A hydrocast bottom-finding switch with audible alarm

A cheap and mechanically simple bottom-finding device uses a single trip weight and a mercury switch to change the dc resistance of an electromechanical cable when the trip weight hits the sea bottom. The change is detected in a deck unit which sounds a loud alarm on an exterior speaker near the winch operator. The deck unit also displays the cable dc voltage and current.     

Theoretical and Experimental Study of A Coaxial Double-Buoy Wave Energy Converter

The double-body heave wave energy converter(WEC) is one of the most conducive devices to absorb the wave energy from relative motion while the law of which is not well understood. This paper makes an in-depth study on this wave energy converter, by means of the combination of theoretical analysis and physical model experiment. The hydrodynamic characteristics and energy capture of the double-buoy under constant and linear Power Take-Off(PTO) damping are investigated. Influences of absolute mass and mass ratio are discussed in the theoretical model.Relative displacement amplitude and average power output are tested in the experiment to analyze the effect of the wave period and outer buoy's mass, while the capture width ratio(CWR) is also calculated. Results show that the wave period and mass of the buoys have a significant effect on the converter. Different forms of PTO damping have no influence on the optimal wave period and mass ratio of this device. It is recommended to select the double-buoy converter with a mass ratio of 0.80 and to place it in an area with the frequent wave period close to the natural period of the outer buoy to achieve the optimal energy capture.     

Powering cabled ocean-bottom observatories

A critical and potentially difficult problem for ocean-bottom observatories is the electrical power sub-system. While huge effort and expense has gone into development of land power grids and ocean communication cable power, the characteristics of ocean-bottom observatories require different strategies. Ocean-bottom observatories terminate on the ocean floor where large variable loads are installed, whereas commercial ocean-bottom cables terminate on land and normally have relatively fixed loads. Design considerations such as whether to use a constant current or constant voltage source, choice of voltage and current levels and cable capacitance and impedance are considered. Ocean-bottom observatory science requirements in the future will demand multiple loads along the cable, cable branches, fault protection and redundancy. The realities of high cable capacitance and the negative dynamic impedance of switching power supplies require that rapid load changes either be anticipated or prevented. Without proper control, rapid changes in load can result in instability and collapse of the power system. The strategy suggested in this paper requires that each load point (or junction box where science experiments will be attached to the system) be "smart" enough to keep load variations within tolerance bounds     

港珠澳大桥青州航道桥桥墩基础冲刷试验研究

桥墩基础冲刷是桥梁毁坏的重要因素,是桥梁基础设计的关键指标之一。目前国内外对于桥墩基础在复杂动力条件下冲刷深度的研究常采用物理模型试验方法,利用正态系列模型方法,在波流水槽中研究了水流、潮流和波流共同作用下青州航道桥索塔基础周围流态变化和局部冲刷特征。研究结果表明,桥墩最大冲刷深度和冲淤范围与水流流速、桥墩轴线与水流夹角和波浪等因素有关;在潮流最大流速和恒定流流速一致情况下,桥墩局部冲刷深度达到平衡后,将会达到与恒定流基本一致的最大冲深;波流共同作用下的最大冲刷深度比恒定流增加10%左右。设计桥墩形状在100年一遇水流和波浪共同作用下桥墩基础局部最大冲刷深度为13.7 m。     

Biofouling on mooring lines and power cables used in wave energy converter systems—Analysis of fatigue life and energy performance

This study presents an analysis of a wave energy converter (WEC) system consisting of a buoy, a mooring system, and a power cable connected to a hub. The investigated WEC system is currently under full-scale testing near Runde in Norway. The purpose of the study was to investigate the characteristics of the entire system, primarily with regard to energy performance and the fatigue life of the mooring lines and power cable, considering the effects of marine biofouling and its growth on the system’s components. By means of parametric study, the energy performance and fatigue life of the mooring lines and power cable were investigated considering two mooring configurations, three biofouling conditions, four sea states in a scatter diagram, and three wave and current directions. Hydrodynamic and structural response simulations were conducted in a coupled response analysis using the DNV-GL software SESAM. Energy performance analyses and stress-based rainflow counting fatigue calculations were performed separately using an in-house code. The results show that, for a WEC system which has been deployed for 25 years, biofouling can reduce the total power absorption by up to 10% and decrease the fatigue life of the mooring lines by approximately 20%.     

A Geometrically Exact Formulation for Three-Dimensional Numerical Simulation of the Umbilical Cable in A Deep-Sea ROV System

This paper proposes a geometrically exact formulation for three-dimensional static and dynamic analyses of the umbilical cable in a deep-sea remotely operated vehicle(ROV) system. The presented formulation takes account of the geometric nonlinearities of large displacement, effects of axial load and bending stiffness for modeling of slack cables. The resulting nonlinear second-order governing equations are discretized spatially by the finite element method and solved temporally by the generalized-a implicit time integration algorithm, which is adapted to the case of varying coefficient matrices. The ability to consider three-dimensional union action of ocean current and ship heave motion upon the umbilical cable is the key feature of this analysis. The presented formulation is firstly validated, and then three numerical examples for the umbilical cable in a deep-sea ROV system are demonstrated and discussed, including the steady configurations only under the action of depth-dependent ocean current, the dynamic responses in the case of the only ship heave motion, and in the case of the combined action of the ship heave motion and ocean current.     

A Geometrically Exact Formulation for Three-Dimensional Numerical Simulation of the Umbilical Cable in A Deep-Sea ROV System

This paper proposes a geometrically exact formulation for three-dimensional static and dynamic analyses of the umbilical cable in a deep-sea remotely operated vehicle (ROV) system. The presented formulation takes account of the geometric nonlinearities of large displacement, effects of axial load and bending stiffness for modeling of slack cables. The resulting nonlinear second-order governing equations are discretized spatially by the finite element method and solved temporally by the generalized- implicit time integration algorithm, which is adapted to the case of varying coefficient matrices. The ability to consider three-dimensional union action of ocean current and ship heave motion upon the umbilical cable is the key feature of this analysis. The presented formulation is firstly validated, and then three numerical examples for the umbilical cable in a deep-sea ROV system are demonstrated and discussed, including the steady configurations only under the action of depth-dependent ocean current, the dynamic responses in the case of the only ship heave motion, and in the case of the combined action of the ship heave motion and ocean current.     

应用于海洋站温盐传感器的缓冲止旋方法

为解决温盐传感器在海洋站应用中存在的电缆缠绕和壳体磨损等问题,保障传感器的长期业务化运行,文章提出改进温盐传感器安装方式的缓冲止旋方法。研究结果表明：在实验室环境下,通过以螺旋电缆代替直线电缆和设计缓冲浮子装置二者结合的温盐传感器安装方式,可有效减少电缆缠绕、避免传感器磕碰磨损和减小海流影响,同时安装简单、便于维护和具有广泛应用性。该方法仍须在海洋站实际应用中进一步验证和完善。     

Transport measurements from in-service undersea telephone cables

The motion of the ocean through the Earth's magnetic field creates a cross-stream voltage proportional to the transport of the stream. These motion-induced voltages have been observed for more than ten years by the use of an abandoned cable spanning the Florida Current. In-service undersea telephone cables, including fiber optic cables with branch lines, can also be used to determine the motion-induced voltages between the cable sea-Earth grounds because the repeaters in these cables are powered by a nearly constant electric current, the return path for this current is through the ocean via the sea-Earth grounds, and the power voltage and current are readily measured at the cable station or stations. Ocean voltages between West Palm Beach, FL, and Eight Mile Rock, Grand Bahama Island, observed since 1985 by use of an in-service cable yield monthly estimates of the Florida Current transport with an r.m.s. accuracy of 1.1 Sv when compared with the monthly voltage-derived transports between Jupiter, FL, and Settlement Point, Grand Bahama Island, observed by the use of an abandoned cable. This corresponds to an accuracy of 3% of the mean transport of 32.3 Sv     

非通航孔桥墩自适应拦截网防撞装置实船拦截试验与水动力计算

针对非通航孔桥墩,研发了一种自适应拦截网防船舶撞击装置,主要由系泊大浮体、系泊锚链和固定锚、自适应小浮筒、拦截网、恒阻力缆绳以及触发钢索所组成。阐述了该防撞装置设计原理,即偏航船舶撞击该防撞装置,小浮筒会带动拦截网自适应地从水平状态竖起展开,包裹住来撞船首,再通过相连浮体的运动阻力和恒阻力缆绳来吸收船舶动能,拦截住船舶,保护非通航孔桥墩安全。随后介绍在福建平潭海峡大桥引桥附近海域实施的实船撞击自适应拦截网防撞装置的大型试验,试验结果显示:自适应拦截网成功升起,船舶被安全拦截,从而实验证实了设计原理与设计方案的可行性和可靠性。最后,采用大型水动力分析软件AQWA对防撞装置拦截船舶过程进行数值模拟,模拟结果与实验结果基本一致,说明了数值仿真具有较好的计算精度和可靠性,能够为该防撞装置的结构设计与优化提供重要的参考。     

Life evaluation of a 35-kV submarine power cable in a continuous flexing environment

This paper describes the life testing of a 35-kV power cable that will connect a single anchor leg mooring (SALM) buoy with a platform in several hundred feet of water. While there are many power cable installations to offshore platforms and between platforms, this system is unique because the cable will be constantly flexing in compression as the mooring buoy moves in the water. The buoy design includes an articulated leg with universal joints to which the cable is clamped. It is the loop in the cable where it crosses a universal joint that is flexed, and is a major cause of concern. To predict the effects of this constant flexure while energized, a flex simulator and electrical circuit were devised to duplicate the service environment as closely as possible. This paper describes the cable system, the test apparatus and procedure, and the results obtained.     

Investigations on 3D effects and correlation between wave height and lip submergence of an offshore stationary OWC wave energy converter

Understanding the hydrodynamic interactions between ocean waves and the oscillating water column (OWC) wave energy converter is crucial for improving the device performance. Most previous relevant studies have focused on testing onshore and offshore OWCs using 2D models and wave flumes. Conversely, this paper provides experimental results for a 3D offshore stationary OWC device subjected to regular waves of different heights and periods under a constant power take–off (PTO) damping simulated by an orifice plate of fixed diameter. In addition, a 3D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model based on the RANS equations and volume of fluid (VOF) surface capturing scheme was developed and validated against the experimental data. Following the validation stage, an extensive campaign of computational tests was performed to (1) discover the impact of testing such an offshore OWC in a 2D domain or a wave flume on device efficiency and (2) investigate the correlation between the incoming wave height and the OWC front wall draught for a maximum efficiency via testing several front lip draughts for two different rear lip draughts under two wave heights and a constant PTO damping. It is found that the 2D and wave flume modelling of an offshore OWC significantly overestimate the overall power extraction efficiency, especially for wave frequencies higher than the chamber resonant frequency. Furthermore, a front lip submergence equal to the wave amplitude affords maximum efficiency whilst preventing air leakage, hence it is recommended that the front lip draught is minimized.     

鹰式一号波浪能装置频域运动分析与优化设计

波浪能发电装置的波能转换通常分为两级能量转换:第一级能量转换是波浪作用下波浪能装置部件发生相对运动驱动PTO做功捕获波浪能;第二级能量转换为将捕获的波浪能转换为电能。其中一级波浪能转换系统的优化设计是提高波浪能装置能量转换效率的重要手段和关键技术。波浪作用下波浪能装置的运动与PTO做功运动相互耦合和影响,本文通过对不同波浪要素环境下、不同PTO阻尼下波浪能装置的频域运动模拟,以迎波宽度比为尺度对波浪能装置的一级能量转换系统进行优化设计,获得波浪能装置的最优做功阻尼,为实型装置负载加载设计提供设计依据,提高波浪能装置能量转化效率。鹰式一号波浪能装置的实海况运动证明,通过对一级能量转换系统的优化设计,能够有效提高装置的发电效率和提高装置对波浪响应频带宽度。     

Extending the versatility of the Bullard heat probe

A versatile probe for simultaneous studies of heat flow and near-bottom water parameters has evolved through modifications of the Bullard heat probe frame. Suitable sensor arrays have been used with this instrument to study (1) heat flow through the ocean floor, (2) water column temperature structure, (3) near-bottom current speeds, and (4) the differential cooling of water-column temperature sensors placed in a current speed gradient.Some of the advantages of such a modified Bullard probe are: (1) several parameters, including heat flow, can be measured across the sediment-water interface simultaneously, (2) the instrument frame is rigidly pinned to the ocean floor during measurement, permitting true Eulerian measurement in the water column with no effects of ship movement, swaying moorings or cable oscillation, and (3) the device is inexpensive and simple.     

某岛筏式液压波浪发电装置系留系统动力学分析

为研究某波浪发电装置系留设备的系泊性能,参考某岛筏式液压波浪发电项目规划和该系留系统的布局设计,利用OrcaFlex建立了系留系统简化模型。通过调节不同海况下的浪流参数,实现了对该系留系统的动力学分析,对比了不同工况下锚泊系统有效张力的变化,结合改变辅缆上端链与浮筏主体的连接位置,给出了该系留系统的优化设计方案。结果表明,不同系泊缆索上的系泊张力分布情况及风载荷对系留系统的影响很微弱。     

遥控水下机器人脐带缆收放绞车设计及牵引力分析

脐带缆收放技术是有缆遥控水下机器人的一项关键技术,该技术直接影响水下机器人载体的收放及作业过程中脐带缆的安全。针对目前水下机器人收放系统中脐带缆收放技术的特点,给出了一种具有自动排缆、低张力缠绕、能够提供大牵引力和安全制动功能的紧凑新式脐带缆绞车方案,并对牵引绞车与储藏绞车之间脐带缆张力与牵引绞车的牵引力进行了理论分析,给出了二者之间的关系函数。     

New Scientific Underwater Cable System Tokai-SCANNER for Underwater Geophysical Monitoring Utilizing a Decommissioned Optical Underwater Telecommunication Cable

We have developed a new cost-effective scientific underwater cable system named Tokai Submarine Cabled Network Observatory for Nowcast of Earthquake Recurrences (Tokai-SCANNER) using a decommissioned optical underwater telecommunication cable. We have used this cable in two ways simultaneously: 1) to construct an ocean-bottom observatory at the end of the cable, and 2) to use the cable as a long emitting antenna to sense electromagnetic properties of the Earth's crust. We have also developed a new time-synchronization system that sends a one-pulse-per-second (1PPS) signal and NMEA data to underwater sensors. To vary the supply voltage and current to the observatory and to emit a low-frequency electromagnetic field around the underwater cable, we have also developed an underwater power unit that has a wide input voltage and current range. Tokai-SCANNER has been functioning since April 2007.      

计算分析潮流对海缆路由稳定性的影响

通过野外勘察和室内试验分析结果,了解琼州海峡北海—临高段海缆路由区浅层海底土分布特征和路由区及其附近海区的潮流特征,利用计算的方法分析了10 a和50 a一遇的潮流对海缆路由区冲刷破坏的可能性。结果发现,在琼州海峡海缆路由区海底砂性土平均起动流速(23.2~58.9 cm/s)小于10 a一遇(75.2~93.8 cm/s)和50 a一遇(85.4~113.7 cm/s)的预测流速;海底粘性土的平均起动流速(64.8 cm/s)也小于10 a一遇(76.2 cm/s)和50 a一遇(87.4 cm/s)的预测流速。路由区海底土会因潮流冲刷作用而发生失稳破坏,影响埋设在海底土中海缆的安全。同时,结果还发现潮流对砂性海底土的影响大于对粘性海底土的影响。     

浮式海水淡化装置系留系统水动力分析

文章参考某海水淡化装置的具体参数、工作环境及其系留系统的布缆方式,利用大型海洋水动力分析软件OrcaFlex建立该海洋浮式海水淡化装置系留系统的水动力分析模型,研究该模型的运行过程,结合系留系统以及风、浪和流的联合作用,分析系缆的系泊张力变化情况和水动力,并对该系留系统的设计和施工提出指导性建议和细节性要求。     

地形地貌检测在琼州海峡500kV海底电缆运维中的应用

简要介绍了琼州海峡500 kV海底电缆地形地貌特点及保护方式,分析了侧扫声呐及多波束检测的基本原理,对侧扫声呐在海底电缆裸露及悬空检测的原理进行了重点阐述。结合海南联网500 kV海底电缆近几次检测数据,通过侧扫声呐地貌检测结果,重点对海底电缆裸露情况、抛石坝及铸铁套管保护状况、海底电缆周围异常进行了分析,能够正常检测出海底电缆的裸露、抛石坝的坍塌及周围异物等异常情况。通过多波束地形检测结果,分析了海底电缆路由区域整体地形状况及抛石坝整体状况、通过Kriging插值方法生成不同的DEM(数字高程模型,Digital Elevation Model),分别从宏观和微观角度对海底电缆路由区域地形冲淤变化进行了分析,并对沙波稳定性进行了分析。结论认为,部分区域地形冲刷严重,容易造成海底电缆裸露、悬空,需要及早关注并采取防冲刷措施。