Vortex generation and evolution in water waves propagating over a submerged rectangular obstacle

Vortex generation and evolution due to flow separation around a submerged rectangular obstacle under incoming cnoidal waves is investigated both experimentally and numerically. The Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) technique is used in the measurement. Based on the PIV data, a characteristic velocity, phrased in terms of incoming wave height, phase speed, dimension of the obstacle, and a local Reynolds number are proposed to describe the intensity of vortex. The numerical model, which solves the two dimensional Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) equations, is used to further study the effects of wave period on the vortex intensity. Measurements for the mean and turbulent velocity fields further indicate that the time history of the intensity of fluid turbulence is closely related to that of the vortex intensity.