Flocculation properties of cohesive fine-grained sediment in the Three Gorges Reservoir under variable turbulent shear.

Sediment flocculation is a key process for the deposition of fine-grained sediments in the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) of China. Sediment flocculation influences the evolution of the river regime, but also hampers the smooth navigation in the long term. However, the flocculation process and its controlling factors are poorly understood. We experimentally determined the flocculation properties of cohesive sediment of samples from the TGR (predominantly a mixture of clay and silt) over a range of turbulent shear rates and sediment concentrations. The experiments were conducted in an almost isotropic turbulence field, which was simulated by an array of horizontal oscillating grids in a water tank. Sediment flocculation was recorded by a camera and investigated by image analysis. Our new data indicate that flocculation is generally a response in equilibrium median floc size (d_f,50) to the increase of the shear rate G. The peak value is attained at G = 16.5 s⁻¹, where d_f,50 is 81.3 μm (for the suspended sediment concentration (ssc) = 0.4 g/L) and 107 μm (for ssc=0.7 g/L), respectively. At low shear rates (G < 16.5 s⁻¹), the equilibrium floc sizes d_f,50 increase with rising shear rate G and is inversely related to the Kolmogorov micro length scale η. We attribute this variability to an insufficient deposition time of the sediment flocs in the water tank. Settling velocities, calculated from our experimental data of the floc sizes, are almost consistent with in-situ measured settling velocities, and are ten times larger than the terminal settling velocity of primary particles as calculated from Stokes' law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]