Numerical simulation and experimental study of the hydrodynamics of a modeled reef located within a current

The hydrodynamic forces and flow field of artificial reef models in steady flow were numerically investigated using the RNG k-ɛ turbulent model. The numerical simulation results are consistent with results observed by experimental means. A comparative study indicates that the corresponding errors of forces between calculated values and values observed in the experiment vary in the range of 2.3%–11.2% and that the corresponding errors of velocities vary in the range of 1.3%–15.8%. The flow field numerical results show that upstream and vortices exist when the current passes over and through the surface of the reef model. This study suggests that the numerical simulation method can be applied to predict the forces and flow field associated with artificial reefs.