Sediment transport analysis under combined action of waves and current using a novel semi-coupled computational fluid dynamics solver: Sediment transport analysis under combined action

Development of a numerical model to study the hydrodynamics and sediment transport phenomenon is essential in venturing into the field of coastal engineering applications. In the framework of OpenFOAM, a solver which can simulate simultaneously waves and current and its impact on sediment transport is nonexistent. Here, a semi-coupled sediment transport solver has been developed using open source framework OpenFOAM. Initially a new hydrodynamics solver (hereafter named hydroFOAM) has been developed to study the flow dynamics in coastal engineering applications. A set of Navier–Stokes equations including the continuity, momentum and inter-phase equations are solved using the finite volume method. Volume of fluid method has been employed to track the free surface. Later, different mathematical formulations are solved in a newly written solver (hereafter named sedimentTransportFOAM) to simulate the sediment transport phenomenon. Bed load and suspended load transport theories are being used while developing the solver. Precise descriptions of the two solver as well as the employed algorithm has been presented in this paper. Towards the end, the developed mathematical model has been validated with earlier experimental investigations and same has been presented using graphical figures and tables.