SGER: Computational Investigations of Violent Water Waves

University Of Hawaii, Honolulu

Investigators

Abstract

ABSTRACT PROPOSAL NO.: CTS-0353156 PROPOSAL TYPE: INVESTIGATOR INITIATED PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: JANNETTE FRANDSEN INSTITUTION: LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY COMPUTATIONAL INVESTIGATION OF VIOLENT WATER WAVES Research will be conducted concerning the interaction between water waves and large marine structures (LMS), such as deep water risers and offshore platforms. The goal is to advance computational modeling of breaking waves and high Reynolds number flows that cannot be fully investigated in laboratory-scale tests, and thus enable better predictive and engineering design models. The Lattice-Boltzmann (LB) method will be used in developing the computational tools. The intellectual merit of the proposed activity is to obtain a better understanding of fluid structure interaction with large marine structures. Development of the Lattice-Boltzmann method is challenging because it involves breaking waves, turbulence and free-surface modeling. It is apparently a novel application of the LB method to breaking waves over LMS. Broader impacts of the proposed activity include rediction and mitigation of failure of LMS, which has a very large potential economic impact. For example, LMS collapse when hurricanes strike in the Gulf of Mexico, with devastating economic consequences. The computational model developed will be widely applicable to other fields of science and engineering. In addition, a graduate student will be trained in the field computational flow simulation and fluid structure interaction.