Evaluating the performance of the RANS turbulence models for simulating wave propagation over a submerged breakwater using openfoam

Abstract

The present work is to evaluate the performance of the RANS turbulence models for simulating regular wavepropagation over a submerged breakwater using the open-source Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software OpenFOAM. The present numerical results of four turbulence models (k-ε model, k-ω  SST model, buoyancy-modified k-ω SST model, and stabilized k-ω SST model) are compared with published experimental data for free surface elevations and velocities at gauges. Moreover, the results of the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) are compared and assessed between the turbulence models. Results show that the buoyancy-modified k-ω SST model and the stabilized k-ω SST model predictions agree very well with the experimental data, although the turbulence kinetic energy is still significant differences between the two models. Therefore, these two models should be used in the future for simulating the interaction between waves and submerged breakwaters.