Numerical investigation of saline gravity currents with different water depth and salinity based on the lattice Boltzmann method

Abstract In this paper, we used Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM) to simulate the motion of saline gravity currents, considering different cases of water depth and salinity, aiming to evaluate the reliability of the LBM model and investigate the longitudinal properties of the gravity currents. The study in this paper was divided into two phases. The first phase explained the basic principles and the implementation process of the numerical model. By comparing the simulation results with laboratory experimental data, it was found that the simulation results were in good agreement with the laboratory experiments. The second phase of the study simulated the saline gravity currents with different water depths and salinities. It was observed that, due to the increasing density gradient, the front velocity of dense current increased with rising water depth and saltwater salinity, and the intensity of turbulence at the interface was enhanced.