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A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water Erosion and Sediment Transport".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 June 2026 | Viewed by 2837

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Xin Chen

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Guest Editor

College of Water Resources and Civil Engineering, China Agricultural University, Haidian, Beijing 100083, China
Interests: numerical modeling; erosion and deposition; hydrodynamics; sediment transport; sheet flow; two-phase flow; water wave

Dr. Huabin Shi

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Guest Editor

State Key Laboratory of Internet of Things for Smart City and Department of Ocean Science and Technology, University of Macau, Macao 999078, China
Interests: coastal hydro-sediment disaster flows; storm surge; submarine landslides; coastal erosion; meshless computational fluid dynamics; sph method
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Dr. Hongjie Wen

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Guest Editor

School of Civil Engineering and Transportation, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
Interests: numerical modeling; hydrodynamics; computational fluid dynamics (CFD); erosion and deposition; coastal engineering; sediment transport

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue mainly focuses on the numerical modeling of hydrodynamics and sediment transport, which is a computational approach that simulates water flow and sediment movement. The numerical modeling involves solving governing equations, such as the Navier–Stokes equations and turbulence equations, to model fluid dynamics and additional equations for sediment transport processes. These models account for factors like water velocity, pressure, turbulence, vortex structure, bed roughness, sediment concentration, and topography using analytical or empirical relations (e.g., Einstein equation or Shields parameter) to describe sediment movement, including suspension and bed load. These models are all suitable based on the Euler or Lagrange method, single-phase flow or two-phase flow method.

The models are structured with computational grids, applying boundary conditions to simulate flow and sediment dynamics over time. They are not limited to predicting (1) microscopic collision and friction and (2) macroscopic erosion, deposition, and distribution for graded and uniform sediment, with applications in river management, coastal engineering, and environmental planning. Challenges include computational efficiency, accuracy, and handling complex geometries, often requiring validation against field data or experiments. Your contributions should also encompass water resource management, cost-effective simulations, environmental conservation, climate change adaptation, and the development of specialized models tailored for diverse environments.

Prof. Dr. Xin Chen
Dr. Huabin Shi
Dr. Hongjie Wen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

numerical modeling
hydrodynamics
sediment transport
computational fluid dynamics (CFD)
multiphase flow
turbulence modeling
erosion and deposition
river morphology
coastal engineering

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 4626 KB

Open AccessArticle

CFD Study on the Influence of Oblique Underflow Baffles on Bedload Transport in Rectangular Channels

by Tino Kostić, Subhojit Kadia and Nils Rüther

Water 2025, 17(24), 3597; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17243597 - 18 Dec 2025

Viewed by 78

Abstract

Hydraulic structures, particularly water intakes, are often affected by undesirable bedload depositions that can significantly reduce their operational efficiency and lifespan. Based on three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics, this study presents the potential of oblique vertical underflow baffles to redistribute the bedload and mitigate bedload accumulation at critical locations. A straight rectangular channel containing a baffle submerged up to 20% of the flow depth was analyzed under varying discharge rates, baffle alignments, and channel width coverages. The specific flow conditions induced by oblique baffles lead to the generation of a vortex along the trailing edge of the baffle, forming a bedload-free zone on one side of the channel—an effect not observed with an orthogonal baffle. This phenomenon offers a potential strategy for managing bedload movement in channels and sluices, providing a means to prevent undesirable bedload depositions. As discharge increases, the bedload-free zone expands, resulting in greater effectiveness at higher flows—an effect not observed with conventional near-bed bedload control structures. The oblique baffle also remained effective even at a channel width coverage of just 25%, indicating the potential for developing cost-effective designs with minimal structural support. Overall, oblique underflow baffles show potential as a practical and efficient solution for managing bedload transport and deposition, thus protecting critical hydraulic structures. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Numerical Modeling of Hydrodynamics and Sediment Transport)

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21 pages, 5461 KB

Open AccessArticle

Multi-Scale Mechanisms for Permeability Evolution in Remolded Fault Gouge: From Mineral-Particle Migration to Pore Structure

by Yuanyang Zhao, Huimin Wang, Shaobo Qiao, Zhihan Li and Jinchang Sheng

Water 2025, 17(22), 3307; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17223307 - 19 Nov 2025

Viewed by 374

Abstract

Permeability evolution in remolded fault gouge creates critical uncertainties in geotechnical parameterization for dam foundations. However, the underlying multi-scale mechanisms, including mineral migration and pore structure changes, remain insufficiently understood. This study investigates these mechanisms using remolded plastic-thrust fault gouge from the Yulong Kashi hydropower project in China. We developed an innovative sample preparation method that combines in situ mineral self-cementation and directional compaction. The study integrated multidisciplinary tests including field in situ permeability tests; seepage–stress coupling tests; and micro-scale NMR/XRD/SEM-EDS analyses. Results demonstrate that remolded samples exhibit 1–2 orders of magnitude lower permeability (10⁻⁷ cm/s) than in situ samples (10⁻⁵ cm/s). This significant reduction is primarily caused by the loss of cementing agents and the uniform compaction of remolded samples, which leads to degraded pore connectivity. SEM-EDS analysis highlighted the leaching of cementing materials (such as K⁺, Ca²⁺ ions), while XRD revealed changes in mineral composition, with chlorite dissolution being the primary mineral alteration associated with permeability decay. Additionally, artificially enhanced cohesion distorted the mechanical behavior of the samples. These findings provide an explanation for why conventional laboratory tests tend to underestimate in situ permeability and overestimate shear strength in fault zones. This study establishes microstructure-informed correction frameworks for hydraulic and mechanical parameters in fault-crossing hydraulic engineering applications Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Numerical Modeling of Hydrodynamics and Sediment Transport)

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32 pages, 7791 KB

Open AccessArticle

Numerical Simulation of Flow and Local Scour Around Structures in Steep Channels Using Two- and Three-Dimensional Hydrodynamic Models

by Yuki Kajikawa

Water 2025, 17(22), 3243; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17223243 - 13 Nov 2025

Viewed by 437

Abstract

Complex three-dimensional (3D) flows generally occur around structures such as bridge piers and groins installed in river channels during floods, resulting in local scour in movable beds. Most analyses of bed deformation, including local scour around structures in supercritical flow fields, have been conducted using two-dimensional (2D) models. However, the inevitability of 3D flows around structures renders 2D models (assuming hydrostatic pressure distribution) inadequate in reproducing local scour induced by these flows. Therefore, 3D models are necessary for accurate local scour prediction, even in these flow conditions. This study presents the differences in reproducibility between 2D shallow-water hydrodynamic models and 3D hydrodynamic models for the flow and local scour around structures in steep channels under supercritical flow conditions. Both hydrodynamic and mixed-sand bed deformation models, incorporating the fractional area/volume obstacle representation (FAVOR) method, were developed and applied to hydraulic experiments. As a result, the proposed 3D model accurately reproduced the experimental results of local scour. It was also shown that a 2D model may be sufficient for predicting flows and approximate bed deformations when the constriction length formed by the structure is short. By contrast, the application of a 3D model was necessary for predicting bed deformations when the constriction length is long. In addition, the numerical models using the FAVOR method could smoothly analyse flows and bed deformations in channel shapes that do not follow the coordinate system. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Numerical Modeling of Hydrodynamics and Sediment Transport)

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21 pages, 2556 KB

Open AccessArticle

Scour Control in a 90° Bend by Means of an Air Bubble Screen

by Pari Maleki, Javad Ahadiyan, Rui Aleixo, Hossein Azizi Nadian, Zeinab Tamoradi, Seyed Mahmood Kashefipour, Anton J. Schleiss and Manouchehr Fathi Moghadam

Water 2025, 17(18), 2693; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17182693 - 12 Sep 2025

Viewed by 755

Abstract

Scouring is an erosional process driven by the water motion over a sediment bed. Scour can lead to structural safety risks of built structures and to riverbanks’ instabilities and collapse. In particular, scouring in river bends is a known phenomenon caused by secondary flow currents. This scouring can result in negative impacts on the economic and social activities that occur on the riverbanks. On the other hand, the erosion and scouring processes of riverbeds are often addressed by means of heavy civil engineering construction works. Aiming at looking for different solutions for the scour in river bends, this research investigates the use of an air bubble screen system to minimize the scouring in river bends by providing detailed measurements of sedimentation patterns and velocity fields in a mild 90-degree bend where an air screen bubble was installed. The air bubble screen is generated by injecting compressed air through a perforated pipe placed on the bed along the outer bend. Different parameters were tested, including the water flow rate in the channel, the air flow rate, the angle of attack between the air bubble screen and the secondary flow, and flow direction. The air bubble screen opposes the direction of the bend’s induced secondary flows, altering the velocity pattern such that the maximum velocity at cross-sections of 45°, 65°, 80°, and 90° were displaced from the outer wall as much as 53%, 68%, 89%, and 84% of the width, respectively. The air bubble screen system also reduced the secondary flow power in the maximum scour zone by 35%. Hence, the maximum scour depth was reduced by 59% to 79.8% for the maximum flow rate by increasing the air bubbles’ angle of attack relative to the primary flow from 0° to 90°. Finally, the limitations of this study and its applicability to real cases is discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Numerical Modeling of Hydrodynamics and Sediment Transport)

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26 pages, 8897 KB

Open AccessArticle

Numerical Study of Wave-Induced Longshore Current Generation Zones on a Circular Sandy Sloping Topography

by Mohammad Shaiful Islam, Tomoaki Nakamura, Yong-Hwan Cho and Norimi Mizutani

Water 2025, 17(15), 2263; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17152263 - 29 Jul 2025

Viewed by 779

Abstract

Wave deformation and sediment transport nearest the shoreside are among the main reasons for sand erosion and beach profile changes. In particular, identifying the areas of incident-wave breaking and longshore current generation parallel to the shoreline is important for understanding the morphological changes of coastal beaches. In this study, a two-phase incompressible flow model along with a sandy sloping topography was employed to investigate the wave deformation and longshore current generation areas in a circular wave basin model. The finite volume method (FVM) was implemented to discretize the governing equations in cylindrical coordinates, the volume-of-fluid method (VOF) was adopted to differentiate the air–water interfaces in the control cells, and the zonal embedded grid technique was employed for grid generation in the cylindrical computational domain. The water surface elevations and velocity profiles were measured in different wave conditions, and the measurements showed that the maximum water levels per wave were high and varied between cases, as well as between cross-sections in a single case. Additionally, the mean water levels were lower in the adjacent positions of the approximated wave-breaking zones. The wave-breaking positions varied between cross-sections in a single case, with the incident-wave height, mean water level, and wave-breaking position measurements indicating the influence of downstream flow variation in each cross-section on the sloping topography. The cross-shore velocity profiles became relatively stable over time, while the longshore velocity profiles predominantly moved in the alongshore direction, with smaller fluctuations, particularly during the same time period and in measurement positions near the wave-breaking zone. The computed velocity profiles also varied between cross-sections, and for the velocity profiles along the cross-shore and longshore directions nearest the wave-breaking areas where the downstream flow had minimal influence, it was presumed that there was longshore-current generation in the sloping topography nearest the shoreside. The computed results were compared with the experimental results and we observed similar characteristics for wave profiles in the same wave period case in both models. In the future, further investigations can be conducted using the presented circular wave basin model to investigate the oblique wave deformation and longshore current generation in different sloping and wave conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Numerical Modeling of Hydrodynamics and Sediment Transport)

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