Numerical Simulation Study on the Movement Characteristics of Plumes in Marine Mining

The prediction of deep-sea mining sediment plumes is essential for assessing and mitigating the environmental impacts on vulnerable deep-sea ecosystems. In this paper, the numerical simulation method is adopted to predict the sediment plume transportation. Fluid dynamics are governed by the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations, coupled with the Standard k–ε turbulence model to capture turbulent diffusion. The air–water free surface is tracked by a high-resolution Volume of Fluid (VOF) method. The pressure–velocity coupling utilizes the PISO algorithm. Sediment transport is governed by the advection–diffusion equation. The mathematical model is validated through experiments. There is a good consistency between the experiment results and the numerical results, which proves that the numerical method can be applied. The study calculates the diffusion range and characteristics of plumes under different free stream velocities, injection velocities and discharge densities. The results indicate that an increase in free stream velocity enhances the development of turbulence, but conversely restricts the expansion of the mixing zone between the plume and the ambient water. A greater injection velocity leads to a wider distribution range of the plume, while inhibiting the development of local turbulence. A higher plume discharge density results in a larger horizontal distribution range, while hindering the effective mixing between the plume and the ambient water body.