A SOLUTION TO THE OVER-PRODUCTION OF TURBULENCE BENEATH SURFACE WAVES IN RANS MODELS

Abstract

CFD simulations of breaking waves with RANS models over the past 20 years have shown a marked tendency to severely over-predict turbulence levels, both outside and within the surf zone. The reason is most likely due to the inherent instability of turbulence closure models, as originally diagnosed by Mayer & Madsen (2000). While they proposed an ad-hoc fix, a fundamentally sound solution to this wide-spread problem has, to date, eluded the coastal and ocean engineering modeling community.