Aggregation of volcanic ash in explosive eruptions

We present the result of a recent experimental and numerical investigation of ash aggregation in volcanic plumes. Eruption dynamics are sensitive to microphysical processes, like ash aggregation, yet are difficult to parameterize based on dynamics simulations of whole eruption columns due to the lack of sufficient resolution. Here we present the results of experiments that develop a probabilistic relationship for ash aggregation based on impact velocity and atmospheric conditions (water vapor and atmospheric pressure). The probabilistic relationship can be integrated, in conjunction with a reconstructed velocity distribution of the ash in the column, and then can be readily incorporated in large-scale simulations of eruption column behavior. We also conduct detailed Eulerian-Lagrangian simulations at the scale of our experiment as a test of the ash aggregation relationship. The physical experiment was carried out in a contained tank designed to allow for the control of ‘atmospheric’ conditions. The tank can be depressurized as needed, using the gas inlet and the attached vacuum pump, and the ambient humidity can be altered by adjusting the gas mixture at the inlet. Image data is recorded with a high speed camera and post-processed to determine the number of collisions, energy of collisions and probability of aggregation. We will present the results of aggregation probability and the effects of incorporating these results into a multiphase model of a three-dimensional eruption column, where the effects of ash aggregation are especially important in regions of high shear and high granular temperature.