Hydrodynamics of an oscillating water column seawater pump. Part II: tuning to monochromatic waves

Flume experiments with a scale-model of a wave driven seawater pump in monochromatic waves are described. A tuning mechanism optimises the pump performance by keeping it at resonance with the waves. The pumping process itself was found to de-tune the system because of the reduced gravity restoring force due to spilling in the compression chamber. A perturbation analysis of the pump equations shows that performance of the system can be increased by optimising the shape of the pump intake to minimise losses due to vortex formation. An algorithm is derived, using a numerical model of the pump, which accurately determines the required volume of air in the compression chamber to induce resonance given variations in the wave frequency, the wave height and the tides. A sustainable development project to use a seawater pump to manage fisheries at a coastal lagoon in Mexico is described.     

On the tuning of a wave-energy driven oscillating-water-column seawater pump to polychromatic waves

Performance of wave-energy devices of the oscillating water column (OWC) type is greatly enhanced when a resonant condition with the forcing waves is maintained. The natural frequency of such systems can in general be tuned to resonate with a given wave forcing frequency. In this paper we address the tuning of an OWC sea-water pump to polychromatic waves. We report results of wave tank experiments, which were conducted with a scale model of the pump. Also, a numerical solution for the pump equations, which were proven in previous work to successfully describe its behavior when driven by monochromatic waves, is tested with various polychromatic wave spectra. Results of the numerical model forced by the wave trains measured in the wave tank experiments are used to develop a tuning criterion for the sea-water pump.     

Hydrodynamics of an oscillating articulated eel-like structure

This study examines the hydrodynamic performance of a highly simplified eel-like structure consisting of three articulated segments with the two aft segments oscillating. A physical model was built and tested to determine the forces developed with the model stationary, to find the self-propulsion speed, and to explore the effect on hydrodynamic performance of different swimming patterns. It was found that hydrodynamic performance increases with increasing oscillation frequency; the highest forces when stationary, and the highest self-propulsion speeds were produced by swimming patterns in which the amplitude in the aft segment is larger than that in the forward segment, and in which the motion of the aft segment lags the forward segment.A simple semi-empirical model based on Morison’s equation was implemented to predict the hydrodynamic forces. This was shown to predict mean thrust well in cases in which the aft segment oscillates in phase with the forward segment, but less reliably when the phase difference between the segments increases. Force time histories are generally not well-predicted using this approach. Nonetheless, self-propulsion speeds are predicted within 30% in all cases examined.     

Experimental and theoretical study of a cylindrical oscillating water column device with a quadratic power take-off model

The wave power extraction by a cylindrical oscillating water column (OWC) device with a quadratic power take-off (PTO) model was studied experimentally and theoretically. In the experiment, a scaled model OWC was tested in a wave flume, with an orifice being used to simulate a quadratic PTO mechanism. In the theoretical analysis, the quadratic PTO model was linearized based on Lorenz's principle of equivalent work, which allows us to perform a frequency domain analysis using an eigen-function matching method. The effects of higher harmonic components and the spatial non-uniformity of the surface velocity inside the chamber were discussed. A semi-analytical model was proposed to understand the viscous loss affecting the measured capture length. Our treatment of the quadratic PTO model was validated by comparing quasi-linear theoretical capture length and the laboratory measurement. Our results also showed that the effects of spatial non-uniformity and viscous loss could be noticeable for shorter waves.     

Natural frequencies of vertical cylindrical oscillating water column devices

This paper deals with the evaluation of the natural frequencies in heave motion of a single floating Oscillating Water Column device along with the natural frequencies of the water column inside the oscillating chamber. Two types of OWCs are examined, a simple-type device, consisting of a partially immersed toroidal body and a novel-type device, consisting also of a partially immersed toroidal body supplemented however by a coaxial interior truncated cylinder moving in phase with the outer chamber, thus forming a floating unit. Numerical results are given concerning the three boundary value problems, namely, the diffraction, the motion- and the pressure- dependent radiation problems, obtained through an analytical solution method using matched axisymmetric eigenfunction expansion formulations. The effect of the air pressure distribution inside the oscillating chamber on the natural frequencies in heave motion of the two examined types of OWCs and on the natural frequency of the water column motion inside the chamber, is presented and discussed thoroughly. It is demonstrated that the heave natural frequencies are strongly dependent on the type of the examined OWC and the device’s inner air pressure and should be taken into consideration when designing a floating OWC device.     

非对称垂荡式振荡水柱波能转换装置的水动力性能

为提升波能转换装置的经济竞争力,针对非对称垂荡式振荡水柱（OWC）波能转换装置,基于势流理论和匹配特征函数展开法,通过引入盖根堡多项式近似表征结构尖角附近的流场奇异性行为,深入研究后墙吃水深度（非对称）、墙体厚度和线性弹簧系数对垂荡式OWC装置的波能转换效率、透射系数、气室内平均液面高程等水动力参数的影响规律。研究结果显示,后墙吃水深度及墙体厚度的增加会提升装置在长波区域的高效转换能力,并且显著提高结构物整体阻波防浪性能;线性弹簧的出现,能调节水柱振荡和结构垂荡运动响应之间的相位差,从而有效拓宽垂荡式OWC装置的高效频率带。     

Numerical study of air chamber for oscillating water column wave energy convertor

Oscillating Water Column (OWC) wave energy converting system is one of the most widely used facilities all over the world.The air chamber is utilized to convert the wave energy into the pneumatic energy.The numerical wave tank based on the two-phase VOF model is established in the present study to investigate the operating performance of OWC air chamber.The RANS equations,standard k-ε turbulence model and dynamic mesh technology are employed in the numerical model.The effects of incident wave conditions and shape parameters on the wave energy converting efficiency are studied and the capability of the present numerical wave tank on the corresponding engineering application is validated.     

3D hydrodynamic modelling of fixed oscillating water column wave power plant by a boundary element methods

A three-dimensional (3D) numerical model of fixed Oscillating Water Column system (OWC) is presented and validated. The steady-state potential flow boundary value problem due to regular wave interaction with the OWC is solved by a first order mixed distribution panel method. Ocean response predictions are derived using a deterministic statistical model based on a spectral analysis method. The model validation focusses on diffraction predictions and involves convergence tests and numerical comparisons with independent potential flow computations. Predictions of both regular and irregular wave responses are also compared against experimental results. Sample results including the yearly-averaged power conversion efficiency are presented in the final section to illustrate the method’s suitability to a 3D hydrodynamic design optimisation.     

Flow under standing waves: Part 1. Shear stress distribution,energy flux and steady streaming

The conditions for energy flux, momentum flux and the resulting streaming velocity are analysed for standing waves formed in front of a fully reflecting wall. The exchange of energy between the outer wave motion and the near bed oscillatory boundary layer is considered, determining the horizontal energy flux inside and outside the boundary layer. The momentum balance, the mean shear stress and the resulting time averaged streaming velocities are determined. For a laminar bed boundary layer the analysis of the wave drift gives results similar to the original work of Longuet–Higgins from 1953. The work is extended to turbulent bed boundary layers by application of a numerical model. The similarities and differences between laminar and turbulent flow conditions are discussed, and quantitative results for the magnitude of the mean shear stress and drift velocity are presented. Full two-dimensional simulations of standing waves have also been made by application of a general purpose Navier–Stokes solver. The results agree well with those obtained by the boundary layer analysis. Wave reflection from a plane sloping wall is also investigated by using the same numerical model and by physical laboratory experiments. The phase shift of the reflected wave train is compared with theoretical and empirical models.     

Effect of fluid column dynamics on longitudinal vibrations of an ultra deepwater riser covered by an orifice plug

The paper studies longitudinal vibrations of an ultra-deepwater drilling riser whose bottom end is disconnected from the sea floor and covered by a plug (a blind one or the one with a hole). An elastic shell is used as a model of a riser pipe. The fluid column motion in the riser is described by the Navier–Stokes equation for a compressible fluid. Losses of fluid pressure during its flowing through a hole in the plug are taken into account. Solution of the riser equations is carried out in the frequency domain. Analysis of the effect which the riser length, wave period and height, and the plug-hole diameter on the amplitude of the riser's tension vibrations is conducted. A riser manufactured of strong aluminium alloys, some of prospective materials for ultra deepwater drilling, was considered as a prototype. It has been shown that risers 2000–4000 m long, plug-hole, and a riser 6000 m long with plug-hole of 0.087 m in diameter can withstand wave height of >15 m throughout the frequency range.     

Surf zone dynamics simulated by a Boussinesq type model. Part I. Model description and cross-shore motion of regular waves

This is the first of three papers on the modelling of various types of surf zone phenomena. In this first paper, part I, the model is presented and its basic features are studied for the case of regular waves. The model is based on two-dimensional equations of the Boussinesq type and it features improved linear dispersion characteristics, possibility of wave breaking, and a moving boundary at the shoreline. The moving shoreline is treated numerically by replacing the solid beach by a permeable beach characterized by an extremely small porosity. Run-up of nonbreaking waves is verified against the analytical solution for nonlinear shallow water waves. The inclusion of wave breaking is based on the surface roller concept for spilling breakers using a geometrical determination of the instantaneous roller thickness at each point and modelling the effect of wave breaking by an additional convective momentum term. This is a function of the local wave celerity, which is determined interactively. The model is applied to cross-shore motions of regular waves including various types of breaking on plane sloping beaches and over submerged bars. Model results comprise time series of surface elevations and the spatial variation of phase-averaged quantities such as the wave height, the crest and trough elevations, the mean water level, and the depth-averaged undertow. Comparisons with physical experiments are presented. The phaseaveraged balance of the individual terms in the momentum and energy equation is determined by time-integration and quantities such as the cross-sectional roller area, the radiation stress, the energy flux and the energy dissipation are studied and discussed with reference to conventional phase-averaged wave models. The companion papers present cross-shore motions of breaking irregular waves, swash oscillations and surf beats (part II) and nearshore circulations induced by breaking of unidirectional and multidirectional waves (part III).     

Numerical modeling of nonlinear resonance of semi-enclosed water bodies: Description and experimental validation

The purpose of this work is to a present a numerical model to solve a set of modified Boussinesq equations to analyse nonlinear resonance of semi-enclosed water bodies. The equations are solved on a finite element unstructured grid in order to achieve an optimal mesh resolution with the local geometry. The model is able to simulate long time lapses and realistic forcing in real bathymetries with a reasonable computational cost. To validate the numerical results, a set of experiments was carried out in a physical model of two adjacent elongated basins. Comparisons between numerical and experimental results for different geometries and nonlinear conditions show that the model is able to simulate with an excellent agreement the transient nonlinear resonant process.     

Particle dynamics in the deep water column of Sagami Bay, Japan. I: origins of apparent flux of sinking particles

Temporal variations of sinking particle flux, together with their organic chemical properties, were monitored in the deep basin of Sagami Bay, Japan, using sediment traps with very high time resolutions from March 1997 to August 1998. At a height of 350 m above the bottom (about 1200 m water depth), the averaged total mass flux was more than 1000 mg/m²/day, which is about 10 times higher than those obtained for open ocean regions near Sagami Bay. While large amounts of phytodetritus, derived from phytoplankton blooms in the surface water, were transported downward in spring, the following extraordinary patterns in the temporal variability of sinking particle flux were also observed: (1) A sustained large flux of sinking particles during low productive periods from summer to winter in 1997. (2) An episodic increase of sinking particle flux in June 1998. (3) A difference in the temporal variability of sinking particles between the spring bloom periods of 1997 and 1998. The content of total organic carbon (TOC) and the stable carbon isotopic ratio (δ¹³C) of TOC demonstrated that the large fluxes observed in (1) and (2) could be attributed to the resuspension of phytodetritus deposited on the sea floor during the spring bloom period, and the abrupt erosion of surface sediment on the continental slope, respectively. The concentration of suspended particles in the deep water column affect the apparent flux of sinking particles. At the same time, sinking particles exported from surface waters during the spring bloom both decrease and increase suspended particle concentration through scavenging and rebound processes, respectively. Finally, the apparent difference in sinking particle flux between 1997 and 1998, (3), could be explained by differences in the extent of the scavenging process, which depend on the flux and quality of exported particles from the surface waters.     

Calibration of a chalcogenide glass membrane ion-selective electrode for the determination of free Fe in seawater: I. Measurements in UV photooxidised seawater

Calibration of a chalcogenide glass membrane, Fe(III)ISE [Fe_2.5(Ge₂₈Sb₁₂Se₆₀)_97.5], in buffered saline media has been undertaken in order to assess the suitability of this ISE for seawater analyses. The electrode slopes in saline citrate and salicylate buffers were 26.3 and 28.2 mV/decade, respectively, for Fe³⁺ concentrations ranging from 10⁻¹⁰ M to less than 10⁻²⁵ M Fe³⁺. The calibration lines in the citrate and salicylate buffers were essentially collinear with the response in unbuffered chloride-free standards containing >10⁻⁵ M Fe³⁺, demonstrating that the response of the FeISE is unaffected by chloride ions. A mechanism involving a combination of charge transfer and ion-exchange of Fe(III), at the electrode diffusion layer, can be used to explain the ≈30 mV/decade slope of the FeISE. The response of the FeISE in UV photooxidised seawater containing 8 nM total Fe was measured as the pH was changed from 8.27 to 3.51. The slope of the response was 24.2 mV/decade [Fe³⁺] calculated as a function of pH using Fe(III) hydrolysis constants for seawater. Moreover, the response was essentially collinear with that in citrate buffers and in unbuffered solutions containing >10⁻⁵ M Fe³⁺ and the slope for the combined data was 26.2 mV/decade. This study was restricted to organic-free seawater because the certainty in Fe(III)–ligand stability constants is insufficient to warrant the selection of an ideal calibration buffer system, and there is evidence that powerful chelating ligands (e.g., EDTA along with humic and fulvic acids) may alter the response of the Fe(III)ISE. The Fe dissolution rate of the FeISE in UV photooxidised seawater was found to be 1.6×10⁻² nmol Fe/min, as measured by cathodic stripping voltammetry (CSV). This would contaminate a 100-ml sample by 0.8–1.6 nM Fe over a typical measurement period of 5–10 min obtained using a stability criterion of 0.5 mV/min. Various methods are proposed for reducing the level of contamination in open ocean samples that contain sub-nanomolar concentrations of iron. The FeISE has the potential to detect free Fe³⁺ at concentrations typically found in natural seawater.     

CFD investigations of OXYFLUX device,an innovative wave pump technology for artificial downwelling of surface water

No other environmental variable of such ecological importance to estuarine and coastal marine ecosystems around the world has changed so drastically, in such a short period of time, as dissolved oxygen in coastal waters. The prevalent methods for counteracting anoxic sea events are indirect measures which aim to cut-down anthropic loads introduced in river and marine environments. To date, no direct approaches, like artificial devices have been investigated except the WEBAP and OXYFLUX devices. The present paper adopts a numerical approach to the analysis of the pumped surface water as well as the analysis of the dynamic response of the OXYFLUX device. By means of a CFD-RANS code and through the application of overset grid method, the 1/16 OXYFLUX model’s dynamic response and pumping performance are evaluated. The appropriate grid is selected after an extensive sensitivity analysis carried out on 9 different grids. The CFD model is validated by comparing numerical and physical results of heave decay test, heave response, and surface water discharge under the action of regular waves. The extensive comparison with experimental results shows consistently accurate predictions. The main findings of the study show that nonlinear effects remarkable reduce the dynamic behaviour of the OXYFLUX and generate an unexpected second harmonic for pitch response intensifying the overtopping discharge also for small waves caused by the summer's low intensity winds.     

The mesoscale variability in the Caribbean Sea. Part I: Simulations and characteristics with an embedded model

The variability in the Caribbean Sea is investigated using high resolution (1/15°) general circulation model experiments. For the first time in this region, simulations were carried out with a 2-way nested configuration of the NEMO primitive equation model. A coarse North Atlantic grid (1/3°) reproduces the main features of the North Atlantic and Equatorial circulation capable of influencing ocean dynamics in the Caribbean Sea. This numerical study highlights strong dynamical differences among basins and modifies the view that dynamics are homogeneous over the whole Caribbean Basin. The Caribbean mean flow is shown to organize in two intense jets flowing westward along the northern and southern boundaries of the Venezuela Basin, which merge in the center of the Colombia Basin. Diagnostics of model outputs show that width, depth and strength of baroclinic eddies increase westward from the Lesser Antilles to the Colombia Basin. The widening and strengthening to the west is consistent with altimetry data and drifter observations. Although influenced by the circulation in the Colombia Basin, the variability in the Cayman Basin (which also presents a westward growth from the Chibcha Channel) is deeper and less energetic than the variability in the Colombia/Venezuela Basins. Main frequency peaks for the mesoscale variability present a westward shift, from roughly 50 days near the Lesser Antilles to 100 days in the Cayman Basin, which is associated with growth and merging of eddies.     

Studies in seawater and lake water on interactions of trace metals with humic substances isolated from marine and estuarine sediments: I. Characterisation of humic substances

Two humic acids, HAL and HAN, isolated from marine sediments (Adriatic and Norwegian Sea) and humic (HAM) and fulvic (FAM) acids isolated from an estuarine sediment (Mahakam, Borneo) were characterized.The following characteristics: carbon content, hydrophobicity, degree of condensation and the content of aliphatic groups, are most pronounced for HAN, less pronounced for HAL and the least pronounced for HAM. The abundance of trace metals in the humic acids decreases in the following order: Al > Cu > Zn > Pb > Cd.Fulvic acid (FAM) has a lower carbon and a higher oxygen content than humic acids. It is hydrophilic and hardly any aliphatic groups were recorded. At pH 7 the predominant fraction of FAM has the apparent molecular weight of 20 000 daltons while the humic acids are of higher molecular weight.