Evaluation of the Effectiveness of a Coastal Wave Reduction and Sediment Retention Structure Using CFD Simulations

The Louisiana coast experiences significant erosion due to wave actions. There are wetlands and marshes located in the coastal areas, however loss of these wetlands is a major threat. Although coastal waves and floods cause erosion, they do carry sediments, which can potentially counter-act some of the wetland losses. Innovative shoreline protection designs that reduce the wave actions but still allow sediments to travel through could be very beneficial. This research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the wave reduction and sediment retention of several such designs using CFD simulations. CFD simulations were used to determine the alternations of the wave characteristics and the sediment transport with the designed structures. Small scale experiments of such designs will be conducted in a wave tank facility to validate the modeling results. The research aims to disclose the detailed physics of the flow and sediment transport in this complicated flow-structure interaction problems, and, based on the discoveries, we will provide suggestions to improve the current design to enhance the performance significantly.