Numerical investigation of water-entry of flatted-bottom seafloor mining tool in ocean waves

A numerical wave load model based on two-phase (water-air) Reynolds-Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) type equations is used to evaluate hydrodynamic forces exerted on flatted-bottom seafloor mining tool during its entering ocean waves of deploying process. The discretization of the RANS equations is achieved by a finite volume approach (FV). The volume of fluid method (VOF) is employed to track the complicated free surface. A numerical wave tank is built to generate the ocean waves which are suitable for deploying seafloor mining tool. A typical deploying condition is employed to reflect the process of flatted-bottom body impacting with waves, and the pressure distribution of bottom is also presented. Four different lowering velocities are applied to obtain the time histories of maximum pressure of bottom, and it can be concluded that the pressure coefficient decreases with water velocity increasing, which is similar with ordinary water entry case. The numerical results clearly demonstrate the characteristics of flatted-bottom body entering ocean waves.