Wave and Structure Interaction Using Multi-Domain Couplings for Navier-Stokes Solvers in OpenFOAM®. Part I: Implementation and Validation

Abstract

This paper and its companion (Di Paolo et al., 2020b) present near-far field coupling schemes of Navier-Stokes (NS) equations for high-fidelity numerical modelling of wave generation, transformation and interaction with structures. The computational domain is subdivided into near and far field zones (2D and 3D subdomains, respectively) in which the NS equations are solved adopting the Finite Volume Method. The couplings can be made through the one-way or two-way exchange of flow information, thus providing a complete tool for studying one or bi-directional processes in which the three-dimensional flow is expected to be confined in the near field. The global coupled system, which is built on the OpenFOAM® platform, is based on a multi-domain approach in which the sub-domains (i.e., 2D and 3D meshes) are built independently. In Part I, the coupling methodologies have been validated against full 3D models taking into account wave propagation under different conditions with excellent results and high efficiency. Part 2 (Di Paolo et al., 2020b) involves the validation and application of the proposed methodologies to complex wave-structure interaction studies.