Open-Source CFD in Marine Engineering

Abstract

In the case of highly complex problems in the field of marine, coastal and ocean engineering involving the free surface, such as breaking wave kinematics or flow around slender structures, a detailed solution is required in order to capture the relevant flow physics. Then the solution of the three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations is necessary to obtain a good representation of the fluid dynamics. Here the approach is to solve for the basic underlying flow variables, such as the velocities, the pressure and turbulence. Together with the appropriate algorithms for the interface capturing, the free surface and the resulting water wave dynamics can be calculated based on the three-dimensional flow field. REEF3D is an open-source CFD program developed at the Department of Civil and Transport Engineering with special focus on solving problems in the field of marine, coastal and ocean engineering.