Session: 05-09-01 Open Source CFD Applications

Paper Number: 74240

Start Time: August 11th, 12:50 PM

74240 - Study of Fluid Dynamics in Ice-Covered Lakes Using Openfoam 

Ice-covered lakes create fluid systems dominated by thermal effects. Lake geometry, soil bed properties, and open lake input and discharge combine to create complex fluid systems. Properly modeling the fluid dynamics is a critical component in simulating these aquatic ecosystems. Under ice-cover, significant changes in water quality have been observed. These include changes in temperature, dissolved oxygen, and more. These lead to changes in flora and fauna after ice breakup. Modeling of aquatic ecosystems as impacted by climate changes is an area of significant scientific interest. This work uses the open-source computational fluid dynamics code OpenFOAM to study these phenomena. The ability of OpenFOAM to model the fluid motion created by convection and heterogeneous boundary conditions is validated.  More complex simulations including lake beds with representative geometry and thermal properties are presented. Density and temperature gradients as a function of water depth are used to assess the accuracy of the modeling in the time-period immediately after ice-cover occurs.  Fluid flow patterns are used to characterize the system ice-covered system after the initial effects have dissipated.  This work shows the ability of OpenFOAM to model the fluid dynamics of ice-covered lakes as a first step towards more complete modeling of these ecosystems.

Presenting Author: Tyler Ainsworth UNC Charlotte

Authors:

Tyler Ainsworth UNC Charlotte