Sediment transport study reveals potential for improved water resource management.
Sediment transport in pressurized pipes was studied using sediment from the Yellow River. The experiment showed that sediment changed the flow velocity distribution in the pipes. Higher sediment concentration led to lower velocity in the lower water body and higher velocity in the upper water body. At low flow rates, sediment caused uneven velocity distribution and vertical concentration decrease. As flow rate increased, velocity distribution became more uniform, and sediment separation weakened.