77th Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics (November 24, 2024 — November 26, 2024)

V2685119: A Direct Comparison Between Numerical Simulations and Laboratory Experiments for Breaking Waves.

Authors

• Umberto Costa Bitencourt, University of Minnesota
• Saswata Basak, University of Minnesota
• Grant B. Deane, University of California, San Diego
• Dale Stokes, University of California, San Diego
• Lian Shen, University of Minnesota

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/APS.DFD.2024.GFM.V2685119

Breaking water waves play a crucial role in shaping ocean-atmosphere interactions. This phenomenon involves a vast spectrum of scales from tiny bubbles as small as a few micrometers to whitecaps spanning hundreds of meters. In laboratory settings, wave tanks are typically used to produce breaking waves, while numerical simulations often start with a third-order Stokes wave. In this study, we replicate the conditions employed in experiments, where an oscillating wedge on the water surface generates breaking waves. For that, we systematically reconcile the wedge's dimensions and its motion as a function of time, integrating these parameters into our simulation framework. Using high-fidelity direct numerical simulations, we combine the coupled level set and volume-of-fluid method with the immersed boundary method to model the interactions between the oscillating wedge and the air-water field. Our analysis focuses on key outcomes from both experimental and numerical approaches, emphasizing the development of spilling and plunging breakers, the intensity of the associated reactionary splash-ups, and the generation of bubbles and droplets. Ultimately, we identify and highlight the main points of agreement between the numerical simulations and laboratory experiments, while also discussing their differences.