Transportation of sediment particles in a turbulent flow over erodible beds in open channels is a fundamental aspect of hydraulic engineering. Understanding the distribution of velocity and sediment concentration is essential for revealing the underlying mechanisms of sediment transport in natural rivers and man made channels.

Our work focuses on open channel turbulent flows and involves the development of mathematical models for the vertical distribution of fluid velocity, suspended sediment concentration and grain-size distribution over erodible beds considering several turbulent features like mixing length, hindered settling, stratification and some others. The developed models are validated against experimental and field data available in existing literature.

In addition to the above, we formulate analytical expressions for key sediment transport parameters, such as bed-load layer thickness and settling velocity, which are critical inputs for solving the governing equations that describe turbulent flow and sediment dynamics.

We also address the solution of governing equations using semi-analytical techniques. Notably, the Homotopy Analysis Method (HAM) has been effectively employed to solve nonlinear differential equations arising from sediment-laden flow problems. Apart from this, In contrast to many existing studies that rely on the traditional advection–diffusion equation (ADE), we develop models that account for non-local effects and time memory by employing a space-fractional and/or time-fractional advection–diffusion equation (fADE).

In addition to open channel flows, our research also extends to ice-covered channels, which are common in high-latitude and high-altitude regions during extended winter periods. The presence of ice cover transforms the flow regime from an open channel to a closed conduit-like flow, significantly altering the turbulence structure and sediment transport dynamics. Under these conditions, we study the spatio-temporal distribution of suspended sediment concentration, where the concentration varies with both spatial coordinates and time.

Presently we are working on analytical investigation of dispersion of solute/reacting settling particles in a turbulent flow through an ice-covered channel.

All Publications

Dispersion of solute from an elevated continuous point source in turbulent flow through an ice-covered channel by Paul S., Kanungo B. , Sahu S. N., Ghoshal K. Applied Mathematical Modelling 151 - (2026)
Suspended sediment transport in ice-covered turbulent flow: Semi-analytical solution and parametric sensitivity by Hossain S., Das A. , Naskar S. , Sahu S. N., Ghoshal K. International Journal for Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics - (2025)
Distribution of suspended sediment in open channel turbulent flow through space-time fractional ADE by Kumar A., Ghoshal K. Communications in Nonlinear Science and Numerical Simulation 152 - (2026)
Unsteady two-dimensional concentration distribution in an ice-covered channel with temperature dependent settling velocity by Sahu S. N., Bakli C. , Ghoshal K. Physics of Fluids 37 - (2025)
Semi-analytical solution of unsteady one-dimensional sediment transport model through time fractional ADE by Kumar A., Sahu S. N., Ghoshal K. Zeitschrift für Angewandta Mathematik und Physik ZAMP (Journal of Applied Mathematics and Physics) 76, Article No 44 1-18 (2025)
Simultaneous study of sediment concentration and fluid velocity in an ice-covered channel by Sahu S. N., Ghoshal K. Cold Regions Science and Technology 241 - (2026)
Analytical and numerical investigation of suspended sediment concentration profiles in an ice-covered channel using the time-fractional advection diffusion equation by Sahu S. N., Hossain S. , Gualtieri C. , Ghoshal K. Journal of Engineering Mechanics 151 1-23 (2025)
Generalized non-equilibrium suspended sediment transport model with hindered settling effect for open channel flows by Hossain S., Singh G. , Dhar A. , Ghoshal K. Journal of Hydrology 612 1-15 (2022)
Distribution of non-uniform particles in an open channel flow from the concept of mixing length by Sen S., Hossain S. , Ghoshal K. Sedimentary Geology 440 1-14 (2022)
Effects of non-locality on unsteady nonequilibrium sediment transport in turbulent flows: A study using space fractional ADE with fractional divergence by Kundu S., Ghoshal K. Applied Mathematical Modelling 96 617-644 (2021)