Understanding spray cloud formation by wave impact on marine objects

Abstract

Wave impacts on vessels and offshore structures can induce significant spray. This process leads to topside icing in sufficiently cold and windy conditions. This paper establishes the current state of the art understanding of the physical behaviour of wave impact and the process of spray cloud formation upstream of a ship or marine structure. Previous work on the behaviour of spray at the bow is extensively reviewed. The process of spray formation is related to several complicated phenomena including wave slamming, jet formation after impact, sheet and droplet breakup, and production of the spray cloud on the top surface of the ship bow. Progress has been made in modeling some of these phenomena, including numerical methods for modeling the free surface, the phenomena of slamming, air entrainment, and water breakup. Field observation methods for measuring characteristic parameters of the spray are also reviewed. Related phenomena, such as wave slamming on a wall and bow waves, are followed from the numerical and experimental point of view. Although direct numerical simulations of spray formation following by wave impacts are not yet a practical option, constituent models for each separate part of this problem (e.g., free surface modeling, slamming on walls, air entrainment, etc.) show promising progress. This work is a guide for researchers of off-deck phenomena in the field of marine icing. The puzzle pieces and the gaps are examined to help design a new research strategy in this field.