Suspended Sediment Transport in Ice‐Covered Turbulent Flow: Semi‐Analytical Solution and Parametric Sensitivity

This study presents a semi‐analytical solution for modeling suspended sediment distribution in turbulent flows within ice‐covered channels under unsteady, non‐equilibrium conditions. The solution is derived using the generalized integral transform technique (GITT). Validation was performed against the cell‐centered finite volume method and existing experimental data. The results confirm high accuracy, supported by error analysis. Optimized parameter values were obtained through a hybrid genetic and interior point algorithm. Several underlying phenomena of particle‐turbulence interactions in ice‐covered channels are explored. The focus is on the influence of key sediment transport parameters on the time‐dependent evolution of vertical concentration profiles of suspended sediment particles. Key findings indicate that increasing the settling‐velocity correction coefficient raises sediment concentration profiles over time. In contrast, greater ice‐cover roughness reduces sediment suspension. Sensitivity analysis highlights the inverse of the Schmidt number as a critical factor. This novel application of GITT and variance‐based sensitivity analysis (VBSA) provides a detailed solution library, and serves as a benchmark for numerical models.