Research

Fluid-soil-structure interaction

Scour around a Cylinder under Waves

This is an ongoing work that uses a two-phase model, SedFoam to simulate scour around a cylinder under oscillatory flow. This study investigates the state-of-art turbulence closure, large eddy simulation, and compares it with the widely used Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) turbulence closure.

Nearshore hydrodynamics

Hydrodynamics in the Inner Surf and Swash Zones

This study used large eddy simulation (LES) with the volume of fluid (VOF) method to investigate cross-shore hydrodynamics under random waves, specifically focused on the inner surf and swash zones. The simulation showed good agreement with the experiment and helped improve the understanding of wave-backwash interaction.

Tsai, B., Hsu, T.-J., Lee, S.-B., Pontiki, M., Puleo, J. A., & Wengrove, M. Large Eddy Simulation of Cross-Shore Hydrodynamics under Random Waves in the Inner Surf and Swash Zones. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, in review.

Fluid-soil-structure interaction

Scour Onset and Backfill of a 2D Pipeline

Most models are unable to capture scour onset of a slightly buried pipeline due to the unresolved seepage process. This study used a two-phase model, SedFoam, to simulate scour onset process under different forcing conditions, such as current and waves. The model was further applied to the backfill process. Simulations showed good agreements with experiments and demonstrated the capability of SedFoam.

Tsai, B., Mathieu, A., Montellà, E. P., Hsu, T.-J., & Chauchat, J. (2022). An Eulerian two-phase flow model investigation on scour onset and backfill of a 2D pipeline. European Journal of Mechanics - B/Fluids, 91, 10–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euromechflu.2021.09.004