Experimental study on flocculation and sedimentation characteristics of cohesive fine sediment measured using ultrasound in the Pearl River Estuary

Flocculation-settling of cohesive fine sediment is the main cause of sediment deposition and changes in topography and geomorphology in estuaries. However, studies on estuary morphology have often focused on a single influencing factor, and sediment deposition characteristics under disturbances in sediment concentration, moisture content, and external forces have rarely been considered simultaneously. The authors propose an ultrasound-assisted flocculation-settling method to analyze the various factor affecting cohesive sediment. The current study examined the sedimentation patterns of cohesive sediment with a sediment content concentration of 30%–80% through ultrasound experiments. The results show that when the sediment concentration is 40%–50%, the best effect on flocculation and sedimentation is induced by ultrasound waves. The corresponding settling height at the clear-muddy water interface is 3.05–3.45 cm, and the settling rate is 0.161–0.173 cm/min. Finally, using ultrasound waves, a moisture content of the sediment concentration of 30%–80% was analyzed based on wet and dry conditions. Taking a sediment concentration of 50% as an example, the maximum values of the variation in the water contents of the upper, middle, and lower layers of the wet basis were 0.82%, 0.51%, and 0.37%, respectively, whereas those of the upper, middle, and lower layers of the dry basis were 4.77%, 1.07%, and 0.60%, respectively. Thus, the moisture content of dry and wet sediment varied as follows: W_upper > W_middle > W_lower. The current research results can provide a theoretical basis and technical reference for siltation in channels, harbors, and reservoirs; the evolution of submarine deltas and coastal beaches; transportation of fluid mud; and the treatment of hyper-concentrated sediment flows.