Numerical modeling of floating oil boom motions in wave-current coupling conditions

• DOI: 10.1007/s11802-017-3322-8
• Publication Date: 2017-07-07T10:43:30Z
• Authors: Yang Shi; Shaowu Li; Huaqin Zhang; Shitao Peng; Hanbao Chen; Ran Zhou; Tianyu Mao
• Keywords: 0211 other engineering and technologies; 02 engineering and technology

Containment booms are commonly used in collecting and containing spilled oil on the sea surface and in protecting specific sea areas against oil slick spreading. In the present study, a numerical model is proposed based on the N-S equations in a mesh frame. The proposed model tracks the outline of the floating boom in motion by using the fractional area/volume obstacle representation technique. The boom motion is then simulated by the technique of general moving object. The simulated results of the rigid oil boom motions are validated against the experimental results. Then, the failure mechanism of the boom is investigated through numerical experiments. Based on the numerical results, the effects of boom parameters and dynamic factors on the oil containment performance are also assessed.