Numerical Modelling Of Suspended Radioactive Sediment Transport In A Stream Using Matlab

ABSTRACT

The use of materials that contain radioactive substances has gained grounds in Ghana due

to numerous benefits derived from them. These radioactive materials can be found in the

areas of medicine, agriculture and industries such as mining. Though there are strict

measures to ensure such material do not find its way into the environment, improper

management of the waste poses a threat to the environment. To be able to understand the

impact the radioactive material has on the environment, mathematical models play a very

relevant role in tracking the level of pollution in any medium. This thesis was concerned

with the numerical modelling for the transport of the radioactive solute material that

suspends in a stream using Matlab at different velocities as a result of flooding or an

accident for research purposes. The modelling was done by using partial differential

equations describing relevant physical processes evolution which includes water level,

dissolved and suspended substances concentration and velocities. The equation system

basis are the mass conservation and momentum laws, state equation and state transport

equations. The implicit finite difference scheme was used to evaluate the transport

equation, Advection-Dispersion Equation (ADE) with respect to time and space. Solution

algorithms for Matlab programming were developed and implemented for generating

results for analysis. The results obtained showed that the model was able to simulate

accurately the various levels of suspended radioactive sediment concentration changes in

the flowing stream longitudinally.