Unsteady Reynolds Averaged Navier–Stokes Method for Free-Surface Wave Flows around Surface-Piercing Cylindrical Structures

Abstract

The present study is concerned with the numerical simulation of free-surface wave flows around surface-piercing cylindrical structures using an unstructured grid-based unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes method. The volume of fluid method is implemented with a highly accurate scheme for flux evaluation on cell faces. The computational results are validated against existing experimental data that involve free-surface waves around surface-piercing structures, spilling breaking waves, bubbly free-surface in separated regions, and interaction between free-surface waves and underlying viscous flow. The validation results suggest that the present computational approach provides a tool that is flexible and accurate enough to capture the fundamental characteristics of flow physics associated with the unsteady free-surface wave flows around surface-piercing cylindrical structures.