Numerical modeling of local scour due to submerged wall jets using a strict vertex-based, terrain conformal, moving-mesh technique in OpenFOAM

Abstract

This study presents the implementation and validation of a new sediment-scour model with a strict vertex-based, terrain conformal, moving-mesh technique within the framework of OpenFOAM. OpenFOAM lacks the ability to simulate large-amplitude motion needed for analysis of sediment-scour problems, and, thus, its application normally is restricted to small-amplitude cases to prevent computational divergence due to mesh deterioration. The proposed simple, moving-mesh technique in OpenFOAM is implemented to overcome the shortcomings of the conventional automatic mesh-motion techniques in handling large-amplitude moving geometries. The model is used to simulate a simple case of prescribed boundary motion, a previous experiment in the literature, and a new laboratory experiment for local scour due to submerged wall jets. The results are compared with both the experimental and other numerical results. The comparisons demonstrate that the proposed model has the novel advantage of allowing for more severe topographic variations, and can provide more reliable predictions for the key characteristics and evolution of the bed profiles in wall jet scour problems. Furthermore, to improve the practice of modeling wall jet scour, various turbulence modeling approaches and bedload equations also are evaluated and compared.