate) material that moves
through the channel fully supported by the channel bed
itself. These materials, mainly sand and gravel, are kept
in motion (rolling and sliding) by the shear stress
acting at the boundary. A distinction is often made
between the bed-material load and the bed load.
Development of Sediment Transport
Formulae
 Empirical formulae developed for bedload,
suspended load and total sediment transport
rate using laboratory and field data.
 These are based on hydraulic and
sediment conditions – Water depth, velocity,
slope and average sand diameter etc.
 There can be significant differences
between predicted and measured sediment
transport rates, WHY?
18
 Development of Sediment Transport
Formulae
 These differences are due to change in:
- Water temperature,
- Effect of fine sediment,
- Bed roughness,
- Armouring, and
- Inherent difficulties in measuring
total sediment discharge.
 Use of most appropriate formula based on
the availability of conditions, experience and
knowledge of the engineer.
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 1. Bedload Formula – Meyer-Peter &
Müller (1948)
Valid for D > 3.0mm
Where D is average
q sb qb*  8(FS  Fc* ) 3 / 2 sand diameter
D gD s  1
o
Critical Shields
gD( s  1) Parameter = 0.047

Sediment Flow Rate q sb  D gD s 

 1  
8( Fs  0 . 047 ) 3/ 2
m3/s/m
The Shields diagram empirically shows how the dimensionless critical
shear stress required for the initiation of motion is a function of a
particular form of the particle Reynolds number, Rep or Reynolds
20
number related to the particle.
2. Total Sediment Transport Load –
Engelund/Hansen’s (1967) Formula

f /  0.1 5 / 2
2 gSy
Friction factor f  /

V2
qt   s    3
1 / 2

 Shields 
  gD  Parameter ( s   ) D
s    

0.1 5 / 2
Sediment qt  /
 s g ( s  1) D 3
50
N/s/m
transport load f
21
3. Total Sediment Transport Load –
Ackers & White’s Formula (1973)

 g  (  s  )  1 
1/ 3
Dimensionless Grain D gr  D 
Diameter  2 Flow
 
velocity
1 n
u*
n
 V 
Mobility Number Fgr   
gD (  s  )  1  32 log 10 Dm D  


Hydraulic
 Fgr
m
 qD  V 
n mean
Sediment Flow Rate qs  C   1   depth
m3/s/m  Agr  Dm  u* 

Flow
discharge
22
4. Van Rijin’s Formula (2004):
𝜏−𝜏 𝑐 1.5
𝐷50 [ 𝜏 ]
𝑐
𝐶𝑎 = 𝑋1 1 − − − (1)
𝑋2 (𝜌 𝑠 −𝜌 𝑤 )𝑔 ൗ 3 0.3
{𝐷50 [ 𝜌 𝜐 2 ] }
𝑤
 Where “Ca is the suspended sediment concentration,
“ X1”and “X2” are the parameters, D50 is the sediment particle
diameter, ρS is the density of sediments (2650 kg/m 3), ρW is
the density of water(1000kg/m3),υ is the kinematic viscosity
of water (10-6 m2/s) and g is the gravitational acceleration
(9.81 N/m2), τ is the shear stress and τc is the critical bed
shear stress determined by the following equation (2)
 𝜏 = 𝜌𝑤 𝑔𝑦𝐼𝑓 − − − − − − − − − − − − − − − ሺ2ሻ

 Where ρw is the density of water, “y” is the depth of

flow“g” is the gravitational acceleration and “If” is the
frictional slope If is calculated as follows (equation
(3))
𝑈2
𝐼𝑓 = 2 4/3 − − − − − − − − − − − − − − (3)
𝑀 𝑦
 Where “M” is the Stickler’s coefficient “I” is the
longitudnal slope of the canal and “U” is the velocity
which is calculated by equation (4)
 2 1
3 2
𝑈 = 𝑀𝑟ℎ 𝐼 − − − − − − − − − − − − − − − (4)
 “rh” is the hydraulic depth which is assumed to be
equal to the depth of flow because the width of the
cross-section of the canal is very large. Critial shear
stress is calculated by equation (5)
𝜏𝑐 = 𝐶𝑔ሺ𝜌𝑠 − 𝜌𝑤 ሻ𝐷50 − − − − − − − − − − − (5)
 Where τc is the critical shear stress, “C” is the
Shield’s parameter determined by Shield’s curve in
which Reynolds number is along abscissa and “C” is
in ordinate. Reynolds number is calculated by
equation (6)
 𝑢∗ 𝑑
𝑅= − − − − − − − − − − − − − − − − (6)
𝜐
 Where u* is the shear velocity, “d” is the particle’s
diameter and “υ” is the viscosity of water. Velocity
“U” for logarithmic profile is calculated by equation
(7) 𝑈 1 30𝑦
= ln ൬ ൰ − − − − − − − − − − − − − (7)
𝑢∗ 𝑘 𝑘𝑠
 Where “u*” is the shear velocity, “k” is constant=0.4,
“y” is the flow depth and “ks” is the bed roughness
height calculated by equation (8)

𝑘𝑠 = (26 ∗ 𝑛)6 − − − − − − − − − − − − − −(8)

 “u*” in equation 7 is calculated by equation (9)
Hunter Rouse concentration “Cy”is calculated as
𝜏
𝑢∗ = ඨ − − − − − − − − − − − − − − − − (9)
𝜌𝑤

 Where “y” is the water depth, “h” is the depth of each

layer from the bottom and the suspension parameter
“z” is calculated by equation (11)

𝐶𝑦 𝑦−ℎ 𝑎 𝑧
=( ) − − − − − − − − − − − − − (10)
𝐶𝑎 ℎ 𝑦−𝑎

𝑤
𝑧= − − − − − − − − − − − − − − − (11)
𝑘𝑢∗
 Root mean square error is calculated by
1 𝑛 𝐶𝑠ሺ𝑖 ሻ− 𝐶𝑜ሺ𝑖ሻ 2
𝐸=ඨ ෍ [ ] − − − − − − − − − (12)
𝑛 𝑖=1 ሺ
𝐶𝑠 𝑖 ሻ