Sensitivity Analysis of Nonequilibrium Adaptation Parameters for Modeling Mining-Pit Migration

The nonequilibrium adaptation parameters of a depth-averaged two-dimensional hydrodynamic and sediment transport model were examined in the study. Calculated results were compared to data measured in two sets of published laboratory experiments that investigated mining-pit migration under well-controlled boundary conditions including steady flow and uniform rectangular cross sections along the flume except in the vicinity of the experimental mining area. The two sets of experiments were chosen as representatives of bed-load-dominated and suspended-load-dominated cases, respectively. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to estimate the influence of the nonequilibrium adaptation parameters on mining-pit migration simulation. Calculated results indicate that appropriate selection of the adaptation parameters is critical in order to close the nonequilibrium sediment transport formulas when modeling mining-pit migration.