Validation Study of a CFD Numerical Solver for the Oscillatory Flow Features Around Heave Plates

Abstract

In this study, we present a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) solver based on OpenFOAM and dedicated to the obtention of the hydrodynamic loads. Considering a single circular cylinder with a heave plate of HiPRWind platform undergoing forced heave oscillation motions, we compare our numerical results to experimental results. Several alternatives to the numerical modelling are discussed with respect to the turbulence models and the spatial resolution. The vorticity fields in the fluid domain are compared to the experimental results obtained by Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) methods presented by Anglada et al. (2020). We calculate the hydrodynamic loads on the cylinder with the heave plate and compare them with the experimental results previously published by Bezunartea et al. (2020).