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Numerical Investigation of Sea Wave and Oil Slick Interactions Using ANSYS AQWA Software
Roshanak Khosrojerdi *1 , Farhoud Kalateh2
1- PhD Student, Water and Hydraulic Structures, Faculty of Civil Engineering-University of Tehran
2- Professor at University of Tabriz ,Ph.D, P.E., M.ASCEVisiting Associate Professor at University of Warwick, Associate
Abstract:   (66 Views)
Oil spills represent a critical source of marine pollution with profound environmental, economic, and social ramifications. This numerical study investigates the interaction between sea waves and oil slicks using ANSYS AQWA software to elucidate the dynamics of oil pollution distribution under wave action. The research examines three pollution mass models with varying dimensions under different wave approach angles (0°, 30°, and 60°) utilizing second-order Stokes wave theory. The investigation reveals that displacement of the pollution mass center decreases with increasing wave angle. Maximum displacement and mobility increase proportionally with expanding oil slick dimensions at constant mass. Wave-induced forces on pollution masses exhibit inverse correlation with wave angle. Forces from irregular waves exceed those from regular Stokes waves by approximately 20% for larger pollution masses. For expanded oil slicks, irregular wave forces can reach up to three times the magnitude of regular wave forces. These findings provide crucial insights for oil spill response planning, containment system design, and environmental impact assessment in marine environments.
 
 
Keywords: oil spill modeling, wave-pollution interaction, numerical simulation, ANSYS AQWA, marine pollution dynamics, hydrodynamic analysis
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Highlights

  1. A comprehensive numerical framework was developed to investigate wave–oil slick interactions using ANSYS AQWA under regular and irregular wave conditions.
  2. Wave approach angle significantly controls oil slick displacement and hydrodynamic loading, with displacement decreasing as the incident angle increases from 0° to 60°.
  3. Larger oil slicks exhibit greater mobility and experience substantially higher wave-induced forces compared with smaller pollution masses.
  4. Irregular (JONSWAP) waves generate considerably larger hydrodynamic forces than regular Stokes waves, reaching up to three times higher values for large slicks.
    5.     The obtained results provide practical insights for oil spill trajectory prediction, containment system design, and marine environmental impact assessment.


 


Type of Study: Research Paper | Subject: Numerical Investigation
Received: 2025/09/4 | Accepted: 2026/05/30
Audio file of the article abstract [MP3 2360 KB]  (4 Download)
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International Journal of Maritime Technology is licensed under a

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