RANS modelling applied to random wave interaction with submerged permeable structures

This paper is the second part of the work presented by Garcia et al. [Garcia, N., Lara, J.L., Losada, I.J., 2004. 2-D numerical analysis of near-field flow at low-crested breakwaters. Coastal Engineering 51 (10), 991–1020]. In the mentioned paper, flow conditions at low-crested rubble-mound breakwaters under regular wave attack were examined, using a combination of measured data of free surface, bottom pressure and fluid velocities from small-scale experiments and numerical results provided by a VOF-type model (COBRAS) based on the Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations. This paper demonstrates the capability of the COBRAS model to reproduce irregular wave interaction with submerged permeable breakwaters. Data provided by the numerical model are compared to experimental data of laboratory tests, and the main processes of wave–structure interaction are examined using both experimental and numerical results. The numerical model validation is carried out in two steps. First, the procedure of irregular wave generation is verified to work properly, comparing experimental and numerical data of different cases of irregular wave trains propagating over a flat bottom. Next, the validation of the numerical model for wave interaction with submerged rubble-mound breakwaters is performed through the simulation of small-scale laboratory tests on different incident wave spectra. Results show that the numerical model adequately reproduces the main aspects of the interaction of random waves with submerged porous breakwaters, especially the spectral energy decay at the structure and the spectrum broadening past the structure. The simulations give good results in terms of height envelopes, mean level, spectral shape, root-mean-square height for both free surface displacement and dynamic pressure inside the breakwater. Moreover, large-scale simulations have been conducted, on both regular and irregular incident wave conditions. The overall pattern of the wave interaction with a large-scale submerged breakwater is adequately reproduced by the numerical model. The processes of wave reflection, shoaling and breaking are correctly captured. The good results achieved at a near prototype scale are promising regarding the use of the numerical model for design purposes.