Experimental investigation on the motion of bubbles in the moonpool with a sonar model inside

Bubbles are becoming a threat to the measurement of equipment and human activities in the moonpool, while little is known about the characteristics of bubbles in the moonpool. We aim to investigate the motion patterns and characteristic of bubbles in the moonpool. To support the investigation, experiments were conducted in a water tunnel. Images of bubbles in and under the moonpool were captured by two high-speed cameras. The software Tema and program PolyParticleTracker were used to track the bubbles in the moonpool. We obtain information of bubbles in the moonpool, including movement patterns of bubbles, generation of bubbles, relationship between amount of bubbles and the freesurface, temporal and spatial distribution of bubbles, the size and the velocities of bubbles.     

Bragg reflection of water waves by multiple submerged semi-circular breakwaters

This study examines the Bragg reflection of water waves by multiple submerged semi-circular breakwaters. The multipole expansions combined with the shift of polar coordinates are used to develop full linear potential solutions of the problem. In the full solutions, the obliquely and normally incident waves are independently considered. Experimental tests are carried out to measure the reflection and transmission coefficients of the breakwaters at different wave periods and body spacings. The analytical results are in reasonable agreement with the experimental data. The peak reflection coefficient of multiple submerged semi-circular breakwaters and the bandwidth of Bragg reflection are carefully examined by numerical examples. Some significant results for practical application are discussed.     

Dynamic behavior of offshore spar platforms under regular sea waves

Many innovative floating offshore structures have been proposed for cost effectiveness of oil and gas exploration and production in water depths exceeding one thousand meters in recent years. One such type of platform is the offshore floating Spar platform. The Spar platform is modelled as a rigid body with six degrees-of-freedom, connected to the sea floor by multi-component catenary mooring lines, which are attached to the Spar platform at the fairleads. The response dependent stiffness matrix consists of two parts (a) the hydrostatics provide restoring force in heave, roll and pitch, (b) the mooring lines provide the restoring force which are represented here by nonlinear horizontal springs. A unidirectional regular wave model is used for computing the incident wave kinematics by Airy’s wave theory and force by Morison’s equation. The response analysis is performed in time domain to solve the dynamic behavior of the moored Spar platform as an integrated system using the iterative incremental Newmark’s Beta approach. Numerical studies are conducted for sea state conditions with and without coupling of degrees-of-freedom.     

Active heave compensation on drill-ships in irregular waves

This paper investigates a possible method for heave compensation on board deep-water drill-ships subjected to irregular-wave excitation. The proposed system exploits favorable interaction of coupled oscillators to achieve the desired results. This study examines an actively controlled compensator which performs well over a large wave-frequency bandwidth. Performance under certain operating conditions is investigated using a dynamic model. Simple mathematical arguments and frequency-domain computations in an irregular wave spectrum show the proposed heave compensation system to be effective within the bounds of linearity.     

Experimental study on hydrodynamic performance of SWATH vessels in calm water and in head waves

An extensive experimental investigation on four SWATH hull forms has been conducted in calm water and in regular waves at University of Naples Federico II. Calm water tests have been analyzed in the range of Froude number Fr_T from 0.1 to 0.6. For all four SWATH configurations at the speed, corresponding to Fr_T 0.32, the behaviour in regular waves has been tested. The results of heave, pitch and vertical accelerations are presented in nondimensional form as RAO. For the “most promising” SWATH #4 configuration, a set of stabilizing fins have been designed and an active stabilization system has been developed. The developed SWATH#5 has been tested in calm water on three displacements in the range of Fr_T from 0.1 to 0.65. The dynamic wetted surface has been identified and the residual resistance coefficient C_R as well as R_T/Δ are reported. Seakeeping tests have been performed in regular head sea and in head and following irregular sea at Fr_T = 0.50. The conditions for the occurrence of dynamic longitudinal instabilities have been identified. The results allows to comment the effect of slenderness of struts and SWATH’s immersed bodies on resistance and seakeeping and concerns the applicability of SWATH concept to small craft.     

Experimental analysis of infragravity waves in two eroded microtidal beaches

This work aims to contribute to the characterization and understanding of infragravity waves on two beaches with erosion problems. For this reason, we have used an array of ADCP and a pressure sensor to measure wave parameters and pressure inside and outside of the surf zone during the dry and rainy period in the beaches of Galerazamba and Manzanillo del Mar (both dissipative and eroded beaches) located in the Colombian Caribbean coast. Based on these measurements, we have carried out a spectral analysis in order to identify the frequency components that characterize the wave and its energy; thus, we identified the characteristic frequencies of infragravity waves to finally filter the infragravity signal on each beach in different seasonal periods. Among the results of the Welch spectrum applied to surface elevation time series, we found that, the frequencies'' energy of the sea-swell band decreases due to bottom friction and wave breaking as the wave approaches the shore, while the frequencies'' energy of the infragravity band increases significantly. In addition, for the wavelet analysis, we could observe how the energy of the infragravity band, especially the lowest frequencies gain energy as the waves approaches the coast. Furthermore, based on the infragravity wave obtained from the extreme wave event registered during the field campaign we can conclude that the contribution of this signal is important in the erosion problems presented in the beaches of Galerazamba and Manzanillo del Mar. Finally, these results show the need to realize other studies that allow us to understand deeply, the role of infragravity waves on the morphological changes that occurs in these beaches.     

Experimental survey of the hydrodynamic performance of a small spar buoy

The objective in this experimental work is to evaluate the capability of several cylindrical buoys to follow and measure waves. Eleven configurations have been studied, eight among which were furnished with disks of different diameters at the waterline. The experiments took place in the test basin at ISITV. On the one hand, we have obtained a set of transfer coefficients for each frequency and each configuration in regular waves. On the other hand, we have determined the corresponding transfer functions, then we have used the latter to measure irregular waves. The time signals as measured by the buoys with and without corrections have been compared with wave gage measurements and subjected to a wave-by-wave analysis. The results allow the conclusion that the buoy with a medium size disk constitutes the best compromise. In fact, it permits the buoy to follow the free surface while minimizing parasitic motions.     

Numerical analysis of a propeller during heave motion in cavitating flow

In practical maritime conditions, ship hulls experience heave motion due to the action of waves, which can further drive the ship’s propellers to oscillate relative to the surrounding water. In order to investigate the motion of a propeller working behind a surface vessel sailing in waves, a numerical simulation is conducted on a propeller impacted by heave motion in cavitating flow using the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) method. The coupling of the propeller’s rotation and translation is fulfilled using equations of motion defined for this purpose. The heave motion is simplified as a periodic motion based on a sinusoidal function. The numerical transmission of information from the unsteady flow field is achieved using the overset grid approach. In this manner, the unsteady thrust coefficient and torque coefficient of propellers in different periods of heave motion are analyzed. A comparative study is implemented on the unsteady cavitation performance and wake characteristics of propeller. With the propeller’s heave motion, the flow field non-uniformity constantly changes the load on the propeller during each revolution period and each heaving period, the propeller load and the wake field are closely related to the variation of heave motion period. The results obtained from the numerical simulation are expected to serve as a useful theoretical reference for the numerical analysis of a propeller in a heave motion.     

Design analysis of a truss pontoon semi-submersible concept in deep water

Truss pontoon semi-submersible (TPS) is a new offshore structure concept in industry, where a truss spar is used to create the added mass by the heave plates. In the present paper, the effect of the heave plates on the vertical motion of the floating structure is demonstrated. A TPS is analyzed by utilizing the linear diffraction theory as well as the linear part of the Morison equation. The close agreement of the analysis results with the experimental results suggests that the simplified Morison equation can be used for the present analysis without sacrificing the quality of the results. However, good engineering judgment is required for estimating the values of the hydrodynamic coefficients as well as the amount of damping introduced in the structure. It is also found that the heave plates indeed introduce large added mass and considerable damping in the system motion in the vertical direction such that the resonant oscillation becomes less of a problem. This suggests that the TSP concept may have merits as a heave-controlled floating production structure in the deepwater development.     

A dynamic response analysis of tension leg platforms including hydrodynamic interaction in regular waves

A numerical procedure is described for predicting the motion and structural responses of tension leg platforms (TLPs) in waves. The developed numerical approach, in a TLP is assumed to be flexible instead of rigid, is based on a combination of the three dimensional source distribution method and the finite-element method. The hydrodynamic interactions among TLP members, such as columns and pontoons, are included in the motion and structural response analysis. Numerical results are compared with the experimental and numerical ones. The results of comparison confirmed the validity of the proposed approach.     

Dynamic response of a monopile wind turbine in waves: Experimental uncertainty analysis for validation of numerical tools

The responses of a monopile offshore wind turbine subjected to irregular wave loads are investigated numerically and experimentally, considering a range of sea states. An extensive experimental campaign was carried out on a fully flexible model, representative of a 5 MW offshore wind turbine, at 1:40 scale. An assessment of the experimental results for the response amplitude operator for regular waves and the 90th percentile seabed bending moment in long-crested irregular waves is carried out using two models (analytical and numerical) for uncertainty propagation, suggesting that bias errors in the model properties and in the wave elevation contribute the most to the total uncertainty. The experimental results are also compared to a numerical model using beam elements and Morison-type wave loads with second order wave kinematics. The numerical model does not capture all of the responses within the level of uncertainty of the experiments, and possible reasons for the discrepancies are discussed.     

A set of canonical problems in sloshing. Part 0: Experimental setup and data processing

In a series of attempts to research and document relevant sloshing type phenomena, a series of experiments have been conducted. The aim of this paper is to describe the setup and data processing of such experiments. A sloshing tank is subjected to angular motion. As a result pressure registers are obtained at several locations, together with the motion data, torque and a collection of image and video information. The experimental rig and the data acquisition systems are described. Useful information for experimental sloshing research practitioners is provided. This information is related to the liquids used in the experiments, the dying techniques, tank building processes, synchronization of acquisition systems, etc. A new procedure for reconstructing experimental data, that takes into account experimental uncertainties, is presented. This procedure is based on a least squares spline approximation of the data. Based on a deterministic approach to the first sloshing wave impact event in a sloshing experiment, an uncertainty analysis procedure of the associated first pressure peak value is described.     

Spar平台吸力式基础极限承载特性数值分析

以国外某深海Spar平台工程为背景,针对其所采用的细长型吸力式基础的抗拔承载特性进行三维有限元数值分析.分析中充分考虑土体强度、加载位置和加载角度对吸力式基础极限抗拔承载力的影响,本构模型中钢筒基础采用弹塑性模型.分析结果表明,吸力式基础的极限抗拨承载力随着土体强度的增大而增大,倾斜加载时在基础插入土体部分中点左右加载可取得最大的极限承载力,极限抗拔承载力还随着加载角度的增大而增大.吸力式基础存在倾斜加载时桶基础与桶内外土体的共同塑性屈服破坏和垂直加载时桶外土体的局部剪切破坏等两种不同的破坏模式.     

Experimental study on the cyclic behavior of loose calcareous sand under linear stress paths

Abstract

Hollow cylinder torsional shear tests on loose isotropically and anisotropically consolidated calcareous sand were conducted to investigate the cyclic behavior under three different linear stress paths, including horizontal line, oblique line, and vertical line stress paths, in a coordinate system of the normal stress difference and the horizontal shear stress. The dominant strain components of the isotropically consolidated specimens are affected by the stress paths. With increasing consolidation stress ratio, axial strain gradually becomes the dominant strain component under the three different stress paths. The cyclic strength of the isotropically consolidated specimens under the three different stress paths are almost the same, while for the anisotropically consolidated specimens, the cyclic strengths are strongly affected by the stress paths. These results indicate that conventional cyclic triaxial tests may overestimate cyclic strength in some cases. Irrespective of the stress paths and cyclic stress ratios, the terminal residual excess pore pressure ratio decreases with increasing consolidation stress ratio. Moreover, an empirical equation is proposed to describe the relationship between the normalized shear work and the normalized residual excess pore pressure ratio. The comparative study reveals that the relationship proposed for silica sand is not suitable for the dynamic analyses of calcareous sand.     

Hydrodynamics of oil jets without and with dispersant: Experimental and numerical characterization

In this paper, we present the analysis of an underwater horizontal oil jet experimental measurement and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) using the Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) equations. Two oil subsurface releases were conducted: one with crude oil and another with crude oil premixed with dispersant at the dispersant to oil ratio (DOR) of 1:20. The jet profile was captured by a camera at moderate resolution, and the instantaneous velocity was measured by a Vectrino Profiler. The velocity components, turbulence kinetic energy, and turbulence dissipation rate from the experiment agreed well with those from the CFD simulation using the k-epsilon turbulence model. The spread angle of the jet was found to be around 21° and 24° from the experiment measurement, for oil without dispersant and oil with dispersant, respectively. The latter is close to the angle of miscible jets at 23°. The jet profile of oil with dispersant had a smaller buoyancy than that without dispersant, which is probably due to the large water entrainment for the oil with dispersant jet. The cross sections of the jet for both cases gradually became flattened with distance, as the plume turned upward.     

内孤立波浅化破碎过程斜坡沉积物孔压响应特征实验分析

观测资料显示内孤立波沿斜坡浅化过程对海底沉积物的作用犹如一台水中吸尘器,在破碎转换阶段达到最强,甚至会触发一系列地质活动,引发地质灾害。为界定此过程中沉积物的动力响应特征和影响因素,在大型重力式分层流水槽中模拟不同振幅内孤立波和不同类型沉积物斜坡连续作用过程,利用孔隙水压力采集系统实时记录孔隙水压力变化,对比分析不同水动力、坡度、沉积物类型情况下沉积物中超孔压变化特征。分析结果表明,内孤立波破碎过程,破波位置海床表层波压力和不同深度超孔隙水压力都存在相似的"U"型负压力变化过程;破碎波经过位置沉积物表现为和表面波压力正相关的孔压响应特征。破碎点沉积物中超孔压幅值随深度减小,约在6%波长深度位置减少到坡面压力的50%。超孔压幅值和内孤立波振幅、沉积物类型和斜坡度密切相关,坡度由0.071变化到0.160时,波压力幅值可增大至1.6倍。内孤立波振幅变化不影响不同类型海床土动力响应规律,只与超孔隙水压力值大小有关,内孤立波对海床的动力作用可认为弹性作用。     

内孤立波中半潜平台动力响应特性

基于内孤立波mKdV理论,采用时域有限位移运动方程,结合改进的Morison公式,研究了两层流体中内孤立波与带分段式悬链系泊约束半潜平台的相互作用问题。针对东沙群岛南部海域附近某实测内孤立波特征参数,计算分析了在该内孤立波作用下SEDCO-700型半潜平台的内孤立波载荷、运动响应及其系泊张力的变化特性。研究表明,内孤立波不仅会对半潜平台产生突发性冲击载荷作用,使其产生大幅度水平漂移运动,并导致其系泊张力显著增大,因此在半潜平台等深海平台的设计与应用中,内孤立波的影响是不可忽视的。     

Dynamic interaction of breaking waves and inverted sailing yachts: Explaining the efficacy of mast height retention relative to vertical centre of gravity

The ability of a sailing yacht to re-right due to the effect of a breaking wave is investigated experimentally. Free and constrained physical models with varying mast height and centre of gravity were tested. To investigate the influence of retained mast height on sway force and roll moment, models were constrained by attachment to a force balance for sway motion tests in calm water and stationary tests in regular and breaking waves. Free model testing, with varying mast height and centre of gravity position, were carried out in breaking waves. For these tests, model motions in six degrees of freedom were measured using photogrammetry. The constrained tests showed that while the mast height had little effect on forces when stationary in waves it had a large effect when in sway motion. As models experience large sway motions when subject to a breaking wave the mast remnant plays a critical role in re-righting dynamics. This work demonstrates that re-righting probability is more dependent on mast height retention and wave characteristics than vertical centre of gravity. This conclusion has direct implications on re-righting safety assessment as the dominant design feature in most safety standards is the vertical centre of gravity.     

Two dimensional responses of fixed offshore platform in waves

Responses of a four-legged offshore platform to wave forces are analysed by taking account of one torsional motion around the vertical axis which passes the centre of gravity of the structure, and two translational motions in the horizontal plane. Applying the spring-mass system with one degree-of-freedom to each mode of motion, a calculation method for predicting resultant dynamic displacements of the topdeck is developed. Both the inline force and the transverse force are considered as external forces. The calculated results are found to agree with experiments. Furthermore, the influence of seven important factors on the dynamic response is examined by the calculations. It is shown that the combination pattern of the direction factor of the transverse force is of importance in dynamic analysis.     

波浪要素对水平圆柱杆件水动力系数影响研究

通过试验研究了波浪要素对水平固定圆柱杆件水动力系数的影响。试验利用垂直杠杆原理,提取了杆件在波浪下的水平受力历时曲线,基于改造的莫里森方程,计算了不同波浪要素下的水动力系数C_D和C_M取值。定义分析了新的波高参数KH,周期参数KT和雷诺数Re对水动力系数的影响。研究表明,整体拟合法与四点拟合法获得的水动力系数在数值上差异不大。KH、KT及Re均对水动力系数的取值有较显著影响:1)随着波高KH的增大,C_D、C_M整体呈幂指数衰减,且C_M的衰减更为迅速;2)随着波周期KT的增大,C_D、C_M整体亦呈衰减趋势;3)相同波高条件下,C_M随Re数增大而增大,而C_D值相对稳定。最后给出了波浪条件下水动力系数C_D和C_M的经验计算公式。