Wave Attenuation Performance of Floating Breakwater Needs to be Evaluated by Using Irregular Waves

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chien Ming Wang ◽  
Huu Phu Nguyen ◽  
Jeong Cheol Park ◽  
Mengmeng Han ◽  
Nagi abdussamie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transmission Coefficient ◽  
Wave Height ◽  
Wave Attenuation ◽  
Wave Spectrum ◽  
Ocean Waves ◽  
Irregular Waves ◽  
Regular Waves ◽  
Transmission Coefficients ◽  
Floating Breakwater ◽  
Floating Breakwaters

<p>Floating breakwaters have been used to protect shorelines, marinas, very large floating structures, dockyards, fish farms, harbours and ports from harsh wave environments. A floating breakwater outperforms its bottom-founded counterpart with respect to its environmental friendliness, cost-effectiveness in relatively deep waters or soft seabed conditions, flexibility for expansion and downsizing and its mobility to be towed away. The effectiveness of a floating breakwater design is assessed by its wave attenuation performance that is measured by the wave transmission coefficient (i.e., the ratio of the transmitted wave height to the incident wave height or the ratio of the transmitted wave energy to the incident wave energy). In some current design guidelines for floating breakwaters, the transmission coefficient is estimated based on the assumption that the realistic ocean waves may be represented by regular waves that are characterized by the significant wave period and wave height of the wave spectrum. There is no doubt that the use of regular waves is simple for practicing engineers designing floating breakwaters. However, the validity and accuracy of using regular waves in the evaluation of wave attenuation performance of floating breakwaters have not been thoroughly discussed in the open literature. This study examines the wave transmission coefficients of floating breakwaters by performing hydrodynamic analysis of some large floating breakwaters in ocean waves modelled as regular waves as well as irregular waves described by a wave spectrum such as the Bretschneider spectrum. The formulation of the governing fluid motion and boundary conditions are based on classical linear hydrodynamic theory. The floating breakwater is assumed to take the shape of a long rectangular box modelled by the Mindlin thick plate theory. The finite element – boundary element method was employed to solve the fluid-structure interaction problem. By considering heave-only floating box-type breakwaters of 200m and 500m in length, it is found that the transmission coefficients obtained by using the regular wave model may be smaller (or larger) than that obtained by using the irregular wave model by up to 55% (or 40%). These significant differences in the transmission coefficient estimated by using regular and irregular waves indicate that simplifying assumption of realistic ocean waves as regular waves leads to significant over/underprediction of wave attenuation performance of floating breakwaters. Thus, when designing floating breakwaters, the ocean waves have to be treated as irregular waves modelled by a wave spectrum that best describes the wave condition at the site. This conclusion is expected to motivate a revision of design guidelines for floating breakwaters for better prediction of wave attenuation performance. Also, it is expected to affect how one carries out experiments on floating breakwaters in a wave basin to measure the wave transmission coefficients.</p>

scholarly journals Representative Transmission Coefficient for Evaluating the Wave Attenuation Performance of 3D Floating Breakwaters in Regular and Irregular Waves

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 388
Author(s):  
Huu Phu Nguyen ◽  
Jeong Cheol Park ◽  
Mengmeng Han ◽  
Chien Ming Wang ◽  
Nagi Abdussamie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transmission Coefficient ◽  
Wave Height ◽  
Wave Attenuation ◽  
Transmitted Wave ◽  
Irregular Waves ◽  
Hydrodynamic Analysis ◽  
Evaluation Approach ◽  
Floating Breakwater ◽  
Floating Breakwaters ◽  
Evaluation Approaches

Wave attenuation performance is the prime consideration when designing any floating breakwater. For a 2D hydrodynamic analysis of a floating breakwater, the wave attenuation performance is evaluated by the transmission coefficient, which is defined as the ratio between the transmitted wave height and the incident wave height. For a 3D breakwater, some researchers still adopted this evaluation approach with the transmitted wave height taken at a surface point, while others used the mean transmission coefficient within a surface area. This paper aims to first examine the rationality of these two evaluation approaches via verified numerical simulations of 3D heave-only floating breakwaters in regular and irregular waves. A new index—a representative transmission coefficient—is then presented for one to easily compare the wave attenuation performances of different 3D floating breakwater designs.

scholarly journals FLOATING BREAKWATER RESPONSE TO WAVE ACTION

1988 ◽  
Vol 1 (21) ◽  
pp. 162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Isaacson ◽  
Ronald Byres
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Model ◽  
Experimental Testing ◽  
Diffraction Theory ◽  
Regular Waves ◽  
Transmission Coefficients ◽  
Floating Breakwater ◽  
Mooring Forces ◽  
Wave Drift Forces ◽  
Floating Breakwaters ◽  
Incident Waves

The present paper describes a study carried out to investigate floating breakwater behavior in waves. Components of the study include a field survey of floating breakwaters in British Columbia, Canada, the development of a numerical model of breakwater behavior and the experimental testing of a particular breakwater design. The numerical model has been developed to provide breakwater motions, transmission coefficients and mooring forces. The model combines linear diffraction theory for obliquely incident waves, a mooring analysis, the inclusion of viscous damping coefficients obtained from experimental or field data, and the inclusion of drag and wave drift forces for use in the static analysis of the moorings. The experiments were carried out with normally incident regular waves of different heights and periods. Preliminary results indicate that the numerical model should prove to be a useful tool in floating breakwater design.

scholarly journals FLOATING BREAKWATERS AS PUBLIC PLATFORMS – IMPACT ON POSTURAL STABILITY

2018 ◽  
pp. 63
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Freeman ◽  
Kristen Splinter ◽  
Ron Cox
Keyword(s):  
Energy Dissipation ◽  
Degrees Of Freedom ◽  
Wave Attenuation ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Irregular Waves ◽  
Main Function ◽  
Wave Flume ◽  
Floating Breakwater ◽  
Safety Considerations ◽  
Floating Breakwaters

Floating Breakwaters are used extensively to provide cost effective protection from wind and vessel waves. Floating breakwaters are commonly multitasked, being used as a point of mooring for vessels or simply an access way to other pontoons in a small boat harbour, as well as their main function as wave dissipators. A floating breakwater does not completely stop the incident wave; rather it partially transmits, partially reflects and partially dissipates the wave energy. Cox et al (2007) completed wave flume testing of a number of floating breakwaters and reported on performance in irregular waves with particular emphasis on wave transmission and reflection, energy dissipation and restraining forces. Motion measurements were limited by the instrumentation. This paper discusses the results from a further series of laboratory experiments on the dynamic motions of an active floating breakwater system. The performance is related to wave attenuation, wave reflection and energy dissipation as well as safety considerations for standing persons based on high resolution measurements of accelerations in all six degrees of freedom.

An Experimental Study of Effects of Water Depth on Wave Scattering and Motion Responses of a Moored Floating Breakwater in Regular Waves

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhenhua Huang ◽  
Wenbin Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Water Depth ◽  
Measurement Unit ◽  
Regular Waves ◽  
Reflection And Transmission ◽  
Transmission Coefficients ◽  
Wave Flume ◽  
Motion Responses ◽  
Floating Breakwater ◽  
Series Of Experiments ◽  
Floating Breakwaters

Due to the mobility and low costs, floating breakwaters have been frequently considered as alternatives for protecting marinas and harbors from wave attacks. Main advantages of using floating breakwaters include (i) the exchange of water between a harbor and ocean, and (ii) an adjustable elevation varying with tidal levels. When floating breakwaters are used in shallow water environments (during low tides), the presence of seabed may affect the dynamics of the floating breakwaters. In the present study, a series of experiments were carried out in a wave flume of 1.5m wide and 45m long to study the effects of water depth on the performance of a moored floating breakwater. An inertial measurement unit mounted on the breakwater measures the motion responses. The wave reflection and transmission coefficients and the responses of the breakwater to regular waves are presented for four difference water depths.

Bulk drag coefficient of a subaquatic vegetation subjected to irregular waves: Influence of Reynolds and Keulegan-Carpenter numbers

2020 ◽  
pp. 34-42
Author(s):  
Thibault Chastel ◽  
Kevin Botten ◽  
Nathalie Durand ◽  
Nicole Goutal
Keyword(s):  
Drag Coefficient ◽  
Wave Height ◽  
Wave Attenuation ◽  
Empirical Relationship ◽  
Breaking Waves ◽  
Irregular Waves ◽  
Geometrical Parameters ◽  
Flume Experiments ◽  
Seagrass Meadows ◽  
Artificial Vegetation

Seagrass meadows are essential for protection of coastal erosion by damping wave and stabilizing the seabed. Seagrass are considered as a source of water resistance which modifies strongly the wave dynamics. As a part of EDF R & D seagrass restoration project in the Berre lagoon, we quantify the wave attenuation due to artificial vegetation distributed in a flume. Experiments have been conducted at Saint-Venant Hydraulics Laboratory wave flume (Chatou, France). We measure the wave damping with 13 resistive waves gauges along a distance L = 22.5 m for the “low” density and L = 12.15 m for the “high” density of vegetation mimics. A JONSWAP spectrum is used for the generation of irregular waves with significant wave height Hs ranging from 0.10 to 0.23 m and peak period Tp ranging from 1 to 3 s. Artificial vegetation is a model of Posidonia oceanica seagrass species represented by slightly flexible polypropylene shoots with 8 artificial leaves of 0.28 and 0.16 m height. Different hydrodynamics conditions (Hs, Tp, water depth hw) and geometrical parameters (submergence ratio α, shoot density N) have been tested to see their influence on wave attenuation. For a high submergence ratio (typically 0.7), the wave attenuation can reach 67% of the incident wave height whereas for a low submergence ratio (< 0.2) the wave attenuation is negligible. From each experiment, a bulk drag coefficient has been extracted following the energy dissipation model for irregular non-breaking waves developed by Mendez and Losada (2004). This model, based on the assumption that the energy loss over the species meadow is essentially due to the drag force, takes into account both wave and vegetation parameter. Finally, we found an empirical relationship for Cd depending on 2 dimensionless parameters: the Reynolds and Keulegan-Carpenter numbers. These relationships are compared with other similar studies.

Sea State Estimation Based on Ship Motions Measurements and Data Fusion

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Céline Drouet ◽  
Nicolas Cellier ◽  
Jérémie Raymond ◽  
Denis Martigny
Keyword(s):  
Data Fusion ◽  
State Estimation ◽  
Wave Height ◽  
Significant Wave Height ◽  
Wave Spectrum ◽  
Ocean Waves ◽  
Ship Motions ◽  
Sea State ◽  
Significant Wave ◽  
X Band

In-service monitoring can help to increase safety of ships especially regarding the fatigue assessment. For this purpose, it is compulsory to know the environmental conditions encountered: wind, but also the full directional wave spectrum. During the EU TULCS project, a full scale measurements campaign has been conducted onboard the CMA-CGM 13200 TEU container ship Rigoletto. She has been instrumented to measure deformation of the ship as well as the sea state encountered during its trip. This paper will focus on the sea state estimation. Three systems have been installed to estimate the sea state encountered by the Rigoletto: An X-band radar from Ocean Waves with WAMOS® system and two altimetric wave radars from RADAC®. Nevertheless, the measured significant wave height can be disturbed by several external elements like bow waves, sprays, sea surface ripples, etc… Furthermore, ship motions are also measured and can provide another estimation of the significant wave height using a specific algorithm developed by DCNS Research for the TULCS project. As all those estimations are inherently different, it is necessary to make a fusion of those data to provide a single estimation (“best estimate”) of the significant wave height. This paper will present the data fusion process developed for TULCS and show some first validation results.

scholarly journals LABORATORY SIMULATIONS OF WAVE ATTENUATION BY AN EMERGENT VEGETATION OF ARTIFICIAL PHRAGMITES AUSTRALIS: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF AN OPEN-CHANNEL WAVE FLUME

2015 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 251-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li YIPING ◽  
Desmond Ofosu ANIM ◽  
Ying WANG ◽  
Chunyang TANG ◽  
Wei DU ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Phragmites Australis ◽  
Wave Height ◽  
Plant Density ◽  
Wave Attenuation ◽  
Emergent Vegetation ◽  
Irregular Waves ◽  
Shore Protection ◽  
Near Shore ◽  
Wave Conditions

This paper presents a well-controlled laboratory experimental study to evaluate wave attenuation by artificial emergent plants (Phragmites australis) under different wave conditions and plant stem densities. Results showed substantial wave damping under investigated regular and irregular wave conditions and also the different rates of wave height and within canopy wave-induced flows as they travelled through the vegetated field under all tested conditions. The wave height decreased by 6%–25% at the insertion of the vegetation field and towards the downstream at a mean of 0.2 cm and 0.32 cm for regular and irregular waves respectively. The significant wave height along the vegetation field ranged from 0.89–1.76 cm and 0.8–1.28 cm with time mean height of 1.38 cm and 1.11 cm respectively for regular and irregular waves. This patterns as affected by plant density and also location from the leading edge of vegetation is investigated in the study. The wave energy attenuated by plant induced friction was predicted in terms of energy dissipation factor (fe) by Nielsen’s (1992) empirical model. Shear stress as a driving force of particle resuspension and the implication of the wave attenuation on near shore protection from erosion and sedimentation was discussed. The results and findings in this study will advance our understanding of wave attenuation by an emergent vegetation of Phragmites australis, in water system engineering like near shore and bank protection and restoration projects and also be employed for management purposes to reduce resuspension and erosion in shallow lakes.

Wave Steepness and Relative Width: Influence on Transmission Coefficient of Horizontal Interlaced, Multilayered, Moored Floating Pipe Breakwater With Five Layers

2011 ◽  
Vol 45 (5) ◽  
pp. 20-27
Author(s):  
Sacchi Rajappa ◽  
Arkal Vittal Hegde ◽  
Subba Rao ◽  
Veena Channegowda
Keyword(s):  
Physical Model ◽  
Transmission Coefficient ◽  
Wave Height ◽  
Incident Wave ◽  
Wave Attenuation ◽  
Transmitted Wave ◽  
Relative Width ◽  
Wave Steepness ◽  
Transmission Characteristics ◽  
Time Period

AbstractThis paper presents the results of a series of physical model scale experiments conducted to determine the transmission characteristics of a horizontal interlaced, multilayered, moored floating pipe breakwater. The studies are conducted on physical breakwater models having five layers of PVC pipes. The wave steepness (Hi/gT2, where Hi is incident wave height, g is acceleration due to gravity, and T is time period) was varied between 0.063 and 0.849, relative width (W/L, where W is width of breakwater and L is the wavelength) was varied between 0.4 and 2.65, and relative spacing (S/D, where S is horizontal centre to centre spacing of pipes and D is the diameter of pipes) was set equal to 2. The transmitted wave height is measured, and the gathered data are analyzed by plotting nondimensional graphs depicting the variation of Kt (transmission coefficient) with Hi/gT2 for values of d/W (d is depth of water) and of Kt with W/L for values of Hi/d. It is observed that Kt decreases as Hi/gT2 increases for the range of d/W between 0.082 and 0.139. It is also observed that Kt decreases with an increase in W/L values for the range of Hi/d from 0.06 to 0.40. The maximum wave attenuation achieved with the present breakwater configuration is 78%.

An Experimental Investigation of Cylindrical Floater VIM in Current and Waves

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masakatsu Saito ◽  
Toshifumi Fujiwara ◽  
Katsuya Maeda
Keyword(s):  
Wave Height ◽  
Safety Evaluation ◽  
Offshore Structures ◽  
Irregular Waves ◽  
Regular Waves ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Strong Current ◽  
Induced Motion ◽  
Different Characteristics ◽  
Motion Amplitude

VIM (Vortex Induced Motion) is one of the important issues in the safety evaluation for cylindrical floating offshore structures. The VIM is basically placed as a phenomenon to occur in strong current, but that also appears in current and waves in the sea where offshore structures are installed. The authors have recognized the phenomenon that the motion amplitude of a cylindrical floater in current and irregular waves together is larger than the sum of the motion amplitude in current and in irregular waves respectively in a VIM experiment. This VIM amplification phenomenon in the current and waves is remarkable when wave height is relatively low that has high occurrence frequency in the sea. It is, therefore, expected that the amplification phenomenon has large influence on the accumulative fatigue damages of the offshore structure’s mooring system. In order to make clear this VIM amplification phenomenon, the authors have conducted detailed VIM experiment in waves using a circular cross sectional mono-column floater model. The results of the VIM experiment in current and waves are described in detail in this paper. The results of the experiment in irregular waves show different characteristics for VIM amplitude in current. The results in regular waves show the effect of wave height and wave period on VIM amplitude in waves. Using those results, the mechanisms of the VIM amplification in waves are investigated.

Spectral Modeling of Ice-Induced Wave Decay

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (6) ◽  
pp. 1583-1604 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qingxiang Liu ◽  
W. Erick Rogers ◽  
Alexander Babanin ◽  
Jingkai Li ◽  
Changlong Guan
Keyword(s):  
Wave Height ◽  
Wave Attenuation ◽  
Wave Spectrum ◽  
Wave Model ◽  
Beaufort Sea ◽  
Peak Frequency ◽  
Large Wave ◽  
Wave Decay ◽  
Operational Forecasts ◽  
The Antarctic

AbstractThree dissipative (two viscoelastic and one viscous) ice models are implemented in the spectral wave model WAVEWATCH III to estimate the ice-induced wave attenuation rate. These models are then explored and intercompared through hindcasts of two field cases: one in the autumn Beaufort Sea in 2015 and the other in the Antarctic marginal ice zone (MIZ) in 2012. The capability of these dissipative models, along with their limitations and applicability to operational forecasts, are analyzed and discussed. The sensitivity of the simulated wave height to different source terms—the ice-induced wave decay Sice and other physical processes Sother (e.g., wind input, nonlinear four-wave interactions)—is also investigated. For the Antarctic MIZ experiment, Sother is found to be remarkably less than Sice and thus contributes little to the simulated significant wave height Hs. The saturation of dHs/dx at large wave heights in this case, as reported by a previous study, is well reproduced by the three dissipative ice models with or without the utilization of Sother in the ice-infested seas. A clear downward trend in the peak frequency fp is found as Hs increases. As fp decreases, the dominant wave components of a wave spectrum will experience reduced damping by sea ice, and finally result in the flattening of dHs/dx for Hs > 3 m in this specific case. Nonetheless, Sother should not be disregarded within a more general modeling perspective, as our simulations suggest Sother could be comparable to Sice in the Beaufort Sea case where wave and ice conditions are remarkably different.

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