1 MODELING OF FINE SUSPENDED SEDIMENTS Hoang-Ha Nguyen (a,b)

One of important processes in sediment transport is the settling of sediments. The settling velocity is affected by many factors. This paper presents models for estimating density of flocs, viscosity of mixtures, effect of turbulence on the drag coefficient of particles, and flocculation of cohesive sediments. The concept of self-similarity of flocs and population-balance equation (Smoluchowski’s theory) are not used. Instead, the proposed models use physically-based arguments and dimensional analysis. The models were calibrated and verified against measured data and existing models available in the literature. The proposed models are applicable to both non-cohesive and cohesive sediments. Some preliminary results from a field study are also presented. I