Numerical Prediction of Wave-Runup on a Monopile With the Direct Surface Description Method

Accurate prediction of wave run-up and loads from extreme waves on offshore structures are important for the design of the structure itself but also to secure safe secondary structures such as boat landings and service platforms. We have recently developed a new method called the Direct Surface Description (DSD) method in OpenFOAM (Qwist & Christensen, 2023)[1]. Here it was shown that the DSD method is superior compared to the existing official release OpenFOAM solver, InterFoam, with respect to prediction of wave kinematics and surface elevation. In this paper, our recently developed Direct Surface Description (DSD) solution algorithm in OpenFOAM simulates wave runup on circular mono-piles. The results are compared to results from InterIsoFoam (two-phase) that has been a part of OpenFOAM for many years. This is a step towards improved predictions of the forces on secondary structures such as boat landings and service platforms for offshore wind turbines.