An experimental study of recirculating flow through fluid–sediment interfaces

Abstract

We report here visualizations and quantitative measurements of scalar transport, under the influence of rotation, through permeable sediments with an overlying fluid layer. The experimental set-up considered here is a stationary cylinder containing a fluid-saturated porous medium up to its midheight, with supernatant water on top. A rotating lid generates, in the upper fluid region, a flow that partially percolates into the porous layer below. The velocity field in the fluid layer is obtained using particle image velocimetry (PIV). Further, dye transport from the sediment is studied using two different techniques. The first one is positron emission tomography (PET), a non-invasive method which allowed us to ‘see’ through the opaque solid matrix, and to obtain full three-dimensional pictures of dye transport through the sediment. The second one is digital photographic visualization from outside, and subsequent image processing in order to obtain the near-wall dye-washout depth. The experimental data suggest that the temporal evolution of washout depth for different sediments follows near-logarithmic behaviour. This finding is of importance for the a priori estimation of the transport of fluid and other solute substances in sandy aquatic sediments.