Numerical simulation of deep-water wave breaking using RANS

Comparison with experiments

Journal Article (2024)
Author(s)

Yuxuan Liu (University of Oxford)

T.S. Van Den Bremer (TU Delft - Environmental Fluid Mechanics)

T.A.A. Adcock (University of Oxford)

Environmental Fluid Mechanics
DOI related publication
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euromechflu.2024.08.003
More Info
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Publication Year
2024
Language
English
Environmental Fluid Mechanics
Volume number
108
Pages (from-to)
211-225
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Abstract

Wave breaking is a multifaceted physical phenomenon that is not fully understood and remains challenging to model. An effective method for investigating wave breaking involves utilising the two-phase Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations to directly simulate breaking waves. In this study, we apply a RANS model with an adaptively refined mesh to simulate breaking waves in deep water using the stabilised RANS model proposed by Larsen and Fuhrman. This approach enables a more efficient simulation of the physics of breaking waves compared to Direct Numerical Simulations, as it places less stringent demands on grid resolution. Our findings demonstrate that the RANS model compares well with deep water wave breaking experiments in terms of surface elevation. We also give estimates of the breaking strength parameter of our RANS simulations and compared them with the literature.