Numerical Investigation of Scour Around Monopile Foundation of Offshore Wind Farm

Abstract

Local scour has been a major challenge facing stability of offshore wind farm foundations for years. This study uses a 3D numerical model to study the formation and development of scour at the foot of monopile foundations. The Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) with RNG k − ε turbulence model equations were used to study the interaction mechanism of the scour around the structure. The influence of flow velocity and particle size on the maximum scour depth and the extent of the scour footprint were examined. The results indicated that the diameter of the sediment also influences its susceptibility to scour. The finer the sediment, the more susceptible the bed is to scour, and the coarser the sediments are, the less susceptible they are to scour.