A meshless method for numerical simulation of depth-averaged turbulence flows using a k-∈ model

We investigate the performance of a meshless method for the numerical simulation of depth-averaged turbulence flows. The governing equations are shallow water equations obtained by depth averaging of the full Reynolds equations including bed frictions, eddy viscosity, wind shear stresses, and Coriolis forces. As a double-phase closure turbulence model, we consider the depth-averaged k-E model. A truly meshless numerical method based on radial basis functions is employed to obtain an accurate approximation to the solution of the model. We validate the algorithm on a linear shallow water problem where analytical solutions are available. Numerical results are also compared with experimental data for a backward-facing flow problem. Furthermore, we test the method on a practical problem by simulating tidal flows in the Strait of Gibraltar. The main focus is to examine the performance of the meshless method for complex geometries with irregular bathymetry. The obtained results demonstrate its ability to capture the main flow features. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.