Numerical study of the hydrodynamics of regular waves breaking over a sloping beach

In the last three decades, great improvements have been made towards knowledge of the hydrodynamics and general processes occurring in the surf zone, widely affected by the breaking of the waves. Nevertheless, the turbulent flow structure is still very complicated to investigate. The aim of this work is to present and discuss the results obtained by simulating two-dimensional breaking waves by solving the Navier–Stokes equations, in air and water, coupled with a dynamic subgrid scale turbulence model (Large Eddy Simulation, LES). First, the ability of the numerical tool to capture the crucial features of this complicated turbulent two-phase flow is demonstrated. Numerical results are compared with experimental observations provided by Kimmoun and Branger (2007) [24]. Spilling/plunging breaking regular waves are considered. Generally, there is good agreement and the model provides a precise and efficient tool for the simulation of the flow field and wave transformations in the nearshore.