Objective This study aims to investigate the spatial distribution characteristics of breaking waves and the entrainment characteristics of bubbles in the flow field during submarine surface sailing.

Method  A self-developed adaptive mesh two-phase flow solver, based on a curvature criterion, was used to simulate the flow field of submarine surface sailing. Using a self-developed bubble recognition program, the simulation data were statistically analyzed to obtain the characteristics of bubble size distribution and spatial distribution within the flow field.

Results  By using the curvature criterion, the number of computational grids required is effectively reduced. When the submarine is sailing on the surface, the volume of the bubbles in the wake region accounts for more than 80% of the total volume of bubbles in the flow field. As the submarine's Froude number increases from 0.28 to 0.38, the intensity of wake breaking significantly rises. The total number of bubbles increases by approximately 60%, the total entrainment volume of bubbles increases by about 50%, and the primary distribution of bubbles gradually shifts toward the outer and rear areas of the submarine.

Conclusion  This study can provide a reference for exploring the hydrodynamic characteristics of the submarine surface sailing.