Numerical simulation and experimental analysis of wave interaction with a porous plate

Porous structures have been widely applied in the coastal and ocean engineering. In the CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) simulations of interactions between waves and porous structures, the microscopic model establishment approach usually requires huge amounts of fine grids around the model boundary, thus causing a huge computational overhead. This paper establishes a CFD numerical model using a macroscopic approach to simulate the interaction between waves and a vertical porous plate. By analysing the pressure loss of the interaction above and adding it into the momentum equation as a source term, the macroscopic porosity simulation can be implemented without using huge amounts of fine grids around the perforations. A series of CFD simulations of wave interacting with a vertical porous plate are performed based on the established numerical model, and the corresponding tank tests are conducted. The effects of wave characteristics and porosity of porous plate on horizontal wave force and the reflection and transmission coefficients are analyzed. The results demonstrate that the established model is reliable for engineering analysis and thereby being of great significance for reference purpose in the CFD simulations of waves interacting with porous structures. •A macroscopic CFD model to simulate wave-porous plate interaction.•Comparison of wave interacting with porous plate using CFD model and physical tests.•Effects of wave condition and plate porosity on wave attenuation coefficients.