Computational fluid dynamics model of the artificial upwelling powered by surface waves

Abstract:

A number of studies during the last few decades were devoted to the artificial upwelling powered by surface waves. Potential applications of this system include an increase of supply of nutrients to the surface water to support sea farming and a local reduction of surface temperature in coastal waters. The system represents a pipeline attached to a buoy. Pumping of deep water takes place due to a valve located at the top end of the tube (Vershinsky et al. 1984; Liu et al. 1999). On the way up the system pumps deep water and on the way down it ejects the deep water in the surface layer. This system can be classified as a wave-driven inertial pump and is very effective in bringing deeper water to the surface. However, the deep water has tendency to sink, producing an effluent plume. In this work, a prototype, 3D computational fluid dynamics model of the wave-driven artificial upwelling has been developed. The model is implemented in the ANSYS Fluent software and is able to simulate dynamics of the wave following buoy system and dilution of the deep water in the upper layer of the ocean under various stratification and surface wave conditions. The model results are compared with available field data.

Liu, C.C.K., Dai, J., Lin, H., and Guo, F. (1999). Hydrodynamic performance of wave-drive artificial upwelling, J. Engrg. Mech., ASCE, 125(7), 728-732.

Vershinsky, N.V., Pshenichny, B.P., and Soloviev, A.V. (1987). Artificial upwelling using the energy of surface waves. Oceanology 27(3), 400-402.