Extreme Wave Impact on Offshore Platforms and Coastal Constructions

Author(s):  
Arthur E. P. Veldman ◽  
Roel Luppes ◽  
Tim Bunnik ◽  
Rene´ H. M. Huijsmans ◽  
Bulent Duz ◽  
...  

Hydrodynamic wave loading on structures plays an important role in areas such as coastal protection, harbor design and offshore constructions (FPSO’s, mooring), and there is a need for its prediction up to a detailed level (max./min. pressures, duration of pressure peaks, shear stresses, etc.). In close cooperation with industry, long-year joint-industry projects are carried out to develop a numerical simulation method: the CFD method ComFLOW. The two major application areas are the prediction of extreme wave forces on offshore platforms and offloading vessels, and the prediction of impact forces on coastal protection structures. The paper will present a short overview of the method, some recent results and future plans.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arthur E. P. Veldman ◽  
Henk Seubers ◽  
Matin Hosseini ◽  
Xing Chang ◽  
Peter R. Wellens ◽  
...  

Abstract Wave forces can form a serious threat to offshore platforms and ships. The damage produced by these forces of nature jeopardizes their operability as well as the well-being of their crews. Similar remarks apply to coastal defense systems. To develop the knowledge needed to safely design these constructions, in close cooperation with MARIN and the offshore industry the numerical simulation method ComFLOW is being developed. So far, its development was focussed on predicting wave loads (green water, slamming) on fixed structures, and for those applications the method is already being used successfully by the offshore industry. Often, the investigated object (ship, floating platform) is dynamically moving under the influence of these wave forces, and its hydrodynamic loading depends upon the position of the object with respect to the oncoming waves. Predicting the position (and deformation) of the body is an integral part of the (scientific and engineering) problem. The paper will give an overview of the algorithmic developments necessary to describe the above-mentioned physical phenomena. In particular attention will be paid to fluid-solid body and fluid-structure interaction and non-reflecting outflow boundary conditions. Several illustrations including validation, will demonstrate the prediction capabilities of the simulation method.


Author(s):  
Xin Lu ◽  
Pankaj Kumar ◽  
Anand Bahuguni ◽  
Yanling Wu

The design of offshore structures for extreme/abnormal waves assumes that there is sufficient air gap such that waves will not hit the platform deck. Due to inaccuracies in the predictions of extreme wave crests in addition to settlement or sea-level increases, the required air gap between the crest of the extreme wave and the deck is often inadequate in existing platforms and therefore wave-in-deck loads need to be considered when assessing the integrity of such platforms. The problem of wave-in-deck loading involves very complex physics and demands intensive study. In the Computational Fluid Mechanics (CFD) approach, two critical issues must be addressed, namely the efficient, realistic numerical wave maker and the accurate free surface capturing methodology. Most reported CFD research on wave-in-deck loads consider regular waves only, for instance the Stokes fifth-order waves. They are, however, recognized by designers as approximate approaches since “real world” sea states consist of random irregular waves. In our work, we report a recently developed focused extreme wave maker based on the NewWave theory. This model can better approximate the “real world” conditions, and is more efficient than conventional random wave makers. It is able to efficiently generate targeted waves at a prescribed time and location. The work is implemented and integrated with OpenFOAM, an open source platform that receives more and more attention in a wide range of industrial applications. We will describe the developed numerical method of predicting highly non-linear wave-in-deck loads in the time domain. The model’s capability is firstly demonstrated against 3D model testing experiments on a fixed block with various deck orientations under random waves. A detailed loading analysis is conducted and compared with available numerical and measurement data. It is then applied to an extreme wave loading test on a selected bridge with multiple under-deck girders. The waves are focused extreme irregular waves derived from NewWave theory and JONSWAP spectra.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 812
Author(s):  
Lin Hong ◽  
Renjie Fang ◽  
Xiaotian Cai ◽  
Xin Wang

This paper conducts a numerical investigation on the hydrodynamic performance of a portable autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). The portable AUV is designed to cruise and perform some tasks autonomously in the underwater world. However, its dynamic performance is strongly affected by hydrodynamic effects. Therefore, it is crucial to investigate the hydrodynamic performance of the portable AUV for its accurate dynamic modeling and control. In this work, based on the designed portable AUV, a comprehensive hydrodynamic performance investigation was conducted by adopting the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method. Firstly, the mechanical structure of the portable AUV was briefly introduced, and the dynamic model of the AUV, including the hydrodynamic term, was established. Then, the unknown hydrodynamic coefficients in the dynamic model were estimated through the towing experiment and the plane-motion-mechanism (PMM) experiment simulation. In addition, considering that the portable AUV was affected by wave forces when cruising near the water surface, the influence of surface waves on the hydrodynamic performance of the AUV under different wave conditions and submerged depths was analyzed. Finally, the effectiveness of our method was verified by experiments on the standard models, and a physical experiment platform was built in this work to facilitate hydrodynamic performance investigations of some portable small-size AUVs.


Author(s):  
Andrew Cornett

Many deck-on-pile structures are located in shallow water depths at elevations low enough to be inundated by large waves during intense storms or tsunami. Many researchers have studied wave-in-deck loads over the past decade using a variety of theoretical, experimental, and numerical methods. Wave-in-deck loads on various pile supported coastal structures such as jetties, piers, wharves and bridges have been studied by Tirindelli et al. (2003), Cuomo et al. (2007, 2009), Murali et al. (2009), and Meng et al. (2010). All these authors analyzed data from scale model tests to investigate the pressures and loads on beam and deck elements subject to wave impact under various conditions. Wavein- deck loads on fixed offshore structures have been studied by Murray et al. (1997), Finnigan et al. (1997), Bea et al. (1999, 2001), Baarholm et al. (2004, 2009), and Raaij et al. (2007). These authors have studied both simplified and realistic deck structures using a mixture of theoretical analysis and model tests. Other researchers, including Kendon et al. (2010), Schellin et al. (2009), Lande et al. (2011) and Wemmenhove et al. (2011) have demonstrated that various CFD methods can be used to simulate the interaction of extreme waves with both simple and more realistic deck structures, and predict wave-in-deck pressures and loads.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Landon Sugar ◽  
Faete Filho ◽  
Tarek Abdel-Salam ◽  
Michael Muglia ◽  
Kurabachew Duba

Abstract Oscillating Wave Surge Converters (OWSCs) are designed to enter survival mode during extreme wave conditions where they forego the opportunity to extract energy to preserve structural integrity. While this is a good tradeoff, it is important that OWSC technology progresses to a point where energy is constantly extracted as long as waves are present. This work addresses the need for an OWSC that can extract wave energy in a wide range of sea conditions while minimizing structural overloading by regulating the fluid-structure interaction. The OWSC being studied here was conceptually designed and patented by researchers at NREL. It consists of a flap face that resembles household blinds, where the flaps can be opened or closed to accommodate the sea conditions. The performance of this variable geometry OWSC in various, shallow wave states was studied in two numerical modeling programs. Of particular interest were the flap’s hydrodynamic coefficients and potential power generation at a specific reference site. This configuration was predicted to mitigate wave forces by allowing some of the wave energy to pass through the device, thus preserving its structural integrity.


2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henri J. L. van der Heiden ◽  
Arthur E. P. Veldman ◽  
Roel Luppes ◽  
Peter van der Plas ◽  
Joop Helder ◽  
...  

To study extreme hydrodynamic wave impact in offshore and coastal engineering, the VOF-based CFD simulation tool ComFLOW is being developed. Recently, much attention has been paid to turbulence modeling, local grid refinement, wave propagation and absorbing boundary conditions. Here we will focus on the design of the turbulence model, which should be suitable for the coare grids as used in industrial applications. Thereto a blend of a QR-model and a regularization model has been designed, in combination with a dedicated wall model. The QR-model belongs to a class of modern eddy-viscosity models, where the amount of turbulent eddy viscosity is kept minimal. The performance of the model will be demonstrated with several applications relevant to the offshore industry. For validation, experiments have been carried out at MARIN.


Author(s):  
Yinghao Guo ◽  
Longfei Xiao ◽  
Handi Wei ◽  
Lei Li ◽  
Yanfei Deng

Abstract Offshore platforms operating in harsh ocean environments often suffer from severe wave impacts which threaten the structural integrity and staffs safety. An experimental study was carried out to investigate the wave impact load and its effect on the global response of a semi-submersible. First, two typical wave impact events occurring successively in the wave test run are analyzed, including the characteristics of incident waves, relative wave elevations and the spatial distribution of the wave impact load. Subsequently, the corresponding global response of the semi-submersible under these two wave impacts are investigated in time domain. It reveals that compared with the incident wave, the relative wave elevation has a more straightforward relationship with the wave impact load. The relative wave crest height is associated with the spatial distribution of the wave impact load, while the local wave steepness matters more in the magnitude of the wave impact load. The impulsive effect of the wave impact load on the motion behaviors is not obvious. But severe wave impacts can introduce excessive horizontal accelerations and nonlinear behaviors like ringing in the acceleration response.


2005 ◽  
Vol 206 (1) ◽  
pp. 363-393 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.M.T. Kleefsman ◽  
G. Fekken ◽  
A.E.P. Veldman ◽  
B. Iwanowski ◽  
B. Buchner

2009 ◽  
Vol 419-420 ◽  
pp. 677-680
Author(s):  
Dong Li Li ◽  
Liang Yang ◽  
Hong Yu Zhang ◽  
Tian Shu Peng

In this paper, based on CFD method and dynamic mesh technology, the ship maneuvering performance is predicted in viscous flow. Numerical computation models are built to realize the simulation of the ship maneuvering motions such as static drift test, static rudder test, pure yaw test and pure sway test. Hydrodynamic forces and moments acting on a maneuvering ship are obtained in the body-fixed coordinate system. The computational results are compared with data of potential theory method. Then based on VC code, a simulator of ship maneuvering motions is built to simulate ship Zigzagging and Turing test. The results show that the present numerical simulation method and the ship maneuvering motion simulator are able to be used in numerical simulation of the real size ship maneuvering motions in viscous flow field.


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