Performance Assessment of Three Turbulence Models Validated through an Experimental Wave Flume under Different Scenarios of Wave Generation

Abstract

first_page settings Open AccessArticle Performance Assessment of Three Turbulence Models Validated through an Experimental Wave Flume under Different Scenarios of Wave Generation by Lander Galera-Calero 1 [OrcID] , Jesús María Blanco 1,2,* [OrcID] , Urko Izquierdo 1 [OrcID] and Gustavo Adolfo Esteban 1 [OrcID] 1 Department of Energy Engineering, Faculty of Engineering of Bilbao-UPV/EHU, Plaza Ingeniero Torres Quevedo, 1, CP 48013 Bilbao, Bizkaia, Spain 2 TECNALIA, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Astondo Bidea, Edificio 700, 48160 Derio, Bizkaia, Spain * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2020, 8(11), 881; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse8110881 Received: 15 October 2020 / Revised: 30 October 2020 / Accepted: 2 November 2020 / Published: 5 November 2020 (This article belongs to the Special Issue Large Eddy Simulation and Turbulence Modeling) Download PDF Browse Figures Review Reports Abstract This study aimed to adjust the turbulence models to the real behavior of the numerical wave flume (NWF) and the future research that will be carried out on it, according to the turbulence model that best adjusts to each particular case study. The k-ε, k-ω and large-eddy simulation (LES) models, using the volume of fluid (VOF) method, were analyzed and compared respectively. The wavemaker theory was followed to faithfully reproduce the waves, which were measured in an experimental wave flume (EWF) and compared with the theory to validate each turbulence model. Besides, reflection was measured with the Mansard and Funke method, which has shown promising results when studying one of the most critical turbulent behaviors in the wave flume, called the breaking of the waves. The free surface displacement obtained with each turbulence model was compared with the recorded signals located at three points of the experimental wave flume, in the time domain of each run, respectively. Finally, the calculated reflection coefficients and the amplitudes of the reflected waves were compared, aiming to have a better understanding of the wave reflection process at the extinction zone. The research showed good agreement between all the experimental signals and the numerical outcomes for all the turbulence models analyzed.