Numerical study of nonlinear wave flow past vertically submerged plate over uneven bottom

Abstract

This present study investigates the horizontal wave force and overturning moment on a submerged vertically thin rectangular plate on a free surface (z = 0 m) over a flat and uneven bottom structure under various wave steepness conditions and relative openings in the numerical wave tank (NWT) modelled using ANSYS Fluent software. The interface of the fluids is tracked using the volume of fluid (VOF) method. At the inlet of the NWT, the inflow velocity method is followed to produce the desired waves and at the end, numerical damping is used to minimize the wave reflection. Further, the effects of wave characteristics, relative openings, and uneven bottom conditions on the horizontal wave force and overturning moment are analyzed in the intermediate water depth. The horizontal wave force (Fx) and overturning moment (My) on the vertical plate are registered higher with case 3 (α4 = 37.5%) for different wave steepness attributed to the higher slope of the bottom structure. The present work also incorporates the development of a plate type wave energy converter (WEC) to harvest renewable wave energy from the ocean.