Marine Environmental

The marine environment is an area where CFD has been used to address a wide-range of complex fluid flow problems.  Almost all areas of human activity have some direct and quantifiable influence on the marine environment, from the need to dispose of treated wastewater, through marine resource exploitation, to the requirements of port and estuary developments and issues relating to coastal-zone protection.  At the inter-tidal zones of our oceans many issues combine to create a complex system which requires detailed analysis to achieve the best possible level of understanding.

CFD can provide insights into many different aspects of marine environmental problems.  For example, coastal circulation models covering many thousands of square kilometres can be built, or the response of an estuary to the development of a port can be studied. With judicious use of CFD analysis, in conjunction with field measurement and validation, effective and appropriate responses and management information systems can be developed to assist in the investigation of a wide variety of marine environmental concerns.

Specific examples of CFD application in the marine environment include the improvement of separators used on oil production platforms, oil-spill modeling, and the improved design of ocean-going vessels.  CFD is also equally capable of simulating the wind-flow and forcing on offshore structures. 

The increased use of estuaries and the near-shore zone for mariculture (fish and shellfish farming) have their own impacts on the marine environment, and again CFD has provided solutions that enable remedial action to be taken to minimize the environmental impact of these operations.

Some of the marine environmental problems we have solved with CFD are described in the links from this page.  Contact CFD Solutions Ltd to find out more about how we can help you solve your marine environmental flow problems.