Experimental and Numerical Study on Local Scour of Pile Group Foundations for Offshore Wind Turbines Under Wave-Current Interactions
摘要
Under the combination of currents and waves, seabed scour occurs around offshore wind turbine foundations, which affects the stability and safe operation of offshore wind turbines. In this study, physical model experiments under unidirectional flow, bidirectional flow, and wave-current interactions with different flow directions around the pile group foundation were first conducted to investigate the development of scour around the pile group foundation. Additionally, a three-dimensional scour numerical model was established via the open-source software REEF3D to simulate the flow field and scour around the prototype-scale foundation. The impact of flow on scour was discussed. Under unidirectional flow, scour equilibrium was reached more quickly, with the maximum scour depth reaching approximately 1.2 times the pile diameter and the extent of the scour hole spanning about 4.9 times the pile diameter. Compared with those under unidirectional flow, the scour depths under combinations of currents and waves, as well as bidirectional flow, were slightly smaller. However, the morphology of scour holes was more uniform and symmetrical. The numerical simulation results show good agreement with the experimental data, demonstrating the impact of varying flow directions on the velocity distribution around the foundation, the morphology of scour holes, and the location of the maximum scour depth.