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Hydrodynamics and Sediment Transport in Ocean Engineering—Second Edition

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A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Hydraulics and Hydrodynamics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 March 2026 | Viewed by 2754

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Dr. Zhipeng Zang

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Guest Editor

School of Civil Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
Interests: ocean hydrodynamics; sediment transport; ocean engineering; local scour; seabed evolution; renewable energy
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Dr. Ming Zhao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Engineering, Design and Built Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia
Interests: fluid–structure interaction; local scour of subsea structures; wave energy; fundamental fluid mechanics
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

To accommodate for our ever-increasing energy needs, the exploration of oil and natural gas is moving towards the deep sea, and tremendous efforts have been made to develop viable renewable energy sources from the ocean. It is utterly important and challenging to guarantee the safety of offshore structures constructed in the ocean for the purpose of extracting resources and energy. Ocean hydrodynamics, such as waves, tidal currents, tropical storms, and even internal waves, have different characteristics and may result in variable kinds of failures of offshore structures. Sediment transport on the seabed due to the long actions of ocean hydrodynamics can also change the seabed’s morphology, such as local scour and large-scale seabed evolution, among others, which may have significant influences on the stability of offshore structures. This Special Issue aims to collate articles that highlight the latest research on hydrodynamics and sediment transport in ocean engineering through variable methods, including theoretical analyses, numerical simulations, and experiments. We aim to cover a wide variety of topics, including, but not limited to, the following: waves and tidal currents; internal waves; submarine pipelines/cables; flow/wave–structure interactions; local scour/seabed evolution; and renewable energy. Papers that report new research methods, fundamental fluid mechanics, or applied research outcomes in the relevant areas are welcome to be submitted.

Dr. Zhipeng Zang
Dr. Ming Zhao
Guest Editors

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Keywords

waves and tidal current
internal waves
submarine pipeline/cables
flow/wave–structure interactions
local scour/seabed evolution
renewable energy

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

25 pages, 16352 KB

Open AccessArticle

Numerical Investigation of Local Scour Below a Submarine Pipeline on Sand Wave Seabeds Under Current Conditions

by Zhipeng Zang, Wenjun Fan and Cun Hu

Water 2025, 17(22), 3279; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17223279 - 16 Nov 2025

Viewed by 413

Abstract

This study presents numerical results on 2D local scour around subsea pipelines positioned on sand wave seabeds under steady flow conditions, utilizing Flow-3D (v11.2) software. In the computational model, the flow dynamics surrounding the pipeline are resolved using the time-averaged 2D Navier–Stokes equations in conjunction with the Renormalization Group (RNG) k-ε turbulence model. The bed morphology is governed by the bedload transport rate, suspended load transport rate, and sediment mass balance equation. The research explores the influence of pipeline diameter and water depth on scour patterns over flat beds and investigates how the pipeline’s relative position to symmetrical sand waves affects the severity and morphology of scour. It is demonstrated that the non-dimensional scour depth decreases with an increase in pipeline diameter, whereas in shallower waters, the intensity of scour is greater for a given diameter. In the study of sand wave bed conditions, it was determined that the scour strength exhibits a hierarchical order from strongest to weakest as follows: pipeline located at the crest, downstream slope of the sand waves, pipeline situated on the upstream slope, and at the trough. It is noteworthy that the scour effect is marginally more pronounced at the crest compared to a flat seabed. Conversely, scour intensity diminishes at the other positions, particularly at the trough, where it often results in backfilling and the self-burial of the pipeline. Finally, the distributions of velocity and bed shear stress around the pipeline and seabed are presented to elucidate the flow mechanisms underlying the scour process. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrodynamics and Sediment Transport in Ocean Engineering—Second Edition)

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18 pages, 2324 KB

Open AccessArticle

Numerical Study on the Hydrodynamic Force on Submarine Pipeline Considering the Influence of Local Scour Under Unidirectional Flow

by Yadong Wang, Songsong Yu, Siyu Wang, Bolin Zhan, Yubin Jin and Guoqiang Tang

Water 2025, 17(18), 2737; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17182737 - 16 Sep 2025

Viewed by 565

Abstract

The effect of local scour on the hydrodynamic force upon a submarine pipeline under unidirectional flow has been numerically investigated. The flow field around the pipeline is obtained using the Navier–Stokes equations with the SST k-ω turbulence model, and the sediment transport model, considering suspended load and bed load, is accounted for. Firstly, the influences of the Reynolds number (1 × 10⁴ ≤ Re ≤ 1 × 10⁵) and Shields number (1.2 ≤ θ/θ_cr ≤ 2.5) on the scour below the pipeline are analyzed; then, the effect of local scour on the hydrodynamic force upon the pipeline is examined by comparing with the condition that the pipeline is put on the flat seabed. It is found that the presence of local scour leads to a significant effect on the hydrodynamic force acting on the pipeline. Additionally, the Reynolds number affects the hydrodynamic force significantly, while the Shields number has a relatively low effect. The reduction coefficient (λ) is adopted to quantify the influence of the local scour around the pipeline on the hydrodynamic force. According to the reduction coefficient, the presence of local scour increases the drag coefficient by about 10% when the Reynolds number is 1 × 10⁴, while it decreases the drag coefficient significantly when the Reynolds number is larger than 2 × 10⁴, and the reduction coefficient trends towards a constant value with the increase in the Reynolds number. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrodynamics and Sediment Transport in Ocean Engineering—Second Edition)

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20 pages, 4055 KB

Open AccessArticle

Numerical Study of Hydrodynamics Characteristics of Cylinders with Intermittent Spanwise Arrangements

by Songsong Yu, Erxian Zeng, Yadong Wang, Zhihui Jiao, Shunyu He and Guoqiang Tang

Water 2025, 17(18), 2680; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17182680 - 10 Sep 2025

Viewed by 477

Abstract

Subsea pipelines with intermittent spanwise arrangements are commonly encountered in offshore engineering, yet their complex hydrodynamic interactions remain insufficiently understood. In this study, three-dimensional numerical simulations were conducted to investigate the hydrodynamics of intermittently spanning cylinders at a Reynolds number of 40,250. The hydrodynamic coefficients and flow fields of cylinders with different gap ratios e/D, total spanning ratios L/H, and individual spanning ratios l/D were investigated (where e is the gap height, D is the diameter of the cylinder, L is the total spanning length, H is the length of the cylinder, and l is the individual spanning length). Moreover, this work validates the applicability of existing hydrodynamic prediction formulas for spanning cylinders under complex spanning conditions, as proposed by previous researchers. Numerical results show that the existing formulas can accurately predict the drag coefficient

{\bar{C}}_{D}

of spanning cylinders under different uniform l/D ratios, but it fails to provide reliable predictions for the lift coefficient

{\bar{C}}_{L}

. These findings provide critical insights for optimizing the design of subsea pipelines and marine structures with intermittent spanwise arrangements. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrodynamics and Sediment Transport in Ocean Engineering—Second Edition)

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15 pages, 4816 KB

Open AccessArticle

Numerical Investigation on the Hydrodynamic Coefficients of Subsea Suspended Pipelines Under Unidirectional Currents

by Xiaowei Huang, Deping Zhao, Ganqing Zuo, Jianfeng Ren and Guoqiang Tang

Water 2025, 17(9), 1382; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17091382 - 4 May 2025

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 797

Abstract

Hydrodynamic coefficients of subsea suspended pipelines are crucial for fatigue and stability assessments. The effect of the gap height to diameter ratio e/D (0.1 ≤ e/D ≤ 2.0) and boundary layer thickness to diameter ratio δ/D (0.5 ≤ δ/D ≤ 3.0) on the force coefficients under unidirectional current conditions with the Reynolds numbers Re in the range of 1 × 10⁴ ≤ Re ≤ 1 × 10⁵ are investigated via numerical simulations. The results show that the average drag coefficient increases, whereas the average lift coefficient decreases gradually with the increasing e/D. The vortex shedding is inhibited by the wall for e/D < 0.24, starts at e/D = 0.24, becomes stronger with the increase in e/D in the range from 0.24 to 0.5, and approximates to that behind a wall-free cylinder for e/D > 0.5. The effect of δ/D can be eliminated if the coefficients are normalized by the undisturbed flow velocity at the height of the center of the pipeline. Moreover, empirical prediction formulas are proposed describing the drag and lift coefficients as the function of e/D, which can be applied to engineering designs related to free spans. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrodynamics and Sediment Transport in Ocean Engineering—Second Edition)

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