Numerical modelling of local scour with computational methods

Evaluating bed morphological evolution (specifically the scoured bed level) accurately using computational modelling is critical for analyses of the stability of many marine and coastal structures, such as piers, groynes, breakwaters, submarine pipelines and even telecommunication cables. This thesis considers the coupled hydrodynamic and morphodynamic modelling of the local scour around hydraulic structures, such as near a vertical pile or near a horizontal pipe. The focus in this study is on applying a fluid-structure interaction (FSI) approach to simulate the morphodynamical behaviour of the bed deformation, replacing the structural (i.e. solid mechanics) equation by the sediment continuity equation or Exner equation. Specifically, this works presents a novel method of mesh movement with anisotropic mesh adaptivity based on optimization for simulating local scour near structures with discontinuous Garlerkin (DG) discretisation methods for solving the flow field. Amongst the other goals of this work is the validation of the proposed procedure with previously performed laboratory as well as two- and three-dimensional numerical experiments. Additionally, performance is considered using an implementation of the methodology within Fluidity (http://fluidityproject.github.io/), an open-source, multi-physics, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code, capable of handling arbitrary multi-scale unstructured tetrahedral meshes and including algorithms to perform dynamic anisotropic mesh adaptivity and mesh movement. The flexibility over mesh structure and resolution that these optimisation capabilities provide makes it potentially highly suitable for accounting the extreme bed morphological evolution close to a fixed solid structure under the action of hydrodynamics. Galerkin-based finite element methods have been used for the hydrodynamics (including discontinuous Galerkin discretisations) and morphological calculations, and automatic mesh deformation has been utilised to account for bed evolution changes while preserving the validity and quality of the mesh. Finally, the work extends the scope in regards of computational methods and considers scour modelling with pure Lagrangian and meshless methods such as smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH), which have also become of interest in the analysis and modelling of coastal sediment transport, particularly in scour-related processes. The SPH modelling is considered in a two-phase, flow-sediment fully Lagrangian scour simulation where the discrete-particle interaction forces between phases are resolved at the interface and continuous changes in the bed profile are obtained naturally.Open Acces

Computational fluid dynamics modelling of pipeline on-bottom stability.

Subsea pipelines are subjected to wave and steady current loads which cause pipeline stability problems. Current knowledge and understanding on the pipeline on-bottom stability is based on the research programmes from the 1980s such as the Pipeline Stability Design Project (PIPESTAB) and American Gas Association (AGA) in Joint Industry Project. These projects have mainly provided information regarding hydrodynamic loads on pipeline and soil resistance in isolation. In reality, the pipeline stability problem is much more complex involving hydrodynamic loadings, pipeline response, soil resistance, embedment and pipe-soil-fluid interaction. In this thesis Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling is used to investigate and establish the interrelationship between fluid (hydrodynamics), pipe (subsea pipeline), and soil (seabed). The effect of soil types, soil resistance, soil porosity and soil unit weight on embedment was examined. The overall pipeline stability alongside pipeline diameter and weight and hydrodynamic effect on both soil (resulting in scouring) and pipeline was also investigated. The use of CFD provided a better understanding of the complex physical processes of fluid-pipe-soil interaction. The results show that the magnitude of passive resistance is on the average eight times that of lateral resistance. Thus passive resistance is of greater significance for subsea pipeline stability design hence the reason why Coulombs friction theory is considered as conservative for stability design analysis, as it ignores passive resistance and underestimates lateral resistance. Previous works (such as that carried out by Lyons and DNV) concluded that soil resistance should be determined by considering Coulombs friction based on lateral resistance and passive resistance due to pipeline embedment, but the significance of passive resistance in pipeline stability and its variation in sand and clay soils have not be established as shown in this thesis. The results for soil porosity show that increase in pipeline stability with increasing porosity is due to increased soil liquefaction which increases soil resistance. The pipe-soil interaction model by Wagner et al. established the effect of soil porosity on lateral soil resistance but did not attribute it to soil liquefaction. Results showed that the effect of pipeline diameter and weight vary with soil type; for sand, pipeline diameter showed a greater influence on embedment with a 110% increase in embedment (considering combined effect of diameter and weight) and a 65% decrease in embedment when normalised with diameter. While pipeline weight showed a greater influence on embedment in clay with a 410% increase. The work of Gao et al. did not completely establish the combined effect of pipeline diameter and weight and soil type on stability. Results also show that pipeline instability is due to a combination of pipeline displacement due to vortex shedding and scouring effect with increasing velocity. As scoring progresses, maximum embedment is reached at the point of highest velocity. The conclusion of this thesis is that designing for optimum subsea pipeline stability without adopting an overly conservative approach requires taking into consideration the following; combined effect of hydrodynamics of fluid flow on soil type and properties, and the pipeline, and the resultant scour effect leading to pipeline embedment. These results were validated against previous experimental and analytical work of Gao et al, Brennodden et al and Griffiths

Development and application of a computational model for scour around offshore wind turbine foundations

There is a constant requirement to understand scour especially regarding its prevention, due to the potential impact and disastrous consequences. The installation of offshore wind turbines is haunted by scour mitigation and at the start of the offshore wind turbine boom in the early 2000’s this was achieved using overzealous amounts of rock armour. However, as investment and cost efficiency has increased, protection methods have been refined, but, there remains significant room for improvement.Research into offshore sediment dynamics has benefited greatly by computational advancements providing a greater understanding of processes and the driving mechanisms; leading to protection method improvements and reductions in environmental impact. The premise of this study is to push this knowledge further, by developing and validating a novel scour model within CFD software that can be used to simulate and analyse offshore scour; specifically, the scour around complex, new offshore wind turbine foundation geometries

Numerical simulation of scour below pipelines using flexible mesh methods

Evaluating bed morphological structure and evolution (specifically the scoured bed level) accurately using numerical models is critical for analyses of the stability of many marine structures. This paper discusses the performance of an implementation within Fluidity, an open source, general purpose, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code, capable of handling arbitrary multi-scale unstructured tetrahedral meshes and including algorithms to perform dynamic anisotropic mesh adaptivity. The flexibility over mesh structure and resolution that these capabilities provide makes it potentially highly suitable for coupling the structural scale with larger scale ocean dynamics. In this very preliminary study the solver approach is demonstrated for an idealised scenario. Discontinuous Galerkin finite-element (DG-FEM) based discretisation methods have been used for the hydrodynamics and morphological calculations, and automatic mesh deformation has been utilised to account for bed evolution changes while preserving the validity and quality of the mesh. In future work, the solver will be used in three-dimensional impinging jet and other industrial and environmental scour studies

Modelling the Eddy Pattern in the harbour of Zeebrugge

Hydrodynamic

Proceedings of the XXVIIIth TELEMAC User Conference 18-19 October 2022

Hydrodynamic

Proceedings of the XVIIIth Telemac & Mascaret User Club 2011, 19-21 October 2011, EDF R&D, Chatou

Water Qualit