A review of the climatological characteristics of landfalling Gulf hurricanes for wind, wave, and surge hazard estimation

The climatological characteristics of landfalling Gulf of Mexico hurricanes are presented, focusing on the basic parameters needed for accurately determining the structure and intensity of hurricanes for ocean response models. These include the maximum sustained wind, radius of maximum winds, the Holland-B parameter, the peripheral or far-field pressure, the surface roughness and coefficient of drag, and the central pressure for historical hurricanes in the Gulf.Despite evidence of a slight increase in the annual number of named storms over the past 50 years, presently there is no statistically significant trend in tropical storms, hurricanes, or major hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico. In addition, the long-term variability of tropical cyclones in the Gulf reflects the observed variability in the Atlantic basin as a whole. Analyses of hurricane winds from multiple sources suggest the presence of a bias toward overestimating the strength of winds in the HURDAT dataset from 7% to 15%. Results presented comparing HURDAT with other sources also show an overestimation of intensity at landfall, with an estimated bias of ~10%.Finally, a review of recent studies has shown that hurricane frequencies and intensities appear to vary on a much more localized scale than previously believed. This exacerbates the sampling problem for accurate characterization of hurricane parameters for design and operational applications.     

平湖油气田低渗透储层测井评价研究

平湖油气田P11储层开发是平湖油气田增储提产的重要目标,也是当前平湖油气田开发面临的难题之一。由于埋藏深,储层物性条件差,试油自然产能低下,储层流体性质复杂,气油比低,凝析油含量高,密度大,储层温度高,压力系数高,给测井解释和评价带来很大困难,对开发方案的实施提出了挑战。根据岩心分析资料,从成岩作用、沉积作用等方面对平湖组放鹤亭P11储层低渗原因进行了分析;对P11储层的测井响应特征进行了总结,对P11储层＂四性＂关系、孔隙度结构进行剖析,对储层孔隙度、渗透率、饱和度等参数进行了研究,得到一套适合P11储层测井解释评价的方法,为P11储层的开发提供参数依据和测井解释服务。     

Effects of backfill on seismic behavior of rectangular tanks

The reliability and/or stability of the lifeline structures against failure under seismic loads are of critical concern, and must be studied carefully. Therefore, the main objective of this paper is to demonstrate the commonly encountered backfill effects on the dynamic response of rectangular tanks. However, only the exterior wall of the tank which interacts with both the backfill and fluid is tackled, as each part of the structure shows considerable differences in terms of both the load bearing mechanisms and the geometrical and positional differences. Finite element analyses are employed, taking into consideration the fluid-wall-backfill interaction. The analyses are conducted to observe whether or not both backfill and wall behavior can be affected by variation of the internal friction angle. For that purpose, some comparisons are made on vertical displacements of the backfill, roof displacements, stress responses, etc., by means of internal friction angle variations of the backfill from 25° to 40°. Consequently, it is observed that the variations on maximum vertical displacements are affected considerably. In contrast, the maximum stress responses are affected partially. However, the inertial effects of the backfill show that pseudo-static approximations may be insufficient to understand the dynamic behavior of the backfill-wall-fluid system.     

基于多体分析的浅水FPSO和水下软钢臂系泊系统运动特性研究

基于多体动力分析方法进行FPSO和水下软钢臂系泊系统的运动特性研究。相较于非线性弹簧模拟软钢臂系泊系统或者其他近似模拟方法,多体分析方法可以充分考虑系泊系统具体结构形式及其动力项对FPSO运动性能的影响,更好的预报系统运动响应和系泊力。本文将FPSO和水下钢臂结构模拟成2个具有6自由度的独立结构,两者用系泊链组进行连接。基于三维势流理论应用汇源分布法,首先在频域内进行FPSO的水动力参数分析,进而在时域内对系统进行耦合动力分析。本文重点讨论系泊系统黏性力和二阶波浪力对系统响应的影响,计算结果发现系泊系统黏性力对系泊力有一定影响,而在浅水条件下二阶波浪力的计算对准确预报系统运动及系泊力非常重要。     

Feeding strategies of deep-sea sub-Arctic macrofauna of the Faroe-Shetland Channel: Combining natural stable isotopes and enrichment techniques

The response of a sub-arctic, deep-sea macrofaunal community to a simulated food sedimentation event was studied by means of a stable isotope “pulse-chase” experiment. A food pulse was simulated by adding 500 mg C m⁻² of ¹³C-labelled diatoms, Chaetoceros radicans, to sediment cores retrieved from 1080 m in the Faroe-Shetland Channel. Carbon uptake by specific macrofaunal groups was quantified after 3 and 6 days of incubation. The carbon uptake of the dominant taxon (Polychaeta) was quantified at the genus-, and where possible, species-level, representing a data resolution that is rare in deep-sea tracer studies. The macrofaunal community reacted rapidly to the diatom addition, with 47% and 70% of the animals illustrating ¹³C-enrichment after 3 and 6 days, respectively. Approximately 95% of C uptake was located in the upper 2 cm due to the particularly shallow vertical distribution of the macrofaunal community and the nonexistent tracer subduction by burrowing species. Polychaetes of the families Ampharetidae and Cirratulidae were among the most heavily labelled with above background enrichment reaching 1300‰. Approximately 0.8 and 2.0 mg C m⁻² were processed by the macrofauna after 3 and 6 days, representing 0.2% and 0.4% of the added carbon, respectively. It was not possible to differentiate sub-surface deposit-feeding polychaetes from predator/scavenger- and omnivorous polychaetes using their natural ??¹⁵N signatures. However, the combination of natural abundance ??¹⁵N data and ¹³C-labelling experiments proved to be useful for elucidating trophic relations in deep-sea food webs. This study confirms that macrofauna play an active role in the short-term carbon cycling at bathyal depths even at sub-zero temperatures and highlights the need for detailed knowledge of the community structure in understanding carbon processing patterns and early diagenesis of organic matter in marine sediments.     

Effects of wave directionality on extreme response for a long end-anchored floating bridge

Reliable design codes are of great importance when constructing new civil engineering concepts such as floating bridges. Previously only a scarce number of floating bridges have been built in rough wave conditions and only limited knowledge of the extreme environmental conditions and the associated extreme response exists. To form a better design basis an increased understanding of the sensitivity in the structural response towards changes in short-crested sea parameters is needed. Furthermore, acquiring the necessary accuracy in simulated extreme response is often a computationally expensive endeavour and the number of simulations needed is often based on experience. The present study investigates the wave-induced short-term extreme response of a simplified end-anchored floating bridge concept for several wave environments with a return period of 100 years. The study includes convergence of the coefficient of variation for the extreme response for different realization lengths as well as number of realizations. The sensitivity in the structural response towards different main wave directions and spreading exponents is investigated and includes both transverse and vertical displacement response spectra and extreme Von Mises stress in the bridge girder cross-section. The extreme response is based on an accuracy of 2% in the coefficient of variation equivalent to 40 3-h realizations and a low sensitivity in the response is found for natural occurring spreading exponents and for main wave directions within 15° from beam sea.     

结构损伤初步定位的简便方法

提出将基于动态特性的检测方法与局部物理检测手段相结合的探伤思路。利用动力学方法进行实时监测及损伤区域的粗略定位,再由物理探测方法实现损伤程度和位置的精确判断,从而降低对动态检测方法的精度要求。此外,文中尝试直接由结构的动力响应信号构建能量指标识别结构损伤的方法,不需要进行模态参数识别,算法简单,有望应用于海洋平台、高层建筑等可简化为串联多自由度体系的结构的实时监测和损伤初步定位。     

The Effect of Internal Fluid on the Response of Vortex-Induced Vibration of Marine Risers

Based on Iwan‘s wake oseillator model developed with the classical van der Pol equalion, the differential equation for the response of the vortex-induced vihration (VIV) of the riser considering the effect of the internal flowing fluid and the external marine environmental condition is derived. The effect of the intermal flowing fluid on the response of VIV of the riser is studied by means of the Finite Element Method. The results show that the effect of the internal fluid velocity on the VIV of the riser is strong when the natural frequency of the riser is close to the vortex shedding frequency. In addition, the increase of the top tension can decrease the sensitivity of the riser to the internal fluid velocity.     

Structural monitoring of offshore platforms using impulse and relaxation response

Monitoring offshore platforms, long span bridges, high rise buildings, TV towers and other similar structures is essential for ensuring their safety in service. Continuous monitoring assumes even greater significance in the case of offshore platforms, which are highly susceptible to damage due to the corrosive environment and the continuous action of waves. Also, since a major part of the structure is under water and covered by marine growth, even a trained diver cannot easily detect damage in the structure. In the present work, vibration criterion is adopted for structural monitoring of jacket platforms. Artificial excitation of these structures is not always practicable and ambient excitation due to wind and waves may not be sufficient for collecting the required vibration data. Alternate methods can be adopted for the same purpose, for example, the application of an impact or a sudden relaxation of an applied force for exciting the structure. For jacket platforms, impact can be applied by gently pushing the structure at the fender while relaxation can be accomplished by pulling the structure and then suddenly releasing it using a tug or a supply vessel in both cases. The present study is an experimental investigation on a laboratory model of a jacket platform, for exploring the feasibility of adapting vibration responses due to impulse and relaxation, for structural monitoring. Effects of damage in six members of the platform as well as changes in deck masses were studied. A finite element model of the structure was used to analyze all the cases for comparison of the results as well as system identification. A data acquisition and analysis procedure for obtaining the response signatures of the platform due to the impulse and relaxation procedure was also developed for possible adoption in on-line monitoring of offshore platforms. From the study, it has been concluded that both impulse and relaxation responses are useful tools for monitoring offshore jacket platforms. The present work forms the basis for the development of an automated, on-line monitoring system for offshore platforms, using neural networks.