Numerical Modelling of an Innovative Conical Pile Head Breakwater

Abstract

When moderate wave activity at the shoreline is acceptable, pile breakwaters can serve as an alternative to conventional breakwaters. Increasing the size of the pile breakwater in the vicinity of the free surface increases the hydraulic efficiency, as most of the wave energy is concentrated around the free surface. Therefore, a conical pile head breakwater (CPHB) is proposed in the present study by gradually widening the diameter of the piles towards the free surface. Using the open-source computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model REEF3D, the transmission, reflection, and dissipation characteristics of the CPHB with monochromatic and irregular waves are examined. The investigation is carried out for both perforated and non-perforated CPHBs using monochromatic waves, and the numerical results are validated using experimental data. Further, optimally configured non-perforated and perforated CPHBs are investigated numerically by subjecting them to irregular waves using the Scott–Wiegel spectrum. The wave attenuation characteristics of the CPHBs are found to be better with irregular waves compared to monochromatic waves. With irregular waves, the minimum transmission coefficients for non-perforated and perforated CPHBs are 0.36 and 0.34, respectively. Overall, the CPHB appears to be a potential solution for coastal protection.