A finite volume solution of wave forces on submarine pipelines

Abstract In this paper, a numerical model is established for simulating the wave forces on a submarine pipeline. A set of two-dimensional Navier–Stokes equations is discretized numerically with a finite volume method in a moving mesh system. After each time step, the mesh is modified according to the changed wave surface boundary. The deffered correction second-order upwind scheme (SUDC) is adopted here to discretize the convective fluxes. The effects of the clearance between the pipeline and the seabed, water depth and wave height on wave forces are studied, respectively. The results by the numerical simulation agree well with the experimental data and theory value.