Numerical simulation of the wave-current forces on submarine pipeline

Wave-current load is one of the main factors that influence the stability of submarine pipeline. To figure out the dynamic response process of submarine pipeline under the joint effect of wave current, the wave-current coupling was realized in FLUENT software by superimposing the tidal current according to the boundary wave generation method. Then, the 2D vertical numerical wave tank was established and applied to the numerical simulation of wave-current forces on submarine pipelines. It is shown that the simulation results are better coincident with the values calculated according to the the related specification. Under the conditions of wave-current coupling, periodical vortex shedding occurs around the pipeline. The horizontal and vertical forces on the pipeline fluctuate periodically, and the fluctuation period and amplitude of horizontal forces are larger than those of vertical forces. Besides, the maximum forces in different directions and the fluctuation frequency increase with the increasing of the total flow velocity.