Dynamics and control of a towed underwater vehicle system, part I: model development

Autonomous vehicles are being developed to replace the conventional, manned surface vehicles that tow mine hunting towed platforms. While a wide body of work exists that describes numerical models of towed systems, they usually include relatively simple models of the towed bodies and neglect the dynamics of the towing vehicle. For systems in which the mass of the towing vehicle is comparable to that of the towed vehicle, it becomes important to consider the dynamics of both vehicles. In this work, we describe the development of a numerical model that accurately captures the dynamics of these new mine hunting systems. We use a lumped mass approximation for the towcable and couple this model to non-linear numerical models of an autonomous surface vehicle and an actively controlled towfish. Within the dynamics models of the two vehicles, we include non-linear controllers to allow accurate maneuvering of the towed system.     

Dynamics and Variability of Terra Nova Bay Polynya

Abstract. We present a process study on the dynamics and variability of the Terra Nova Bay polynya in the western sector of the Ross Sea. The air-sea heat exchange is known to be particularly large in polynya during the winter, when differences between air and sea temperatures are large. We apply a 1-D model (Pease, 1987; Van Woert, 1999a, 1999b), which is modified in the latent heat parameterisation in order to account for time-dependent relative humidity and cloud coverage. Furthermore, the Ice Collection Depth is correlated linearly with a variable wind speed. The model is forced with two different meteorological data sets: the operational analysis of the European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasts atmospheric data set and the meteorological parameters measured by an Automatic Weather Station located on the coast of Terra Nova Bay. The results are compared in terms of polynya extension, ice, and High Salinity Shelf Water production. According to the two different wind velocities, the results obtained from the different data sets clearly differ. Qualitatively, however, the results are in good agreement.     

A thermal centroid or a mass centroid?

This study reveals the physical backgrounds of the geometric centroid and the thermal centroid of the Western Pacific Warm Pool (WPWP) and points out their differences. The geometric centroid (actually a very close approximation to the mass centroid) anomaly of the surface WPWP correlates more closely with the Niño-3 region sea surface temperature anomaly (Niño-3 SSTA, an important indicator of El Niño/La Niña events) than the surface thermal centroid. Taking the WPWP depth (or heat storage) into account, the “real” mass or thermal centroid of the WPWP might correlate better with the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) signals.     

Analysis of seabed instability using element free Galerkin method

Wave-induced seabed instability, either momentary liquefaction or shear failure, is an important topic in ocean and coastal engineering. Many factors, such as seabed properties and wave parameters, affect the seabed instability. A non-dimensional parameter is proposed in this paper to evaluate the occurrence of momentary liquefaction. This parameter includes the properties of the soil and the wave. The determination of the wave-induced liquefaction depth is also suggested based on this non-dimensional parameter. As an example, a two-dimensional seabed with finite thickness is numerically treated with the EFGM meshless method developed early for wave-induced seabed responses. Parametric study is carried out to investigate the effect of wavelength, compressibility of pore fluid, permeability and stiffness of porous media, and variable stiffness with depth on the seabed response with three criteria for liquefaction. It is found that this non-dimensional parameter is a good index for identifying the momentary liquefaction qualitatively, and the criterion of liquefaction with seepage force can be used to predict the deepest liquefaction depth.     

Ghost fishing in European waters: Impacts and management responses

In this paper we review levels of net loss, what happens to the gear once it has been lost, and the resulting levels of ‘ghost catches’ made in passive net fisheries in the EU. We also consider ghost catches resulting from lost gear in other types of fisheries, and the extent to which the value of ghost catches has been quantified. We consider why fishing gear is lost, and profile common management responses. We present a cost benefit model to assess the relative cost effectiveness of different management measures, and suggest that gear retrieval programmes may provide less value for money than other management responses.     

长期非平稳荷载调谐质量减振阻尼器优化设计

研究外荷载为长期非平稳随机过程。考虑长期荷载的特性 ,采用 1个概率谱密度函数来反映长期非平稳随机荷载及其特征 ;概率谱密度函数是基于大量的一般谱密度函数的统计特性获得。以延长结构的抗疲劳使用寿命为目标函数 ,提出了调谐质量减振阻尼器的优化设计方法 ,这在实际工程中有着极为广阔的应用前景。本文旨在从理论上发展长期非平稳随机荷载作用下调谐质量减振阻尼器的优化设计方法 ;文中采用长期波浪实测数据 ,给出了 1个数值算例说明整个设计过程。     

Exchange flow of oil and sea-water in a ruptured submarine pipeline

The rupture of a submarine oil pipeline starts various mechanisms leading to an oil spill. Among these mechanisms the leakage of oil driven by the difference in specific gravities of oil and sea-water is difficult to estimate. A simple mathematical model has been developed and laboratory experiments have been carried out to obtain an insight into the density-driven exchange flow and to determine the leak rate. The mathematical model is predictive and takes account of the effects of friction, inclination of the pipeline, and inertia of the fluid. The experiments were done in a horizontal model pipeline. Theoretical and experimental results are in satisfactory agreement.     

Influence of large-diameter pipe pile driving on surrounding marine soils and adjacent submarine pipelines

Abstract

With the large-scale development and utilization of ocean resources and space, it is inevitable to encounter existing submarine facilities in pile driving areas, which necessitates a safety assessment. In this article, by referring to a wharf renovation project as a reference, the surrounding soil response and buried pipe deformation during pile driving in a near-shore submarine environment are investigated by three-dimensional (3D) numerical models that consider the pore water effect. Numerical studies are carried out in two different series: one is a case of a single pile focusing on the effect of the minimum plane distance of the pile–pipe, and the other is a case of double piles focusing on the effect of the pile spacing.     

The Fauna of Floating Cyanobacterial Mats in the Oligohaline Eulittoral Zone off Hiddensee (South-west Coast of the Baltic Sea)

Abstract. The fauna — including macrofauna, meiofauna, and large ciliates — of floating cyanobacterial mats in a brackish shallow-water area was studied by analysing six 20 cm² pieces of mat. Although these microbial aggregations were scarcely 1 cm thick, their total meiofauna abundance was about five times as high as in the uppermost 4 cm of the adjacent sediment. The mat fauna was dominated by harpacticoids, although large ciliates, rotifers, nematodes, and oligochaetes were also markedly more abundant than in the sediment. All species occurring in the mats were members of the surrounding sediment fauna. Out of the 47 species found, only a few, among them predominantly the harpacticoid, Mesochra lilljeborgi B oeck , 1864, and the nematode Daptonema setosum ( bütschli , 1874), accounted for the majority of the individual abundance in the mats. Both are regularly found in sulphidic biotopes near Hiddensee. As SEM micrographs revealed, the oligochaete Paranais litoralis (O. F. M üller , 1788) and the harpacticoid Cletocamptus confluens (Schmeil, 1894) were apparently optimal substrates for dense lawns of cyanobacteria. This indicates possible close interactions between the meiofauna and these microbiota. The frequent predation of histophagous ciliates on nematodes and harpacticoids, which were probably weakened by oxygen deficiency and/or high sulphide concentrations, were not only a sign of a generally neglected pathway in the food chain, but also impressively emphasized the huge variety of interactions taking place between meio- and microfauna within this specific benthic microcosm. Because of their floating character, the mats can play an important role in the dispersal of benthic fauna.