Studying the Impact of Unstructured Mesh Adaptation on Free Surface Flow Simulations

Author(s):  
Olivier Allain ◽  
Damien Gue´gan ◽  
Fre´de´ric Alauzet

Engineering offshore problems require a continuous progress in the simulation of systems coupling structures and fluids with interfaces. The needs concern complex interface motions and fluid-structure interaction with slamming. The proposed methodology combines, in a parallel message passing algorithm, a level set based interface tracking, a standard finite element projection method on unstructured meshes and a dynamic mesh adaptation process for time dependent problems. This numerical method is applied to the study of a wedge impacting a free surface in two dimensions [1, 2] and the three-dimensional simulation of a breaking water column which impacts an obstacle [3] for which experimental results are available.

Author(s):  
J. H. Kyoung ◽  
J. W. Kim ◽  
K. J. Bai

Wave impact load occurring in a liquid storage tank during a sloshing motion is numerically simulated. Due to a violent sloshing, an excessive impact load can cause a critical damage to the tank structure. Recently this type of the accidents are reported and the problem becomes an important research topic in LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) Tanker and FPSO (Floating Production Storage Offloading) design. To predict the sloshing impact load, Morison’s formula could be used for a practical reason. But using the Morison formula may provide directly an inaccurate estimation for the impact load because this formula is based on the linear model in the present nonlinear dominating phenomena. In this study, the wave impact load on the structure is obtained by imposing the exact nonlinear free surface conditions numerically and compared with that predicted by Morison’s formula. As a numerical method, a three-dimensional free surface flow in a tank is formulated in the scope of potential flow theory with the nonlinear free-surface conditions. A finite-element method based on Hamilton’s principle is employed as a numerical scheme. The problem is treated as an initial-value problem. The nonlinear problem is numerically solved through an iterative method at each time step.


Fluids ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (10) ◽  
pp. 367
Author(s):  
Valentin Ageorges ◽  
Jorge Peixinho ◽  
Gaële Perret ◽  
Ghislain Lartigue ◽  
Vincent Moureau

We present the results of a combined experimental and numerical study of the free-surface flow behind a finite height rigid vertical cylinder. The experiments measure the drag and the wake angle on cylinders of different diameters for a range of velocities corresponding to 30,000 <Re< 200,000 and 0.2<Fr<2 where the Reynolds and Froude numbers are based on the diameter. The three-dimensional large eddy simulations use a conservative level-set method for the air-water interface, thus predicting the pressure, the vorticity, the free-surface elevation and the onset of air entrainment. The deep flow looks like single phase turbulent flow past a cylinder, but close to the free-surface, the interaction between the wall, the free-surface and the flow is taking place, leading to a reduced cylinder drag and the appearance of V-shaped surface wave patterns. For large velocities, vortex shedding is suppressed in a layer region behind the cylinder below the free surface. The wave patterns mostly follow the capillary-gravity theory, which predicts the crest lines cusps. Interestingly, it also indicates the regions of strong elevation fluctuations and the location of air entrainment observed in the experiments. Overall, these new simulation results, drag, wake angle and onset of air entrainment, compare quantitatively with experiments.


Author(s):  
Costel Ungureanu ◽  
Costel Iulian Mocanu

"Free surface flow is a hydrodynamic problem with a seemingly simple geometric configuration but with a flow topology complicated by the pressure gradient due to the presence of the obstacle, the interaction between the boundary layer and the free surface, turbulence, breaking waves, surface tension effects between water and air. As the ship appendages become more and more used and larger in size, the general understanding of the flow field around the appendages and the junction between them and the hull is a topical issue for naval hydrodynamics. When flowing with a boundary layer, when the streamlines meet a bluff body mounted on a solid flat or curved surface, detachments appear in front of it due to the blocking effect. As a result, vortex structures develop in the fluid, also called horseshoe vortices, the current being one with a completely three-dimensional character, complicated by the interactions between the boundary layer and the vortex structures thus generated. Despite the importance of the topic, the literature records the lack of coherent methods for investigating free surface flow around junctions, the lack of consistent studies on the influence of the inclination of the profile mounted on the body. As a result, this paper aims to systematically study the influence of profile inclination in respect to the support plate."


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document