Beyond VoF: alternative OpenFOAM solvers for numerical wave tanks

Area of Science:

• Marine hydrodynamics
• Computational fluid dynamics

Background:

• Numerical wave tanks commonly use finite volume-based, Volume of Fluid (VoF) methods like interFoam and interIsoFoam in OpenFOAM.
• Simpler, computationally efficient solvers are desirable for specific marine hydrodynamic applications but lack wavemaking/absorption capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and implement a versatile wavemaking and absorption methodology for numerical wave tanks.
• To enable the application of simpler, more computationally efficient solvers beyond traditional VoF methods.

Main Methods:

• A novel wavemaking and absorption methodology was developed.
• The methodology was implemented in OpenFOAM solvers: interFoam, interIsoFoam, shallowWaterFoam, and potentialFreeSurfaceFoam.
• Parameter studies and two industrially relevant test cases (wave packet, waves over shoal) were used for validation.

Main Results:

• The new methodology was successfully applied to multiple OpenFOAM solvers, including those not previously used as numerical wave tanks.
• All tested solvers produced useful results, though complex wave transformations were best captured by VoF methods.
• The study demonstrated the potential for significant computational effort reduction using alternative solvers.

Conclusions:

• The developed wavemaking and absorption method broadens the applicability of simpler numerical wave tank solvers.
• While VoF methods excel in complex scenarios, alternative solvers offer substantial computational advantages.
• Further exploration of non-VoF methods for numerical wave tanks is warranted for efficiency gains.