Mechanisms for deposition and resuspension of heavy particles in turbulentflow over wavy interfaces

It has been long recognized that turbulent flow over steep waves can produce coherent flow structures of different temporal and spatial scales. In particular, quasistreamwise vortices grow up on the upslope side of the wave and interact with geometry-dependent vortical structures, aligned spanwise and located within the recirculation bubble in the wave trough, thus creating the conditions for the development of a three-dimensional highly turbulent flow field. In this work, we have analyzed the trajectories of O(105) small dense particles (either in solid form or in the form of liquid droplets) released into a turbulent air flow over waves precisely to clarify the role of coherent vortical structures in controlling particle deposition and resuspension. The three-dimensional time-dependent flow field at Reτ=170 is calculated using large-eddy simulation, and the dynamics of individual different-sized particles is described using a Lagrangian approach. Drag, gravity, and lift are used in the equation of motio...