An experimental and numerical study of the aeolian erosion of isolated and successive piles

M.C.S. Ferreira (1) , B. Furieri (1) , J.M. Santos (1) , A.O. El Moctar (2) , J.-L. Harion (3, 4) , Alexandre Valance (5) , P. Dupont (6) , N.C. Reis (1)

1 Federal University of Espírito Santo
2 EPUN - Ecole Polytechnique de l'Université de Nantes
3 IMT Nord Europe - Ecole nationale supérieure Mines-Télécom Lille Douai
4 LGCgE - Laboratoire de Génie Civil et Géo-Environnement (LGCgE) - ULR 4515
5 IPR - Institut de Physique de Rennes
6 LGCGM - Laboratoire de Génie Civil et Génie Mécanique

Open storage yards at industrial sites usually comprise several piles of granular materials, representing a particulate matter source that may significantly deteriorate air quality. The aeolian erosion of stockpiles is affected by changes in airflow patterns due to the pile shape and the presence of nearby piles or buildings. The aim of this study was to analyse the impact of wind erosion of successive parallel stockpiles on flow behaviour and particle emissions. A wind tunnel experiment was conducted in six configurations: one isolated pile and two successive piles separated by gaps of 0.9h and 1.8h (h is the pile height) oriented to 60 • and 90 • with respect to the main wind flow direction. The particles in the piles had a bimodal particle size distribution consisting of sand that was erodible (white) and non-erodible (black) in the investigated velocity range. The contrasting colours enabled the visualisation of the non-erodible sand accumulation. The mean field of the wall shear stress distribution and flow pathlines predicted by numerical simulation were associated with the experimental erosion patterns. The emitted mass was experimentally quantified as the difference between the initial and final

Mots clés: Pavement; Emission measurements; Wind tunnel; Fugitive emissions; Wind erosion; Turbulent flow; Wind Erosion; Fugitive Emissions; Wind Tunnel; Emission Measurements

Domaines: Physique [physics]

M.C.S. Ferreira, B. Furieri, J.M. Santos, A.O. El Moctar, J.-L. Harion, et al.. An experimental and numerical study of the aeolian erosion of isolated and successive piles. Environmental Fluid Mechanics, 2020, 20 (1), pp.123-144. ⟨10.1007/s10652-019-09702-z⟩. ⟨hal-02281685⟩