Estimation of the wind drift factor and uncertainty analysis based on CFD computer simulations

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this work is to present a procedure for determining the wind drift factor through two-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of the wind acting on a wavy sea surface, such that the subjectivity of its estimation is reduced.

Design/methodology/approach

The wind drift factor was determined by two-dimensional CFD analyses with open-channel condition. The characteristic wave was determined by the Sverdrup–Munk–Bretschneider (SMB) method. The uncertainty analysis is based on convergence studies using a single parameter refinement (grid and time step).

Findings

This procedure allows the estimation of the wind drift factor in a fetch-limited domain. The domain's value in the analyzed region is 0.0519 ± 4.92% which is consistent with the upper values of the wind drift factors reported in the literature.

Research limitations/implications

The use of a three-dimensional domain was impractical with the available computational resources because of the fine mesh required for wave modeling. The uncertainty analysis consisted only of a verification procedure. Validation against real data was not possible because of the lack of measured data in the analyzed region.

Originality/value

The wind drift factor is usually estimated based on either experience or random sampling. The original contribution of this work is the presentation of a CFD procedure for estimating the wind drift factor, in which the domain inlet is subjected to a wave boundary condition and to a wind velocity.

Citation

Sbragio, R. and Martins, M.R. (2023), "Estimation of the wind drift factor and uncertainty analysis based on CFD computer simulations", Engineering Computations, Vol. 40 No. 3, pp. 679-693. https://doi.org/10.1108/EC-07-2022-0489