This article reports a particle image velocimetry study and the comparative results of a numerical simulation into the hydrodynamic characteristics around an artificial reef.We reveal the process of flow separation and vortex evolution,and compare the force terms generated by our artificial reef model.The numerical simulation agrees well with experimental results,showing the applicability of computational fluid dynamics to the hydrodynamics of an artificial reef.Furthermore,we numerically simulate the hydrodynamics of the reef model for seven velocities.The results show that the drag coefficient is approximately 1.21 in a self-modeling region for Reynolds numbers between 2.123×104and 9×104.Therefore,the upwelling height and current width of the flow field do not change significantly when the inflow velocity increases.Our study indicates that computational fluid dynamics can be applied to study the hydrodynamics of an artificial reef and offer clues to its construction.
Flume experiments and numerical simulation were conducted to characterize the hydrodynamics of a trapezoid artificial reef.Measurements in particle image velocimetry were conducted to observe the formation of upwelling and vortices;and forces for the reef model were measured by load cell.The results of flume experiments agree well with the numerical data.In addition,the flow structure around a reef combining trapezoidal and cubic blocks was simulated numerically under two deployment schemes,showing a more complicated flow structure than that of a stand-alone reef.Relationship between drag coefficient and Reynolds number suggest that the degree of turbulence can be assessed from the value of drag coefficient downstream from the reef.The role of the reef in water flow is to reduce flow velocity and generate turbulence.
