Sheared Current Generation in Flume Tank for Experimental Research

Author(s):  
Mohammed Islam ◽  
Don Spencer ◽  
Paul Herrington ◽  
Dan Walker ◽  
Hisham Moideen ◽  
...  

Current velocity, profile, direction, and duration may affect hydrodynamic loads and VIM of offshore structure. It is often recommended that physical experiments are carried out in sheared current, in multiple directions and for sufficiently long period of time to investigate the hydrodynamic characteristics of deep draft offshore structures to obtain better correlation to the field measurements. This necessitates generating sheared current with acceptable turbulence level. This paper presents a recent advancement in generating sheared current in a flume tank facility. In this process, the test specimen remains moored and the water flows past with its velocity varied with depth as long as necessary. A combination of synthetic and wire meshes are used to provide the required amount of blockage onto the circulating channel flow of the flume tank to obtain specified current distribution across the cross-section and at the longitudinal center of the tank. The final set-up of the current screen provided a sheared flow distribution within 10% of the targets. Also, the measured turbulence level was below 10% in all the locations measured. VIM studies of a model spar were successfully carried out in the generated sheared current in the flume tank facility. The ability to accurately model the sheared flow essentially improves the accuracy of the measured VIM type response measurements. The generated sheared current can also be applied for other hydrodynamic experiments where sheared current is relevant.

1991 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 881-895 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. T. Wong ◽  
N. R. Morgenstern ◽  
D. C. Segoz

A state of the art survey of ice rubble mechanics is first presented. This survey covers ice rubble morphology, laboratory testing of ice rubble, the study of the load transmission capability of existing rubble fields, and field measurements in ice rubble surrounding offshore structures. Then, the implementation of a new plasticity model for normally consolidated broken ice into an existing finite element stress analysis code is described. The resulting program is validated using triaxial test data. Using this model, a two-dimensional parametric study on ice force transmission through a grounded ice rubble field is performed. The study shows that, in addition to the mechanical properties of ice rubble, the island or berm geometry may significantly affect the ice load. Key words: constitutive model, finite element analysis, ice load, ice rubble, offshore structure, plasticity.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dipanjan Karanjai ◽  
S. Nallayarasu ◽  
S. K. Bhattacharya

Abstract The vortex induced vibration of slender cylindrical structures is common in offshore structures and marine applications such as risers, towing cables, etc. The VIV response of such slender elements in steady uniform current has been investigated in the past using numerical and experimental studies. Though few numerical studies exist for varying current (sheared flow), experimental studies are limited. Hence, the experimental studies are an essential part of VIV investigation, especially for sheared flow. The experiments were conducted using a specially fabricated circular steel tank of diameter 2.4 m with a central hinge to rotate the pipe horizontally in a water pool of depth 0.7 m. Shear current is simulated by rotating the pipe about the hinge. A pipe of diameter 25 mm (= D) and length 1 m (= L) was fixed at one end of the rotating cable support, and the other end was passed over a pulley inside a rotating cylinder. The rotating cylinder is provided with a pulley at the top to tension the pipe. A shear current with a maximum velocity of 1.3 m/s and a minimum velocity of 0.1 m/s is generated using the set up. The VIV response of the pipe was measured using electrical resistance-type strain gauges pasted along the length. The measured axial strain was used to obtain transverse displacements, which was used to determine the response frequency, amplitudes, and forces. The Strouhal number was calculated. The VIV response and the fluid force coefficients obtained from the experiments were compared with Shear7 results.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (10) ◽  
pp. 2547
Author(s):  
Elena Garcia ◽  
Julio Torres ◽  
Nuria Rebolledo ◽  
Raul Arrabal ◽  
Javier Sanchez

Reinforced concrete may corrode in anoxic environments such as offshore structures. Under such conditions the reinforcement fails to passivate completely, irrespective of chloride content, and the corrosion taking place locally induces the growth of discrete pits. This study characterised such pits and simulated their growth from experimentally determined electrochemical parameters. Pit morphology was assessed with an optical profilometer. A finite element model was developed to simulate pit growth based on electrochemical parameters for different cathode areas. The model was able to predict long-term pit growth by deformed geometry set up. Simulations showed that pit growth-related corrosion tends to maximise as cathode area declines, which lower the pitting factor. The mechanical strength developed by the passive and prestressed rebar throughout its service life was also estimated. Passive rebar strength may drop by nearly 20% over 100 years, whilst in the presence of cracking from the base of the pit steel strength may decline by over 40%.


Author(s):  
Remmelt J. van der Wal ◽  
Gerrit de Boer

Offshore operations in open seas may be seriously affected by the weather. This can lead to a downtime during these operations. The question whether an offshore structure or dredger is able to operate in wind, waves and current is defined as “workability”. In recent decades improvements have been made in the hydrodynamic modelling of offshore structures and dredgers. However, the coupling of these hydrodynamic models with methods to analyse the actual workability for a given offshore operation is less developed. The present paper focuses on techniques to determine the workability (or downtime) in an accurate manner. Two different methods of determining the downtime are described in the paper. The first method is widely used in the industry: prediction of downtime on basis of wave scatter diagrams. The second method is less common but results in a much more reliable downtime estimate: determination of the ‘job duration’ on basis of scenario simulations. The analysis using wave scatter diagrams is simple: the downtime is expressed as a percentage of the time (occurrences) that a certain operation can not be carried out. This method can also be used for a combination of operations however using this approach does not take into account critical events. This can lead to a significant underprediction of the downtime. For the determination of the downtime on basis of scenario simulations long term seastate time records are used. By checking for each subsequent time step which operational mode is applicable and if this mode can be carried out the workability is determined. Past events and weather forecast are taken into account. The two different methods are compared and discussed for a simplified offloading operation from a Catenary Anchor Leg Mooring (CALM) buoy. The differences between the methods will be presented and recommendations for further applications are given.


Author(s):  
Steffen Schirrmeister

Pilot-scale micro-process technology for heterogeneously catalyzed gas phase reactions is generally highly demanding towards the methods of catalyst coating, flow distribution, reactor manufacturing and assembly, safety issues and other factors. Yet, first cost analysis have shown that economical processes can be developed using micro-technology. For this matter, it is necessary to improve and simplify the laboratory set-up, meaning that the stacked architectures at the meter-scale must be brought down to the micron-scale. This in return calls for specific methods of catalyst coating and a particularly precise assembly of the operation unit.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malene Hovgaard Vested ◽  
Erik Damgaard Christensen

Abstract The forces on marine and offshore structures are often affected by spilling breakers. The spilling breaker is characterized by a roller of mixed air and water with a forward speed approximately equal to the wave celerity. This high speed in the top of the wave has the potential to induce high wave loads on upper parts of the structures. This study analyzed the effect of the air content on the forces. The analyses used the Morison equation to examine the effect of the percentage of air on the forces. An experimental set-up was developed to include the injection of air into an otherwise calm water body. The air-injection did introduce a high level a turbulence. It was possible to assess the amount of air content in the water for different amounts of air-injection. In the mixture of air and water the force on an oscillating square cylinder was measured for different levels of air-content, — also in the case without air. The measurements indicated that force coefficients for clear water could be use in the Morison equation as long as the density for water was replaced by the density for the mixture of air and water.


2014 ◽  
Vol 89 (4) ◽  
pp. 442-455
Author(s):  
R. Zanino ◽  
R. Bonifetto ◽  
F. Cau ◽  
A. Portone ◽  
L. Savoldi Richard

2010 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 92-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peggy Zinke ◽  
Nils Reidar Bøe Olsen ◽  
Jim Bogen ◽  
Nils Rüther

A 3D numerical model was used to compute the discharge distribution in the channel branches of Lake Øyeren's delta in Norway. The model solved the Navier–Stokes equations with the k–ɛ turbulence model on a 3D unstructured grid. The bathymetry dataset for the modelling had to be combined from different data sources. The results for three different flow situations in 1996 and 1997 showed a relative accuracy of the computed discharges within the range of 0 to±20% compared with field measurements taken by an ADCP at 13 cross sections of the distributary channels. The factors introducing the most error in the computed results are believed to be uncertainties concerning the bathymetry. A comparison between the computational results of the older morphology data from 1985–1990 and the model morphology from 1995–2004 indicated that morphological changes in this period had already had consequences for the flow distribution in some channels. Other important error sources were the inevitable use of averaged water level gradients because of unavailable water level measurements within the delta.


Author(s):  
Arthur Mouragues ◽  
Philippe Bonneton ◽  
Bruno Castelle ◽  
Vincent Marieu

We present field measurements of nearshore currents at a high-energy mesotidal beach with the presence of a 500-m headland and a submerged reef. Small changes in wave forcing and tide elevation were found to largely impact circulation patterns. In particular, under 4-m oblique wave conditions, our measurements indicate the presence of an intense low-frequency fluctuating deflection rip flowing against the headland and extending well beyond the surf zone. An XBeach model is further set up to hindcast such flow patterns.Recorded Presentation from the vICCE (YouTube Link): https://youtu.be/EiqnjBIkWJE


Author(s):  
Andrew Cornett ◽  
Scott Baker

The objectives of this work are to close some of the knowledge gaps facing designers tasked with designing new offshore structures or upgrading older structures located in shallow waters and exposed to energetic multi-directional waves generated by passing hurricanes or cyclones. This will be accomplished by first investigating and characterizing the natural variability of the maximum wave heights and crest elevations found in multiple 2-hour long realizations of several short-crested shallow-water near-breaking seastates. Following this, the variability and repeatability of peak pressures and peak loads exerted on a 1/35 scale model of a gravity-based offshore structure are explored. The analysis focuses on establishing extreme value distributions for each realization, quantifying their variability, and exploring how the variability is diminished when results from multiple seastate realizations and repeated tests are combined. The importance of considering multiple realizations of a design wave condition when estimating peak values for use in design is investigated and highlighted.Recorded Presentation from the vICCE (YouTube Link): https://youtu.be/16bCsMd0OMc


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