A level-set technique applied to complex free surface flows

In the present paper the two-dimensional wavy flow generated by an hydrofoil moving beneath the free surface is studied by means of a finite difference Navier-Stokes solver coupled with a level-set technique that captures the interface location in a computational domain that encloses both air and water. The presence of the solid body is mimicked by introducing suitable body forces on the grid points inside the body contour. Simulations performed at a moderate Reynolds number show that an unsteady separation from the suction side occurs. This leads to a weaker wave production with respect to experimental data, obtained at a larger Reynolds number, and, downstream, to an intense interaction between vorticity and free surface.