Appendix A - D3D Sediment Transport and Morphology

Delft3D-FLOW
Chapter 11
3D Sediment transport and morphology
User Manual
January, 2005
WL | Delft Hydraulics 2
Delft3D-FLOW Contents January, 2005
User Manual Version 3.11
Contents
11 3D Sediment transport and morphology ..........................................................111
11.1 General formulations ...............................................................................111
11.1.1 Introduction.................................................................................111
11.1.2 Effect of sediment on fluid density .............................................112
11.1.3 Sediment settling velocity...........................................................113
11.1.4 Dispersive transport ....................................................................114
11.1.5 Three-dimensional wave effects .................................................115
11.1.6 Initial and boundary conditions ..................................................115
11.2 Cohesive sediment ...................................................................................117
11.2.1 Cohesive sediment settling velocity............................................117
11.2.2 Cohesive sediment dispersion.....................................................118
11.2.3 Cohesive sediment erosion and deposition .................................118
11.2.4 Influence of waves on cohesive sediment transport....................119
11.3 Non-cohesive sediment............................................................................119
11.3.1 Non-cohesive sediment settling velocity ....................................119
11.3.2 Non-cohesive sediment dispersion ...........................................1110
11.3.3 Reference concentration ...........................................................1114
11.3.4 Non-cohesive sediment erosion and deposition........................1117
11.3.5 Inflow boundary conditions non-cohesive sediment ................1121
11.4 Bed-load sediment transport of non-cohesive sediment ........................1122
11.4.1 Basic formulation......................................................................1122
11.4.2 Suspended sediment correction vector......................................1124
11.4.3 Inclusion of a fixed layer ..........................................................1124
11.4.4 Calculation of bed-load transport at open boundaries ..............1125
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January, 2005 Contents Delft3D-FLOW
Version 3.11 User Manual
11.4.5 Bed-load transport at U and V velocity points ......................... 1125
11.4.6 Adjustment of bed-load transport for bed-slope effects ........... 1126
11.5 Additional transport formulations for non-cohesive sediment.............. 1129
11.6 Morphological updating ........................................................................ 1131
11.6.1 Availability of sediment at the bed........................................... 1132
11.6.2 Bathymetry updating including bed-load transport.................. 1134
11.6.3 Erosion of dry points................................................................ 1135
11.7 Specific implementation aspects ........................................................... 1135
11.8 Validation .............................................................................................. 1136
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Delft3D-FLOW 3D Sediment transport and morphology January, 2005
11 3D Sediment transport and morphology
11.1 General formulations
11.1.1 Introduction
Three-dimensional transport of suspended sediment is calculated by solving the three-

dimensional advection-diffusion (mass-balance) equation for the suspended sediment:
c ( l ) uc ( l ) vc ( l ) ( w ws )c
(l) (l)
+ + + +
t x y z
(11.1)
( l ) c( l ) ( l ) c( l ) ( l ) c( l )
s,x s, y s ,z = 0,
x x y y z z
where:
c( l) mass concentration of sediment fraction ( l ) [kg/m3]

u, v and w flow velocity components [m/s]
,
(l)
s,x
(l)
s, y s, y and (l)
s,z eddy diffusivities of sediment fraction ( l ) [m2/s]
ws( l ) (hindered) sediment settling velocity of sediment

fraction ( l ) [m/s]
The local flow velocities and eddy diffusivities are based on the results of the hydrodynamic
computations. Computationally, the three-dimensional transport of sediment is computed in
exactly the same way as the transport of any other conservative constituent, such as salinity,
heat, and constituents. There are, however, a number of important differences between
sediment and other constituents. For example, the exchange of sediment between the bed
and the flow, and the settling velocity of sediment under the action of gravity. These
additional processes for sediment are obviously of critical importance. Other processes such
as the effect that sediment has on the local mixture density, and hence on turbulence
damping, can also be taken into account. In addition, if a net flux of sediment from the bed
to the flow, or vice versa, occurs then the resulting change in the bathymetry should
influence subsequent hydrodynamic calculations. The formulation of several of these
processes are sediment-type specific, this especially applies for sand and mud. In this
section we discuss some of the differences in general terms and refer for the details of the
mathematical formulations to the sections that follow.
For the sediment fractions you can select any mixture of sand and mud. Different
formulas are used to calculate the fall velocity, erosion and sedimentation of each type of

January, 2005 3D Sediment transport and Delft3D-FLOW
morphology
sediment. You can specify up to five sediment fractions in a single simulation. This means
you can execute a simulation with, for example, more than one sand fraction, or a number
of sand and mud sediment fractions present at any location. The simultaneous presence
of multiple sediment fractions has implications for the calculation of the local hindered fall
velocity of any one sediment fraction as well as for the resulting mixture density.
Remarks:
The presence of multiple sediment fractions considerably complicates the calculation of
the density of the bed and the availability of a particular class of sediment at the bed. In
the current implementation, sand and mud and the respective sand fractions are therefore
treated separately. At the bottom, each sediment fraction is available independently of the
other fractions, i.e. no account has been taken on bottom layers of (possibly covered)
successive sediment fractions, or interaction between different fractions.
Small negative sediment concentrations (~ -1.10-3 kg/m3) can be found in a computation.
These negative concentrations can be suppressed by applying a horizontal Forester filter,
Sections 4.5.8 and 10.6.4. However, this can result in a substantially larger computing
time. It is suggested to accept small negative concentrations and to apply a Forester filter
only when the negative concentrations become unacceptably large.
A vertical Forester filter applied in a sediment transport computation will not affect the
sediments. Since this filter smoothes the vertical profile and thus can have a strong
influence on the vertical mixing processes, this vertical filter has been de-activated for
sediments.
11.1.2 Effect of sediment on fluid density
In its standard form Delft3D-FLOW uses an empirical relation (Eckart, 1958) to adjust the
density of water in order to take into account varying temperature and salinity. For sediment
transport this relation is extended to include the density effect of sediment fractions in the
fluid mixture. This is achieved by adding (per unit volume) the mass of all sediment
fractions, and subtracting the mass of the displaced water. As a mathematical statement this
translates as:
lsed
w ( S )
mix ( S , c ( l ) ) = w ( S ) + c ( l ) 1 (11.2)
l =1 s( l )
where:
w ( S ) specific density of water with salinity concentration S [kg/m3]
S salinity concentration [ppt]

(l)
s specific density of sediment fraction ( l ) [kg/m3]
lsed number of sediment fractions
Horizontal density gradients (now also due to differences in sediment concentrations) can
create density currents. Vertical density gradients can also have a significant effect on the
amount of vertical turbulent mixing present, as discussed below.
112 WL | Delft Hydraulics

You can include or neglect the effect of sediment on the fluid density by setting the
DENSIN flag in the morphology input file.
Remarks:
This option is included as it has been found that a secondary effect of including sediment
in the density calculations is a reduction of the flow velocity in the lower computational
layers (when compared with a standard logarithmic velocity profile) and a consequent
reduction in the computed bed shear stress. This reduction in bed shear stress is
particularly pronounced when the k turbulence closure model is used, and leads to
an increase in overall flow velocity and a consequent lowering of the free surface. Our
experience shows that this change in the free surface level (even if very slight) can lead
to calibration problems when converting an existing 2DH model to 3D if the model is
driven using water level boundary conditions. A simple method of circumventing these
problems can be achieved by setting DENSIN = .false. which has the effect of preventing
the sediment from having any effect on the density of the water/sediment mixture.
11.1.3 Sediment settling velocity
The settling velocity ws( l ) for sand and mud are strongly different in formulation; see
Sections 11.2.1 and 11.3.1 for details. In high concentration mixtures, the settling velocity of
a single particle is reduced due to the presence of other particles. In order to account for this
hindered settling effect we follow Richardson and Zaki (1954) and determine the settling
velocity in a fluid-sediment mixture as a function of the sediment concentration and the non-
hindered settling fall velocity:
5
c tot
w (l)
s = 1 s ws( ,0l ) . (11.3)
CSOIL
where CSOIL is the reference density (input parameter), ws ,0 is the 'basic' sediment fraction
specific settling velocity. The total mass concentration cmtot is the sum of the mass
concentrations of the sediment fractions:
lsed
cstot = c ( l ) . (11.4)
l =1
As the fall velocity is now a function of the sediment fractions concentration, this implies
that each sediment fraction has a fall velocity which is a function of location and time.
Remark:
The process of sediment settling is computed with a first-order upwind numerical
scheme. While use of the upwind settling formulation does slightly under-predict the
mass of sediment settling, the magnitude of this error has been shown to be rather small
(Lesser et al., 2000).

morphology
11.1.4 Dispersive transport
The eddy diffusivities s(,lx) , s(,ly) and s(,lz) depend on the flow characteristics (turbulence
level, taking into account the effect of high sediment concentrations on damping turbulent
exchange processes) and the influence of waves (due to wave induced currents and
enhanced bottom shear stresses). Delft3D-FLOW supports four so-called turbulence
closure models:
Constant coefficient.
Algebraic eddy viscosity closure model.
k L turbulence closure model.
k turbulence closure model.
The first is a simple constant value which is specified by the user. A constant eddy viscosity
will lead to parabolic vertical velocity profiles (laminar flow). The other three turbulence
closure models are based on the eddy viscosity concept of Kolmogorov (1942) and Prandtl
(1945) and offer zero, first, and second order closures for the turbulent kinetic energy (k)
and for the mixing length (L). All three of the more advanced turbulence closure models
take into account the effect that a vertical density gradient has on damping the amount of
vertical turbulent mixing. See Section 9.5 for a full description of the available turbulence
closure models.
The output of a turbulence closure model is the eddy viscosity at each layer interface; from
this the vertical sediment mixing coefficient is calculated:
s( l ) = f , (11.5)
where:
s( l ) vertical sediment mixing coefficient for the sediment fraction ( l ) .

non-cohesive sediment: Van Rijns beta factor or effective 'beta' factor.
cohesive sediment fractions and fine sand (<150 m): 1.0.
f vertical fluid mixing coefficient calculated by the selected turbulence
model.
Remarks:
For cohesive sediment fractions the extra turbulent mixing due to waves is not yet
included in the eddy diffusivity. This is a limitation of the present implementation.
For non-cohesive sediment the effect of waves is accounted for by using a modified or
effective 'beta' factor of Van Rijn ( k model) or by using a separate formula to
compute f (algebraic or k - L) model.
The following sections describe, at a conceptual level, the changes made to the standard
hydrodynamic module to account for the differences between the transport of sediment and
the transport of other conservative constituents. These modifications come into operation
upon specifying the required keywords and values as specified at the start of this section.

A number of modifications have also been incorporated to account for the three-dimensional
effects of waves on the computed velocity and turbulent mixing values. These effects are
important when computing the transport of sediment in wave and current situations, see
Sections 11.2.4 and 11.3.4 for full details.
11.1.5 Three-dimensional wave effects
In the previous versions of Delft3D-FLOW wave effects were only incorporated in a depth-
averaged manner via a (breaking) wave induced shear stress at the surface, a wave induced
mass flux and an increased bed shear stress. Important wave effects such as streaming in the
wave boundary layer and wave induced turbulence are not accounted for. The problem of
three dimensional wave effects has been studied by Walstra and Roelvink (2000); their main
suggestions for improvement are:
1. The wave induced mass flux is corrected with the second order Stokes drift.
2. The production of turbulent energy associated with wave breaking is incorporated by
introducing an extra source term in the kinetic energy and dissipation equations of
the k turbulence model.
3. The production of turbulent energy associated with dissipation in the near-bed wave
boundary layer is incorporated by introducing an extra source term in the kinetic
energy and dissipation equations of the k turbulence model.
4. Streaming (a wave induced current in the wave boundary layer directed in the wave
propagation direction) is modelled as a time averaged shear stress.
For full details you are referred to Section 9.7.
11.1.6 Initial and boundary conditions
To solve Eq. (11.1) you need to prescribe initial and boundary conditions for each sediment
fraction.
Initial condition
The initial conditions for the sediment fractions are handled in exactly the same manner as
those for any other conservative constituent, i.e. you can specify:
One global initial concentration for each sediment fraction.

Space-varying initial concentrations read from a restart file generated by a previous
run.
Space-varying initial concentrations read from a user-defined input file.
In these options cohesive and non-cohesive sediment fractions are treated in the same way.
In many practical applications the non-cohesive sediment concentrations adapt very rapidly
to equilibrium conditions, so in the case of a cold start where the hydrodynamic model also
takes some time to stabilise, a uniform zero concentration for the non-cohesive sediment
fractions is usually adequate.
Boundary conditions

morphology
For each of the model boundaries you must prescribe the boundary condition for each
sediment fraction. We discuss in short the general type of conditions and refer for the details
to the sections to follow.
Water surface boundary

The vertical diffusive flux through the free surface is set to zero for all conservative
constituents (except heat, which can cross this boundary). This is left unchanged for
suspended sediment.
c( l)
ws( l ) c ( l ) s(,lz) = 0, at z = , (11.6)
z
where z = is the location of the free surface.
Bed boundary condition

The exchange of material in suspension and the bed is modelled by calculating the sediment
fluxes from the bottom computational layer to the bed, and vice versa. These fluxes are then
applied to the bottom computational layer by means of a sediment source and/or sink term
in each computational cell. The calculated fluxes are also applied to the bed in order to
update the bed level. The boundary condition at the bed is given by:
c( l)
ws( l ) c ( l ) s(,lz) = D ( l ) E ( l ) , at z = zb , (11.7)
z
where:
D(l) sediment deposition rate of sediment fraction ( l ) .

E (l) sediment erosion rate of sediment fraction ( l ) .
The formulations of D ( l ) and E ( l ) strongly differ for cohesive and non-cohesive sediment;
for the details you are referred to the sections to follow.
Open inflow boundaries

Delft3D-FLOW requires you to specify boundary conditions for all conservative
constituents at all open inflow boundaries. When modelling in three dimensions you may
choose to specify boundary concentrations that have a uniform, linear, or step distribution
over the vertical. You may also choose to specify a Thatcher-Harleman return time to
simulate the re-entry of material that flowed out of the model after the flow reverses
direction.
All of these options are also available for sediment constituents, although they are probably
more appropriate for fine, cohesive sediment than for sand-sized particles. To assist with
modelling coarser material an additional option has been included. This option allows you to
specify that, at all open inflow boundaries, the flow should enter carrying all sand
sediment fractions at their equilibrium concentration profiles. This means that the sediment
load entering through the boundaries will be near-perfectly adapted to the local flow

conditions and very little accretion or erosion should be experienced near the model
boundaries. This will generally be the desired situation if the model boundaries are well
chosen.
You may select this option by setting EQMBC = .true. in the morphology input file.
Open outflow boundaries

No boundary condition is prescribed at outflow boundaries; effectively this means that the
dispersive transport of sediment at the outflow boundary is neglected compared to the
advective transport.
11.2 Cohesive sediment
11.2.1 Cohesive sediment settling velocity
In salt water cohesive sediment tends to flocculate to form sediment flocs, with the degree
of flocculation depending on the salinity of the water. These flocs are much larger than the
individual sediment particles and settle at a faster rate. In order to model this salinity
dependency you must supply two settling velocities and a maximum salinity. The first
velocity, WS0, is taken to be the settling velocity of the sediment fraction in fresh water
(salinity = 0). The second velocity, WSM, is the settling velocity of the fraction in water
having a salinity equal to SALMAX. The settling velocity of the sediment flocs is calculated
as follows:
(l)
ws( ,max S ws , f S
l)
ws( ,0l ) = 1 cos( ) + 1 + cos( ) , when S SALMAX (11.8)
2 Smax 2 S max
ws( ,0l ) = ws( ,max

l)
, when S > SALMAX (11.9)
where:
ws( ,0l ) the (non-hindered) settling velocity of sediment fraction ( l ) .

ws( ,max
l)
WSM, settling velocity of sediment fraction ( l ) at salinity concentration
SALMAX.
w (l)
s, f WS0, fresh water settling velocity of sediment fraction ( l ) .
S salinity.
Smax SALMAX, maximal salinity at which WSM is specified.
Remarks:
Modelling turbulence induced flocculation or the break-up of sediment flocs is not yet
implemented.
The influence of flocculation is disregarded by setting WSM = WS0.

morphology
11.2.2 Cohesive sediment dispersion
The vertical mixing coefficient for sediment is equal to the vertical fluid mixing coefficient
calculated by the selected turbulence closure model, i.e.:
s( l ) = f , (11.10)
where:
s( l ) vertical sediment mixing coefficient for sediment fraction ( l ) .

closure model.
11.2.3 Cohesive sediment erosion and deposition
For cohesive sediment fractions the fluxes between the water phase and the bed are
calculated with the well-known Partheniades-Krone formulations (Partheniades, 1965):
E ( l ) = M ( l ) S ( cw , cr( l,)e ) ,
D ( l ) = ws( l ) cbl S ( cw , cr( l,)d ) , (11.11)

cb( l ) = c ( l ) z = z b ,t ,
2
where:
E
(l) erosion flux [kg/m2/s].
M
(l) user specified erosion parameter EROUNI [kg/m2/s].
S ( cw , cr( l,)e ) erosion step function:

S ( cw , cr( l,)e ) = (cwl ) 1 , when cw > cr( l,)e ,
cr ,e
=0 when cw cr( l,)e .
D
(l) deposition flux [kg/m2/s].
ws( l ) fall velocity (hindered) [m/s].
cb( l ) average sediment concentration in the near bottom computational layer.
S ( cw , cr( l,)d ) deposition step function:

S ( cw , cr( l,)d ) = 1 (cw
l)
, when cw < cr( l,)d ,
cr ,d
=0 when cw (crl,)d .
cw mean bed shear stress due to current and waves as calculated by the
wave-current interaction model selected by the user; see Section 9.7 for
full details.

cr( l,)e user specified critical erosion shear stress TCEUNI [N/m2].
cr( l,)d user specified critical deposition shear stress TCDUNI [N/m2].
Remark:
Superscript (l) implies that this quantity applies to sediment fraction ( l) .
The calculated erosion or deposition flux is applied to the near bottom computational cell by
setting the appropriate sink and source terms for that cell. Advection, particle settling, and
diffusion through the bottom of the near bottom computational cell are all set to zero to
prevent double counting these fluxes.
11.2.4 Influence of waves on cohesive sediment transport
For cohesive sediment fractions the sediment mixing coefficient will still be set following
Eq. (11.10). This implies that the extra turbulent mixing due to waves will not be included in
the suspended sediment transport calculations (for these sediment fractions) except by way
of the enhancement of the bed shear stress caused by wave-current interaction, see Section
9.7 for details. This is a limitation of the present implementation.
11.3 Non-cohesive sediment

For the transport of non-cohesive sediment, Van Rijn's (2000) approach is followed by
default. You can also specify a number of other transport formulations (see Section 11.5)
11.3.1 Non-cohesive sediment settling velocity
The settling velocity of a non-cohesive (sand) sediment fraction is computed following

the method of Van Rijn (1993). The formulation used depends on the diameter of the
sediment in suspension:
( s ( l ) 1) g d(sl)2
w(sl,0) = , 65 m < d s 100 m
18
10 0.01( s ( l ) 1) g d(sl)3
0.5
ws ,0 =
(l)
1 + 1 , 100 m < d s 1000 m (11.12)
d s

2

0.5
w(sl,0) = 1.1 ( s ( l ) 1) g d(sl) , 1000 m < d s
where:
s(l) relative density of sediment fraction ( l ) .

d s( l ) representative diameter of sediment fraction ( l ) .
kinematic viscosity coefficient of water [m2/s].

morphology
d s( l ) is the representative diameter of the suspended sediment, and can be determined based
on two options via the user-defined properties SEDDIA (d50 of bed material) and IOPSUS
(options for determining d s( l ) ):
1. d s( l ) is determined based on the mobility parameter, Ta( l ) , following van Rijn (2003):
d s( l ) = 0.064d50( l ) for TA( l ) 1
d s( l ) = d50( l ) for 25 < TA( l ) 1
(
d s( l ) = d50( l ) 1 + 0.015 (TA( l ) 25 ) ) for 25 TA( l )
2. d s( l ) is determined based on a multiplication of the user-defined properties SEDDIA
(d50 of bed material) and FACDSS (see also remarks)
Remark:
In the case of non-uniform bed material Van Rijn (1993) concluded that, on the basis of
measurements, d s( l ) should be in the range of 60 to 100% of d50 of the bed material. If the
bed material is very widely graded (well sorted) consideration should be given to using
several sediment fractions to model its behaviour more accurately.
11.3.2 Non-cohesive sediment dispersion
Delft3D-FLOW supports four turbulence closure models:
Constant coefficient.
Algebraic eddy viscosity closure model.
k L turbulence closure model.
k turbulence closure model.
The first is a simple constant value which is specified by the user. A constant eddy viscosity
will lead to parabolic vertical velocity profiles (laminar flow). The other three turbulence
closure models are based on the eddy viscosity concept of Kolmogorov (1942) and Prandtl
(1945) and offer zero, first, and second order closures for the turbulent kinetic energy (k)
and for the mixing length (L). All three of the more advanced turbulence closure models
take into account the effect that a vertical density gradient has on damping the amount of
vertical turbulent mixing. See Section 9.7 for a full description of the available turbulence
closure models.
The output of a turbulence closure model is the eddy viscosity at each layer interface; from
this the vertical sediment mixing coefficient is calculated using the following expressions:
Using the algebraic or k-L turbulence model

Without waves
If the algebraic or k-L turbulence model is selected and waves are inactive then the vertical
mixing coefficient for sediment is computed from the vertical fluid mixing coefficient
calculated by the selected turbulence closure model. For non-cohesive sediment the fluid
mixing coefficient is multiplied by Van Rijns beta factor which is intended to describe the
different diffusivity of a fluid particle and a sand grain. Expressed mathematically:

s( l ) = f , (11.13)
where:
s( l ) vertical sediment mixing coefficient for sediment fraction ( l ) .

Van Rijns beta factor for the sediment fraction.
closure model.
Including waves
If waves are included in a simulation using the algebraic or k-L turbulence closure model
then the sediment mixing coefficient for non-cohesive sediment fractions is calculated
entirely separately from the turbulence closure model, using expressions given by Van Rijn
(1993) for both the current-related and wave-related vertical turbulent mixing of sediment.
The current-related mixing is calculated using the parabolic-constant distribution

recommended by Van Rijn:
s(,lc) = u*,c z (1 z h ), when z < 0.5h ,

(11.14)
(l)
s ,c = 0.25 u*,c h , when z 0.5h ,
where:
s(,lc) vertical sediment mixing coefficient due to currents (for this sediment
fraction).
u*,c current-related bed shear velocity.
In the lower half of the water column this expression should produce similar turbulent
mixing values to those produced by the algebraic turbulence closure model. The turbulent
mixing in the upper half of the water column is generally of little importance to the transport
of sand sediment fractions as sediment concentrations in the upper half of the water
column are low.
The wave- related mixing is also calculated following Van Rijn (1993). In this case Van Rijn
recommends a step type distribution over the vertical, with a linear transition between the
two steps, see Figure 11-1.
xxx

morphology
Figure 11-1 Sediment mixing coefficient in non-breaking waves (Source: Van Rijn 1993)
The expressions used to set this distribution are:
s(,lw) = s(,lbed
)
= 0.004 D* s( l ) U , when z s( l ) ,
z s( l )
(l)
s,w = (l)
s ,bed + ( (l)
s ,max (l)
s ,bed ) 0.5h (l) , when s( l ) < z < 0.5h , (11.15)
s
0.035 br hH s
s(,lw) = s(,max
l)
= , when z 0.5h ,
Tp
where s( l ) (the thickness of the near-bed sediment mixing layer) is estimated using Van
Rijns formulation, given by:
s( l ) = min 0.5, max {0.1, max ( 5 br w ,10 br k s , w )} (11.16)
where:
w thickness of the wave boundary layer:

0.25
A
w = 0.072 A .
k s ,w
br empirical coefficient related to wave breaking:
0.5
H Hs
br = 1 + s 0.4 and br = 1 for 0.4
h h
k s ,w wave-related bed roughness (as calculated for suspended sediment transport).
We calculate the total vertical sediment mixing coefficient by following Van Rijn and taking
the sum of the squares:
s( l ) = s(,lc)2 + s(,lw) 2 , (11.17)

where s is the vertical sediment diffusion coefficient used in the suspended sediment
transport calculations for this sediment fraction.
Using the k turbulence model

In the case of the k turbulence closure model the vertical sediment mixing coefficient
can be calculated directly from the vertical fluid mixing coefficient calculated by the
turbulence closure model, using the following expression:
s( l ) = eff( l ) f , (11.18)
where:
s( l ) vertical sediment mixing coefficient of sediment fraction ( l ) .

eff( l ) the effective Van Rijns beta factor of sediment fraction ( l ) .
As the beta factor should only be applied to the current-related mixing this is
estimated as:
c
eff( l ) = 1 + ( ( l ) 1) , for non-cohesive sediment fractions.
w +c
(l) Van Rijns beta factor of the sediment fraction ( l ) , Eq. (11.19).
c bed shear stress due to currents.
w bed shear stress due to waves.
f vertical fluid mixing coefficient calculated by the k turbulence closure
model.
Van Rijn's 'beta' factor is calculated from (Van Rijn, 1984):
2
w( l )
(l)
= 1+ 2 s . (11.19)
u,c
Where ws( l ) is the settling velocity of the non-cohesive sediment fraction, and u,c is the
local bed shear stress due to currents.
This implies that the value of ( l ) is space (and time) varying, however it is constant over
the depth of the flow. In addition, due to the limited knowledge of the physical processes
involved, we follow Van Rijn (1993) and limit ( l ) to the range 1 < ( l ) < 1.5 .
Remarks:
In a wave and current situation Van Rijn (1993) applies the -factor to only the current-
related turbulent mixing, whereas we apply it to the total turbulent mixing calculated by
the selected turbulence closure model. However, little is known about the dependence of
the -factor on flow conditions; this discrepancy is expected to be of little importance
in practical situations.

morphology
The k turbulence closure model has been extended by Walstra et al. (2000) to
include the three-dimensional effects of waves. However the effect of wave asymmetry
on the bed-load transport is not yet included.
11.3.3 Reference concentration
For non-cohesive sediment (e.g. sand), we follow the method of Van Rijn (1993) for the
combined effect of waves and currents. The reference height is given by:

a = min max AKSFAC k s , r ,0.01h ,0.20h , (11.20)
2
where:
a Van Rijns reference height.

AKSFAC user-specified proportionality factor (morphology input file).
ks user-specified current-related effective roughness height (see options
below).
r wave-induced ripple height, set to a constant value of 0.025 m.
h water depth.
Remark:
Van Rijn's reference height a is limited to a maximum of 20% of the water depth. This
precaution is only likely to come into effect in very shallow areas.
With the keyword IOPKCW the user has two options to calculate k s (and k w ):
1) k s derived from current-related effective roughness height as determined in the FLOW
module (spatially varying) and k w = RWAVE r .
2) k s and k w specified by the user (constant in space).
Calculation of the reference concentration

The reference concentration is calculated in accordance with Van Rijn (2000), but an
additional factor is introduced (and monitored) to reflect the presence of multiple
sediment fractions. The resulting expression is:
d 50( l ) (Ta( l ) )
1.5
c(l)
= SUS (l)
0.015 (l )
(11.21)
a ( D( l ) )
a s 0.3
where:
ca( l ) mass concentration at reference height a.

SUS multiplication factor specified in the morphological input file.

In order to evaluate this expression the following quantities must be calculated:
(l) relative availability of sediment fraction:

mass of fraction (l ) in mixing layer
(l) = . (11.22)
total mass of sediment in mixing layer
D( l ) non-dimensional particle diameter:
1
( s ( l ) 1) g 3
D (l)
=d (l)
50 2 . (11.23)

Ta( l ) non-dimensional bed-shear stress:
( c( l ) b,cw + w( l ) b,w ) cr( l )
Ta( l ) = . (11.24)
cr( l )
c( l ) efficiency factor current:
f c ( l )
c( l ) = . (11.25)
fc
f c ( l ) gain related friction factor:
2
12h
f c (l)
= 0.24 log10 ( l ) . (11.26)
3 d 90
f c( l ) total current-related friction factor:
2
12h
f c
(l)
= 0.24 log10 . (11.27)
ks
b,cw bed shear stress due to current in the presence of waves.
Note that the bed shear velocity u* is calculated in such a way that Van
Rijns wave-current interaction factor cw is not required.
b,cw = w u*2 , (11.28)
w( l ) efficiency factor waves:
1 H
2
w( l ) = max 0.063, 1.5 s , (11.29)

8 h

b,w bed shear stress due to waves:
1
( )
2
b,w = w f w U , (11.30)
4
fw total wave-related friction factor:
A
0.19
f w = exp 6 + 5.2 . (11.31)

k
s ,w

To avoid the need for excessive user input, the wave related roughness ks,w is related to the
estimated ripple height, using the relationship:
k s ,w = RWAVE r , with r =0.025 and limits: (0.01m k s ,w 0.1m) , (11.32)

morphology
where:
RWAVE the user-specified wave roughness adjustment factor. Recommended to

be in the range 1-3, default = 2.
cr( l ) critical bed shear stress:
cr( l ) = ( s( l ) w ) g d 50( l ) cr( l ) . (11.33)
(l)
cr threshold parameter (l)
cr is calculated according to the classical Shields
curve as modelled by Van Rijn (1993) as a function of the non-
dimensional grain size D*. This avoids the need for iteration. Note that,
for clarity, in this expression the symbol D has been used where D( l )
would be more correct:
cr( l ) = 0.24 D*1 , 1 < D* 4

cr( l ) = 0.14 D*0.64 , 4 < D* 10
(l)
cr = 0.04 D 0.1
* , 10 < D* 20 . (11.34)
(l)
cr = 0.013 D 0.29
* , 20 < D* 150
cr( l ) = 0.055, 150 < D*
A peak orbital excursion at the bed:
T U
A = p .
2
d 50( l ) representative sediment diameter.
d 90( l ) 90% sediment passing size:

d 90( l ) = 1.5 d 50( l ) .
h water depth.
ka apparent bed roughness felt by the flow when waves are present.
Calculated by Delft3D-FLOW using the wave-current interaction
formulation selected; see Section 9.7 for details:
ka 10 k s .
ks user-specified current-related effective roughness height (space
varying).
k s ,w wave-related roughness, calculated from ripple height, see Eq. (11.32).
uz velocity magnitude taken from a near-bed computational layer. In a

current-only situation the velocity in the bottom computational layer is
used. Otherwise, if waves are active, the velocity is taken from the
layer closest to the height of the top of the wave mixing layer .
U peak orbital velocity at the bed:
2 RMS orbital velocity at bed, taken from the wave module.
zu height above bed of the near-bed velocity (uz ) used in the calculation
of bottom shear stress due to current.
r estimated ripple height, see Eq. (11.32)

m thickness of wave boundary mixing layer following Van Rijn (1993):

3 w (and m ka ).
w wave boundary layer thickness:
0.25
A
w = 0.0782 A .
k s ,w
We emphasise the following points regarding this implementation:
The bottom shear stress due to currents is based on a near-bed velocity taken from
the hydrodynamic calculations, rather than the depth-averaged velocity used by Van
Rijn.
All sediment calculations are based on hydrodynamic calculations from the previous
half time-step. We find that this is necessary to prevent unstable oscillations
developing.
The apparent roughness felt by the flow ( k a ) is dependent on the hydrodynamic wave-
current interaction model applied. At this time, Van Rijns wave-current interaction model is
not available in Delft3D-FLOW. This means that it is not possible for a user to exactly
reproduce results obtained using Van Rijns full formulations for waves and currents.
11.3.4 Non-cohesive sediment erosion and deposition
The transfer of sediment between the bed and the flow is modelled using sink and source
terms acting on the near-bottom layer that is entirely above Van Rijns reference height. This
layer is identified as the reference layer and for brevity is referred to as the kmx layer; see
Figure 11-2.
KEY
Standard computational cell
Reference cell for sand sediment
Concentration set equal to concentration of reference layer for
sand sediment calculations
Coarse Grid Medium Grid Fine Grid
kmx
kmx
Layer
kmx
kmx
BED BED BED
Figure 11-2 Selection of the kmx layer; where 'a' is Van Rijn's reference height
The sediment concentration in the layer(s) that lie below the kmx layer are assumed to
rapidly adjust to the same concentration as the reference layer.

morphology
Each half time-step the source and sink terms model the quantity of sediment entering the
flow due to upward diffusion from the reference level and the quantity of sediment dropping
out of the flow due to sediment settling. A sink term is solved implicitly in the advection-
diffusion equation, whereas a source term is solved explicitly. The required sink and source
terms for the kmx layer are calculated as follows.
dc
Deposition Flux = w s c Erosion Flux = s
dz
kmx
layer
z
a
BED
Figure 11-3 Schematic arrangement of flux bottom boundary condition
In order to determine the required sink and source terms for the kmx layer, the concentration
and concentration gradient at the bottom of the kmx layer need to be approximated. We
assume a standard Rouse profile between the reference level a and the centre of the kmx
layer (seeFigure 11-4).
A(l)
a(h z )
c (l)
=c (l )
a , (11.35)
z (h a)
where:
c (l ) concentration of sediment fraction ().

ca(l ) reference concentration of sediment fraction ().
h water depth.
z elevation above the bed.
A(l ) Rouse number.
As the reference concentration and the concentration in the centre of the kmx layer ckmx are
known, the exponent A() can be determined.
c
A( l ) ln kmx
a (h z kmx ) ca
(l)
ckmx = ca( l ) A( l ) = (11.36)
z kmx (h a ) a (h z kmx )
ln
z kmx (h a )
The concentration at the bottom of the kmx layer is:

A( l )
a (h z kmx (bot ) )
(l)
ckmx ( bot ) = ca( l ) (11.37)
z kmx (bot ) (h a )
Approximation to concentration
gradient at bottom of kmx layer
Height above bed

Approximation to
concentration at
bottom of kmx layer
kmx ckmx Rouse profile

+
ca z
+
ckmxbot a
BED Concentration
Figure 11-4 Approximation of concentration and concentration gradient at bottom of kmx layer
We express this concentration as a function of the known concentration ckmx by introducing a

correction factor 1:
(l) (l)
( bot ) = 1 ckmx
(l )
ckmx (11.38)
The concentration gradient of the Rouse profile is given by:
A( l ) 1
c ( l ) a (h z ) ah
= A( l ) ca( l ) 2 (11.39)
z z (h a ) z (h a )
The concentration gradient at the bottom of the kmx layer is:
A( l ) 1
a (h z kmx (bot ) ) ah
c'(kmx
l)
( bot ) = A ca
(l ) (l )
2 (11.40)
z kmx ( bot ) (h a ) z ( h a )
kmx ( bot )
We express this gradient as a function of the known concentrations ca and ckmx by

introducing another correction factor 2:
( l ) ckmx ca
(l ) (l)
c '(kmx
l)
( bot ) = 2 (11.41)
z
Erosive flux due to upward diffusion

The upward diffusion of sediment through the bottom of the kmx layer is given by the
expression:

morphology
c( l )
E ( l ) = s( l ) , (11.42)
z
c( l)
where s( ) and
l
are evaluated at the bottom of the kmx layer.
z
We approximate this expression by:
c( l ) ckmx
(l)
E ( l ) 2( l ) s( l ) a , (11.43)
z
where:
2( l ) correction factor for sediment concentration

s( l ) sediment diffusion coefficient evaluated at the bottom of the kmx cell of
sediment fraction ( l ) .
ca(l) reference concentration of sediment fraction ( l ) .

( )
l
ckmx average concentration of the kmx cell of sediment fraction ( l ) .
z difference in elevation between the centre of the kmx cell and Van Rijns
reference height:
z = zkmx a .
The erosion flux is split in a source and sink term:
2( l ) s( l ) ca( l ) 2( l ) s( l ) ckmx
(l)
E( )
l
. (11.44)
z z
The first of these terms can be evaluated explicitly and is implemented as a sediment source
term. The second can only be evaluated implicitly and is implemented as a (positive) sink
term. Thus:
(l) 2( l ) s( l ) ca( l )
Sourceerosion =
z . (11.45)
(l) (l) (l)
(l) 2 s ckmx
Sinkerosion =
z
Deposition flux due to sediment settling

The settling of sediment through the bottom of the kmx cell is given by the expression:
D ( l ) = ws( l ) ckmx
(l)
( bot ) , (11.46)
(l) (l)
where ws and ckmx ( bot ) are evaluated at the bottom of the kmx layer.

We set:
(l) (l) (l)

ckmx ( bot ) = 1 ckmx . (11.47)
The deposition flux is approximated by:
D ( l ) 1( l ) ckmx
(l) (l)
ws . (11.48)
This results in a simple deposition sink term:
(l)
Sinkdeposition = 1( l ) ckmx
(l) (l)
ws . (11.49)
The total source and sink terms is given by:
(l)
l
Source( ) = 2( ) ca( ) s ,
l l
z

(11.50)
(l) (l)
= 2 ckmx s + 1( ) ckmx
(l) (l) l (l)
ws( ) .
l
Sink
z
These source and sink terms are positive definite.
11.3.5 Inflow boundary conditions non-cohesive sediment
For coarser non-cohesive material you can specify that, at all open inflow boundaries, the
flow should enter carrying all sand sediment fractions at their equilibrium concentration
profiles. This means that the sediment load entering through the boundaries will be near-
perfectly adapted to the local flow conditions, and very little accretion or erosion should be
experienced near the model boundaries. This will generally be the desired situation if the
model boundaries are well chosen. You may select this option by setting EQMBC = .true. in
the morphology input file. The equilibrium concentrations will now be calculated using the
actual mixing values calculated by the flow, and an upwind method of numerical integration
to solve the stationary advection-diffusion equation. This method gives the correct results
even when the turbulent mixing profile is clearly non-parabolic.
By setting EQMBC = .false., the concentrations to be applied at the inflow boundaries are
read from the *.bcc file, which has to be created with the FLOW User Interface.
Remark:
The calculated equilibrium sediment concentration profiles at open inflow boundaries are
written to the map and history-files in order to give you a benchmark against which to
compare the non-equilibrium concentrations.

morphology
11.4 Bed-load sediment transport of non-cohesive

sediment
Bed-load transport is calculated for all sand sediment fractions by broadly following the
approach described by Van Rijn (1993, 2000). This accounts for the near-bed sediment
transport occurring below the reference height a described above.
The approach first computes the magnitude and direction of the bed-load sand transport
using by Van Rijn. The computed sediment transport vectors are then relocated from water-
level points to velocity points using an upwind computational scheme to ensure numerical
stability. Finally the transport components are adjusted for bed-slope effects.
11.4.1 Basic formulation
For simulations including waves the magnitude and direction of the bed-load transport on a
horizontal bed are calculated using an approximation method developed by Van Rijn et al.
(2003). The method computes the magnitude of the bed-load transport as:
Sb = 0.006 s ws d50( l ) M 0.5 M e0.7 (11.51)
where:
Sb = bed load transport (kg/m/s)

= relative availability of the sediment fraction in the mixing layer (-)
M = sediment mobility number due to waves and currents (-)
M e = excess sediment mobility number (-)
veff2
M=
( s 1) g d 50 (11.52)
(v vcr )
2
eff
Me = (11.53)
( s 1) g d50
veff = vR2 + U on2 (11.54)
in which:
vcr = critical depth averaged velocity for initiation of motion (based on a parameterisation
of the Shields curve) (m/s).
vR = magnitude of an equivalent depth-averaged velocity computed from the velocity in
the bottom computational layer, assuming a logarithmic velocity profile (m/s).

U on = near-bed peak orbital velocity (m/s) in onshore direction (in the direction on wave
propagation) based on the significant wave height.
U on (and U off used below) are the high frequency near-bed orbital velocities due to short
waves and are computed using a modification of the method of Isobe and Horikawa (1982).
This method is a parameterisation of fifth-order Stokes wave theory and third-order cnoidal
wave theory which can be used over a wide range of wave conditions and takes into account
the non-linear effects that occur as waves propagate in shallow water (Grasmeijer and Van
Rijn, 1998).
The direction of the bed-load transport vector is determined by assuming that it is composed
of two parts: part due to current ( Sb,c ) which acts in the direction of the near-bed current,
and part due to waves ( Sb,w ) which acts in the direction of wave propagation. These
components are determined as follows:
Sb
S b ,c = (11.55)
1 + r + 2 r cos
2
S b , w = r S b ,c (11.56)
where:
(U vcr )
3
on
r= (11.57)
(v vcr )
3
R
Sb,w = 0 if r<0.01, Sb,c = 0 if r>100, and = angle between current and wave direction for
which van Rijn (2003) suggests a constant value of 90.
Also included in the bed-load transport vector is an estimation of the suspended sediment
transport due to wave asymmetry effects. This is intended to model the effect of asymmetric
wave orbital velocities on the transport of suspended material within about 0.5m of the bed
(the bulk of the suspended transport affected by high frequency wave oscillations).
This wave-related suspended sediment transport is again modelled using an approximation

method proposed by Van Rijn (2001):
S s ,w = fSUSW U A LT (11.58)
where:
S s ,w = wave-related suspended transport (kg/m/s)

fSUSW = user specified tuning parameter

morphology
= phase lag coefficient ( = 0.2)

U on4 U off4
UA = velocity asymmetry value ( m/s ) =
U on3 + U off3
LT = suspended sediment load (kg/m2) = 0.007 s d50 M e
The three separate transport modes are then combined, assuming that Sb ,c is in the direction
of the current and Sb,w and S s ,w are in the wave propagation direction. This results in the
following bed-load transport components:
ub,u
S b ,u = Sb,c + ( Sb,w + S s ,w ) cos
ub
(11.59)
u
S b ,v = b,v Sb,c + ( Sb,w + S s ,w ) sin
ub
where is the local angle between the direction of wave propagation and the computational
grid.
11.4.2 Suspended sediment correction vector
In the sediment version of Delft3D-FLOW the transport of suspended sediment is computed

over the entire water column (from = -1 to = 0). However, for sand sediment
fractions, Van Rijn regards sediment transported below the reference height a as belonging
to bed-load sediment transport which is computed separately as it responds almost
instantaneously to changing flow conditions and feels the effects of bed slopes. In order to
prevent double counting, the suspended sediment transport computed by the FLOW transport
solver below the reference height a is estimated using simple central difference schemes for
both advection and diffusion and the result is stored as a suspended sediment correction
vector ( Scor ,uu & Scor ,vv ). The direction of the correction vector is reversed, and gradients
in this vector are included in the computed morphological changes as described in the
section below.
11.4.3 Inclusion of a fixed layer
Inclusion of a fixed layer implies that the quantity of sediment at the bed is finite and may, if
excessive erosion occurs, become exhausted and be unavailable to supply sediment to
suspended and bed-load transport modes. This is taken into account in the bed-load
formulations by comparing the thickness of the sediment layer available at the bed with a
user-specified threshold value. If the quantity of sediment available is less than the threshold
then the magnitude of the calculated bed-load transport vector is reduced as follows:
Sb = f FIXFAC Sb , (11.60)
where:

Sb magnitude of the bed-load transport vector (before correction for bed

slope effects).
f FIXFAC fixed layer proximity factor:
DPSED
f FIXFAC = , limited to the range 0 f FIXFAC 1 .
THRESH
DPSED depth of sediment available at the bed.
THRESH user-specified erosion threshold.
In effect, because of the upwind approach used to transfer the bed-load transport
components to the U and V velocity points, this method limits the sediment that can leave a
computational cell, if the quantity of the sediment at the bed is limited. One implication of
the use of this rather simple approach is that a finite (although always less than the user-
specified threshold) thickness of sediment is required at the bed if a non-zero magnitude of
the bed-load transport vector is required.
Remark:
Areas may be initially specified as containing zero bottom sediment if non-erodible areas
are required. It is likely that these areas will accrete a little sediment in order to allow an
equilibrium bed-load transport pattern to develop.
11.4.4 Calculation of bed-load transport at open boundaries
The bed-load transport vector at open boundaries is set perpendicular to the boundary and
equal in magnitude to the component in this direction at the adjacent internal water level
point. This approach is used as the bed slope cannot be properly evaluated at open
boundaries. A consequence of using this approach combined with the upwind transfer of
bed-load vector components to the U and V velocity points (described in the following
section) is that no gradient in bed-load transport can occur across the computational cell
adjacent to inflow boundaries. We do not expect this limitation to present any problem in
practical situations.
Remark:
To prevent this to happen, you should avoid open boundaries through areas with large
transfer bed-level gradients.
11.4.5 Bed-load transport at U and V velocity points
As the control volume for bed level change calculations is centred on the water level points,
see Figure 11-5, the bed-load transport vector components are actually required at the U and
V velocity points, rather than at the water level points where Sb, x and Sb, y are calculated.
We use a simple upwind numerical scheme to set the bed-load transport components at the
U and V points as this ensures that the bed will remain stable and does not require a
complex (and computationally expensive) bed updating algorithm. For each active velocity
point the upwind direction is determined by summing the bed-load transport components at
the water level points on either side of the velocity point and taking the upwind direction
relative to the resulting net transport direction. The bed-load transport component at the

morphology
velocity point is then set equal to the component computed at the water level point
immediately upwind (see Figure 11-5).
(n+1)
Key
Sb( ,ny+1, m )
Water level point
Velocity point
Sb( ,nvv, m)
(n)
Sb( ,nx, m) Sb( ,nuu, m) Sb( ,nx, m +1) Depth point
( n , m)
S b,y
Bed-load transport
component at
velocity point
Bed-load transport
(n-1) Bed load transport components at velocity component at water
points are set equal to the component at the level point
upwind water level point
y
(m-1) (m) (m+1)

x
Figure 11-5 Setting of bed-load transport components at velocity points
In the example shown in Figure 11-5 the bed-load transport component Sb( ,nuu, m ) is set equal to
Sb( ,nx, m ) and the component Sb( ,nvv, m ) is set equal to Sb( ,ny+1, m ) .
11.4.6 Adjustment of bed-load transport for bed-slope effects
The adjustment of bed-load transport for bed-slope effects is executed in two steps. Firstly,
the effect is computed for a bed slope in the same direction as the flow velocity in the
bottom layer. Secondly, the effect is computed for a bed slope normal to the flow velocity in
the bottom layer longitudinal. The two contributions are added to one bed-load sediment
transport vector.
Longitudinal bed slope

We adjust the magnitude of the bed-load transport vector if a bed slope exists in the
direction of the bed-load transport vector. This bed slope is calculated as:
zb z( u ) Sb, x z( v ) Sb, y
= + ,
s x Sb y Sb
, (11.61)
zb
s = 0.9 tan ( ) ,
1
max
where:
zb bed slope in the direction of bed-load transport.

s

z( u )
bed slope in the positive x direction evaluated at the U point.
x
z( v )
bed slope in the positive y direction evaluated at the V point.
y
internal angle of friction of bed material (assumed to be 30o ).
Remarks:
zb is the depth down to the bed from a reference height (positive down), a downward bed
slope returns a positive value).
The bed slope is calculated at the U and V points as these are the locations at which the
bed-load transport vector components will finally be applied.
The size of the adjustment is calculated following a modified form of the expression
suggested by Bagnold (1966):
r r
Sb = s S , (11.62)
or, in vector component form:
Sb, x = s Sb, x ,
(11.63)
Sb, y = s Sb, y ,
where:

tan ( )
s = 1 + bs 1 , (11.64)
1 z z
cos tan s tan ( ) s

and bs is a user specified tuning parameter, ALFABS (default = 1.0).
Transverse bed slope

We adjust the direction of the bed-load transport vector if a bed slope exists in the direction
normal to the bed-load transport vector. This bed slope is calculated as:
zb z S z S
= ( u ) b, y + ( v ) b, x . (11.65)
n x Sb y Sb
An additional bed-load transport vector is then calculated, perpendicular to the main bed-
load transport vector. The magnitude of this vector is calculated using a formulation based
on the work of Ikeda (1982, 1988) as presented by Van Rijn (1993). Van Rijns equation
(7.2.52) is modified to Eq. (11.66) by setting the reference co-ordinates s and n aligned with
and perpendicular to the local flow direction respectively. This implies that there is no flow
in the n direction: i.e. ub ,n = 0 :

morphology
u z
Sb,n = Sb bn rb,cr b , (11.66)
ub n
where:
S b ,n additional bed-load transport vector. The direction of this vector is normal to

the unadjusted bed-load transport vector, in the down slope direction.
Sb magnitude of the unadjusted bed-load transport vector (adjusted for
longitudinal bed slope only):
( S ) + ( S )
2 2
Sb = b, x b, y .
bn user specified coefficient, ALFABN (default = 1.5 ).

ub,cr critical (threshold) near-bed fluid velocity.
r
ub near-bed fluid velocity vector.
zb bed slope in the direction normal to the unadjusted bed-load transport vector.
n
To evaluate Eq. (11.66) we substitute:
r
ub,cr b,cr
r = , (11.67)
ub b
where:
b,cr critical bed shear stress.

r
b bed shear stress due to current and waves:
r r r
b = c b,cw + w b,w .
resulting in:
r
b,cr zb
S b ,n = Sb bn , (11.68)
b n
or:
S b ,n = Sb f norm , (11.69)
where:
0.5
zb
f norm = bn b,cr . (11.70)
b,cw n

The two components of this vector are then added to the two components of the bed-load
transport vector as follows:
S
Sb , x = Sb, x + Sb f norm b, y ,
Sb
(11.71)
S
Sb , y = Sb, y + Sb f norm b, x ,
Sb
resulting in:
Sb, x = Sb, x Sb, y f norm ,

(11.72)
Sb, y = Sb, y + Sb, x f norm ,
where Sb, x and Sb, y are the components of the required bed-load transport vector,
calculated at the water level points. The manner in which these components are used to
calculate the morphological changes due to gradients in the bed-load transport is discussed
in the following sections.
This completes the calculation of the bed-load transport field. The transports at the U and V
velocity points are then stored for use in the computation of bed level changes, as described
in the following section.
Remark:
In previous versions, bed slope effects were computed at water level points, based on bed
slopes computed from water level points around the estimated upwind velocity points. The
computed transports including bed slope effects were then upwinded to the velocity points.
This procedure can lead to cross-channel instabilities, as apparent in the curved flume test
(2x wiggles). The procedure is now changed a follows: first the transports excluding slope
effects are upwinded to velocity points, and then the slope effects are computed at the
velocity points and added to the transports. This effectively solves the cross-flow wiggles.
11.5 Additional transport formulations for non-cohesive

sediment
Keywords Value Description Default
TraFrm #md-tran.ext# Delft3D-MOR sediment transport input none
file; define sediment fractions and other
input quantities
File contents: see Delft3D-MOR User Manual
File type: ASCII
In addition to the Van Rijn (2000) approach, this Add-on offers a number of extra sediment
transport relations for non-cohesive sediment. These have been copied from the original

morphology
Delft3D-MOR formulations. Furthermore, it is still possible to apply the Van Rijn (1993)
approach, which was used in previous versions of Delft3D Online-SED. Table 11-1 gives a
summary of the available additional formulae:
Table 11-1 Additional transport relations
Formula Bed load Waves IFORM

Engelund-Hansen (1967) Total transport No 1
Meyer-Peter-Muller (1948) Total transport No 2
Swanby (Ackers-White, 1973) Total transport No 3
General formula Total transport No 4
Bijker (1971) Bed load + suspended Yes 5
Van Rijn (1984) Bed load + suspended No 7
Soulsby / Van Rijn Bed load + suspended Yes 11
Soulsby Bed load + suspended Yes 12
Van Rijn (1993) Bed load + suspended Yes -1
In order to apply the additional formulae, the user must create a Delft3D-MOR sediment
transport input file (md-tran.*). The filename of the sediment input file must be specified in
the MDF-file. In the GUI, use the Data Group Additions with keyword and value:
TraFrm=#md-tran.ext#. This input file should at least include Records 46 and 47, as
described in the Delft3D-MOR User Manual. All other data in the md-tran file will be
discarded.
Remarks:
Van Rijns (1993) approach is not included in Delft3D-MOR. There is no need for
additional parameters. Only Record 46 (IFORM) should therefore be specified in the
input file.
The keyword IFORM must be present in the same line as the formula number.
The numerical approach of the 3D-Morphology Add-on differs from that of Delft3D-
MOR. Small changes between the results of the two modules are therefore expected.
Example:
This is an example of a sediment transport input file to be used with the Bijker formulation.
5 -46- Number of transport formula IFORM
*--------------------------------------------------------
#5 BIJKER with wave effect
5 -47.5.1- Coefficient shallow water BS
2 -47.5.2- Coefficient deep water BD
.4 -47.5.3- Shallow water limit CRITS
.05 -47.5.4- Deep water limit CRITD
.000300 -47.5.5- D90 grain size D90
.05 -47.5.6- Bottom roughness height RK
.016 -47.5.7- Particle fall velocity W
.4 -47.5.8- Porosity POR
7.0 -47.5.9- Wave Period T

# End of specification of transport relation
Example:
This is an example of a sediment transport input file to be used with the Van Rijn (1993)
formulations. As this approach is not supported by Delft3D-MOR, there is no need for
additional parameters. The file should simply read:
-1 IFORM
11.6 Morphological updating

The elevation of the bed is dynamically updated at each computational time-step. This is one
of the distinct advantages over an offline morphological computation as it means that the
hydrodynamic flow calculations are always carried out using the correct bathymetry.
At each time-step, the change in the mass of bottom sediment that has occurred as a result of
the sediment sink and source terms is calculated. This change in mass is then translated into
a change in thickness of the bottom sediment layer using the same (trivial) expression for
the density of the bed material as discussed in Section 11.1.6. This change in thickness is
equivalent to a change in bed elevation, which is applied to the depth values stored at the
(zeta, or water-level) points. The new depths at the velocity points are then set by way of a
simple upwind numerical scheme from the new depths at the points1.
Remark:
The depths stored at the depth points (which are read directly from the bathymetry
specified as input) are only updated for writing to the communication file and the result
files.
A number of additional features have been included in the morphological updating routine
in order to increase the flexibility. These are discussed below.
Morphological switch
You can specify whether or not to update the calculated depths to the bed by setting the
MORUPD flag in the morphology input file. It may be useful to turn bottom updating off if
only the initial patterns of erosion and deposition are required, or an investigation of
sediment transport patterns with a constant bathymetry is required.
Remark:
The use of MORUPD only affects the updating of the depth values (at and velocity
points) used by flow calculations at subsequent time-steps; the quantity of sediment
available at the bed (BODSED and DPSED) will still be updated, regardless of the state
of the MORUPD-flag. If you wish to prevent any change in both the bottom sediments
and flow depths from the initial condition then this may be easily achieved by either
setting the morphological delay interval MORSTT to a value larger than the simulation
1
Note that this is rather different from the method used in the standard Delft3D-FLOW module
where the depth at velocity points is set once, at initialisation, by interpolation between adjacent
depth points and is not subsequently updated.

morphology
period, or by setting MORFAC = 0. See below for a description of these two user
variables.
Morphological delay
Frequently, a hydrodynamic simulation will take some time to stabilise after transitioning
from the initial conditions to the (dynamic) boundary conditions. It is likely that during this
stabilisation period the patterns of erosion and accretion that take place do not accurately
reflect the true morphological development and should be ignored. This is made possible by
use of MORSTT whereby you can specify a time interval (in minutes after the start time)
after which the morphological bottom updating will begin. During the MORSTT time
interval all other calculations will proceed as normal (sediment will be available for
suspension for example) however the effect of the sediment fluxes on the available bottom
sediments will not be taken into account.
Morphological time scale factor

One of the complications inherent in carrying out morphological projections on the basis of
hydrodynamic flows is that morphological developments take place on a time scale several
times longer than typical flow changes (for example, tidal flows change significantly in a
period of hours, whereas the morphology of a coastline will usually take weeks, months, or
years to change significantly). One technique for approaching this problem is to use a
morphological time scale factor whereby the speed of the changes in the morphology is
scaled up to a rate that it begins to have a significant impact on the hydrodynamic flows.
This can be achieved by specifying a non-unity value for the variable MORFAC in the
morphology input file.
The implementation of the morphological time scale factor is achieved by simply

multiplying the erosion and deposition fluxes from the bed to the flow and vice-versa by the
MORFAC-factor, at each computational time-step. This allows accelerated bed-level
changes to be incorporated dynamically into the hydrodynamic flow calculations.
While the maximum morphological time scale factor that can be included in a
morphodynamic model without affecting the accuracy of the model will depend on the
particular situation being modelled, and will remain a matter of judgement, tests have shown
that the computations remain stable in moderately morphologically active situations even
with MORFAC-factors in excess of 1000. We also note that setting MORFAC =0 is often a
convenient method of preventing both the flow depth and the quantity of sediment available
at the bottom from updating, if an investigation of a steady state solution is required.
11.6.1 Availability of sediment at the bed
In a sediment transport computation you can specify non-erodible material or fixed layers.
At input you must specify the quantity of sediment available at the bed as the total (dry)
mass of all fractions of sediment above the fixed layer, in [kg/m2]. This may be a constant
value for the entire model by setting the value of SDBUNI in the sediment input file or,
alternatively, by specifying FILSDB as the filename of a space-varying initial sediment file.
The thickness of the sediment above the fixed layer is calculated by dividing the mass of
sediment available at the bed by the user specified dry bed density CDRYB. Currently, you

can specify only one value for the dry bed density for the entire model area, defined by
CDRYB for the first sediment fraction. In the future we envisage that it will also be possible
to specify a space-varying dry bed density file.
Fixed layers are implemented by means of reducing the sediment flux terms when the bed
approaches the fixed layer. This is carried out in slightly different manners for cohesive and
non-cohesive sediments, as described below.
Cohesive sediment fractions

In the case of cohesive sediment, the erosive sediment source term is simply compared with
the quantity of sediment (of the appropriate fraction) available at the bed. If the source term
would result in more sediment being eroded than is available, then the source term is
reduced to the quantity of sediment available.
Non-cohesive sediment fractions

Because of the more complex, partly explicit - partly implicit, erosive flux terms used for
sand type sediments it is not possible to use the simple source limitation technique used
for cohesive sediments. Instead, you must specify a threshold thickness THRESH. At each
time-step the thickness of the bottom sediments is calculated as described above. If the
remaining sediment thickness is less than the user-specified threshold and erosive conditions
are expected then the source and sink sediment flux terms, see Eq. (11.27), are reduced in
the following manner:
Sourcetotal = Sourcetotal * f r ,
(11.73)
Sinktotal = Sinktotal * f r ,
where: f r is a reduction factor determined by
sed
fr = ,
[ THRESH ] (11.74)
0 f r 1,
where sed is the thickness of sediment at the bed, calculated by dividing the total mass of
sediment at the bed (all fractions) by the density of the bed layer.
The likelihood of erosive conditions occurring is assessed by calculating the total sediment
source and sink terms using the concentration from the previous time-step to evaluate the
implicit sink term. If the sink term is greater than the source term, then deposition is
expected, and f r is set to 1.0 so that deposition close to the fixed layer is not hindered.

morphology
11.6.2 Bathymetry updating including bed-load transport
(n+1)
Key
( n ,m)
S b ,vv
Water level point
(n)
Sb( ,nuu, m1) Sb( ,nuu, m ) Velocity point
Depth point
Control volume
Sb( ,nvv1, m )
(n-1)
(Positive) bed-load
transport component
(m-1) (m) (m+1)

x
Figure 11-6 Morphological control volume and bed-load transport components
The change in the quantity of bottom sediments caused by the bed-load transport is
calculated using the expression:
t f MORFAC Sb( ,nuu,m 1) y ( n ,m 1) Sb( ,nuu,m ) y ( n ,m ) +

( n ,m )
= ( n 1,m ) ( n 1,m ) , (11.75)
SED
A( n ,m ) S
b,vv x Sb( ,nvv,m ) x ( n ,m )
where:
(SED
n ,m )
change in quantity of bottom sediment at location (n,m) [kg/m2].
t computational time-step [s].
f MORFAC user-specified morphological acceleration factor, MORFAC.
A( n ,m ) area of computational cell at location (n,m) [m2].

Sb( ,nuu,m ) computed bed-load sediment transport vector in u direction, held at the u
point of the computational cell at location (n,m) [kg/m s].
x ( n ,m ) cell width in the x direction, held at the V point of cell (n,m) [m].
y ( n , m ) cell width in the x direction, held at the U point of cell (n,m) [m].
This calculation is repeated for each sand sediment fraction, if more than one is present,
and the resulting change in the bottom sediment is added to the change due to the suspended
sediment sources and sinks and included in the bottom updating scheme. The bottom is
updated at every computational time-step.

11.6.3 Erosion of dry points
In the case of erosion near a dry beach or bank, the standard scheme will not allow erosion
of the adjacent cells, even when a steep scour hole would develop right next to the beach.
Therefore a scheme has been implemented, where for each wet cell, if there are dry points
adjacent to it, the erosion volume is distributed over the wet cell and the adjacent dry cells.
The distribution is governed by a user-specified factor THETSD, which determines the
fraction of the erosion to assign (evenly) to the adjacent cells; if THETSD equals zero, the
standard scheme is used; if THETSD equals 1, all erosion that would occur in the wet cell is
assigned to the adjacent dry cells.
A modification to this method may be activated by specifying a parameter HMAXTH larger

than the threshold depth for computing sediment transport, SEDTHR. In this case, the factor
THETSD is replaced by a factor THET which is computed as:
thet=(h1 - sedthr) / (hmaxth - sedthr) * thetsd

thet=min (thet, thetsd)
Here, h1 is the local water depth. The purpose of this formulation is to allow erosion of parts
that are inactive in terms of transport but still wet, while limiting the erosion of the dry
beach. If erosion of the dry beach is desired, this option is not recommended, so HMAXTH
should be set less than SEDTHR.
11.7 Specific implementation aspects

Negative water depth check
In rare situations (with high morphological acceleration factors) it is possible that, in one
time-step, the bed accretes more than the water depth. If this occurs the water depth will
become negative (water surface level is below the bed level). This situation is checked for
and, if it occurs, the water surface level for the cell is set equal to the new bed level. The cell
will then be set dry.
Threshold depth for sediment calculations introduced

If the water depth in a cell is less than twice the critical depth for cell flooding or 0.01m (i.e.
if h < max ( 2 f DRYFLC ,0.01) ) then the sediment source and sink terms, and bed-load
transport are not calculated for sand sediment fractions. This has been included in order to
prevent numerical problems during the computation of the reference concentration, in
situations where Van Rijns formulations become invalid. The limitation of twice the critical
depth for flooding is included to prevent sudden bursts of sediment from occurring when
computational cells are flooded.
Remark:
In areas with very shallow water depths and sediment sources and sinks, you must ensure
that the user-specified threshold depth for drying and flooding, see Section 4.5.8, is not
set too large.
Calculation of bed shear in wave and current situations altered

morphology
The calculation of the bed shear velocity u* has been simplified in situations with waves
and currents. The bed shear is always calculated using the velocities computed in the bottom
computational layer, rather than using the computational layer closest to the top of the
sediment mixing layer. The reference velocity in the bottom computational layer is adjusted
to the top of the sediment mixing layer using the apparent bed roughness ka before being
used to compute the bed shear velocity using the physical bed roughness k s .
Depth upwinding at velocity points improved

During a morphological simulation the depth stored at the U and V velocity points must be
updated to reflect the bed level changes calculated in the water level points. This used to be
performed by setting the new depth for the velocity point by copying the new depth held at
the water level point, using a simple upwind numerical scheme. As this may introduce
instabilities in the flow computation, especially near drying and flooding and in tidal
simulations, this method has been replaced by setting the depth at U and V points equal to
the minimum of the adjacent depths in water level points. This change significantly
improves the smoothness of flooding dry cells.
Remark:
The setting of depths at velocity points as the minimum of the adjacent water level points
only comes into effect if sediment is present and the user-specified flag MORUPD is
.true. (i.e. bathymetrical changes are expected to occur at some point during the
simulation period). If this condition is not met then the depths at the velocity points are
not updated during the course of the simulation.
Initialisation of depths at velocity points

Initialisation of the depth held at velocity points is consistent with the depth updating
scheme described above. If sediment is present and the user-specified flag MORUPD is
.true. then the initial depths at velocity points are set from the depths at adjacent water level
points, using the same numerical scheme as is used for updating these depths later. If a
simulation will not include bathymetrical changes then the depths at velocity points are set
in the traditional manner (by interpolation between adjacent depth points) and are not
updated during the course of the simulation.
11.8 Validation
To test and validate the formulations and implementation of the 3D sediment transport Add-
on many simulations have been executed. These are reported in Lesser et al. (2000), Lesser
et al (2003a), Ruessink and Roelvink (2000), Lesser et al. (2003b), Roelvink et al. (2003).
Remarks:
Small negative sediment concentrations (~ -1.10-3 kg/m3) can be found in a computation.
These negative concentrations can be suppressed by applying a horizontal Forester filter,
Sections 4.5.8 and 10.6.4. However, this can result in a substantially larger computing
time. It is suggested to accept small negative concentrations and to apply a Forester filter
only when the negative concentrations become unacceptably large.
A vertical Forester filter applied in a sediment transport computation will not affect the
sediments. Since it smoothes the vertical profile and thus can have a strong influence on

the vertical mixing processes, the vertical Forester filter is always de-activated for
sediment.

Appendix A - D3D Sediment Transport and Morphology

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Appendix A - D3D Sediment Transport and Morphology

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Delft3D-FLOW

11 3D Sediment transport and morphology ..........................................................111

11.1 General formulations ...............................................................................111

11.1.2 Effect of sediment on fluid density .............................................112

11.1.3 Sediment settling velocity...........................................................113

11.1.4 Dispersive transport ....................................................................114

11.1.5 Three-dimensional wave effects .................................................115

11.1.6 Initial and boundary conditions ..................................................115

11.2 Cohesive sediment ...................................................................................117

11.2.1 Cohesive sediment settling velocity............................................117

11.2.2 Cohesive sediment dispersion.....................................................118

11.2.3 Cohesive sediment erosion and deposition .................................118

11.2.4 Influence of waves on cohesive sediment transport....................119

11.3 Non-cohesive sediment............................................................................119

11.3.1 Non-cohesive sediment settling velocity ....................................119

11.3.2 Non-cohesive sediment dispersion ...........................................1110

11.3.3 Reference concentration ...........................................................1114

11.3.4 Non-cohesive sediment erosion and deposition........................1117

11.3.5 Inflow boundary conditions non-cohesive sediment ................1121

11.4 Bed-load sediment transport of non-cohesive sediment ........................1122

11.4.1 Basic formulation......................................................................1122

11.4.2 Suspended sediment correction vector......................................1124

11.4.3 Inclusion of a fixed layer ..........................................................1124

11.4.4 Calculation of bed-load transport at open boundaries ..............1125

11.4.5 Bed-load transport at U and V velocity points ......................... 1125

11.4.6 Adjustment of bed-load transport for bed-slope effects ........... 1126

11.5 Additional transport formulations for non-cohesive sediment.............. 1129

11.6 Morphological updating ........................................................................ 1131

11.6.1 Availability of sediment at the bed........................................... 1132

11.6.2 Bathymetry updating including bed-load transport.................. 1134

11.6.3 Erosion of dry points................................................................ 1135

11.7 Specific implementation aspects ........................................................... 1135

11.8 Validation .............................................................................................. 1136

WL | Delft Hydraulics iii

11 3D Sediment transport and morphology

11.1 General formulations

Three-dimensional transport of suspended sediment is calculated by solving the three-

c( l) mass concentration of sediment fraction ( l ) [kg/m3]

ws( l ) (hindered) sediment settling velocity of sediment

WL | Delft Hydraulics 111

11.1.2 Effect of sediment on fluid density

w ( S ) specific density of water with salinity concentration S [kg/m3]

S salinity concentration [ppt]

112 WL | Delft Hydraulics

11.1.3 Sediment settling velocity

WL | Delft Hydraulics 113

11.1.4 Dispersive transport

s( l ) vertical sediment mixing coefficient for the sediment fraction ( l ) .

114 WL | Delft Hydraulics

11.1.5 Three-dimensional wave effects

11.1.6 Initial and boundary conditions

One global initial concentration for each sediment fraction.

WL | Delft Hydraulics 115

Water surface boundary

where z = is the location of the free surface.

Bed boundary condition

D(l) sediment deposition rate of sediment fraction ( l ) .

Open inflow boundaries

116 WL | Delft Hydraulics

Open outflow boundaries

11.2 Cohesive sediment

11.2.1 Cohesive sediment settling velocity

ws( ,0l ) = ws( ,max

cr( l ) = 0.24 D1 , 1 < D 4