A Hybrid Analysis Method for Investigating Oil Cleanup Operations at Sea

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Günther F. Clauss ◽  
Sascha Kosleck ◽  
Florian Sprenger ◽  
Sven Stuppe
Keyword(s):  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Coupled System ◽  
Computational Effort ◽  
Numerical Analyses ◽  
Polluted Water ◽  
Ship Motions ◽  
Water Separation ◽  
Simplified Approach ◽  
Weathering Processes

The severe ecological and economical aftermath of the 2010 ‘Deepwater Horizon’ catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico clearly shows the insufficiency of current oil recovery systems which cannot operate in wave heights above 1.5 m. To prevent emulsification and weathering processes, it is necessary to skim the oil film off the sea surface shortly after the accident. The autonomous SOS (Sea State-independent Oil Skimming System) developed within the framework of the research project SOS3 features high transit velocities, the capability of operating in rough seas and a massive intake of oil polluted water — and is therefore a unique technology. Numerical analyses of realistic oil skimming operations require three-dimensional transient three-phase flow simulations in order to take into account wave-induced ship motions. Due to the computational effort, a simplified approach is chosen for systematic investigations. Model tests at a scale of 1:25 are conducted in two different irregular sea states. In order to represent oil cleanup operations as realistically as possible, towing tests at constant velocities are replaced by a series of experiments with a free-running model. A self powered tug pushes the oil skimming barge and experiences interactions with waves, influencing the velocity and therefore the skimming performance of the SOS. Data from optical motion measurements of the barge is then used as input for two-dimensional CFD simulations. The numerical analyses are focusing on the oil-water-separation process of the realistically moving coupled system in different irregular sea states.

Oil Skimming Efficiency of the SOS: Scaling From GeoSim Model Tests to Full Scale Prototype Operations

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Günther F. Clauss ◽  
Sascha Kosleck ◽  
Florian Sprenger ◽  
Laura Grüter
Keyword(s):  
Flow Pattern ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Open Water ◽  
Model Tests ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
Polluted Water ◽  
Water Separation ◽  
Weathering Processes ◽  
River Elbe ◽  
Hydrodynamic Effects

The severe ecological and economical aftermath of the 2010 ‘Deepwater Horizon’ catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico clearly shows the insufficiency of current oil recovery systems which cannot operate in wave heights above 1.5m. To prevent emulsification and weathering processes, it is necessary to skim the oil film off the sea surface shortly after the accident. The autonomous SOS (Sea State-independent Oil Skimming System) developed within the framework of the research project SOS3 features high transit velocities, the capability of operating in rough seas and a massive intake of oil polluted water — and is therefore a unique technology. The oil water separation process of the SOS is purely based on hydrodynamic principles involving vortex evolution and a special flow pattern inside the internal moon pool. These requirements for efficient oil skimming operations depend on various hydrodynamic effects that would imply model testing in compliance with Froude’s and Reynolds’ law simultaneously — a physically impossible condition. Therefore GeoSim model tests with the SOS at model scales of 1:16, 1:25 and 1:36 are conducted with discrete particles of the correct density substituting the oil phase. The tendencies in flow pattern evolution and oil skimming efficiency are compared and extrapolated to full scale. Results from open water tests with the prototype of the SOS in the mouth of river Elbe serve for validation of the extrapolated results.

Three Phase Flow Simulations of an Oil Recovery Ship in Various Sea States

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gu¨nther F. Clauss ◽  
Florian Sprenger ◽  
Sascha Kosleck ◽  
Robert Stu¨ck
Keyword(s):  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Separation Process ◽  
Phase Flow ◽  
Water Separation ◽  
Flow Simulations ◽  
Three Phase ◽  
Three Phase Flow ◽  
Oil Water Separation ◽  
Oil Water

The analysis of local flow phenomena, in particular the analysis of the oil flow and the oil-water separation process in a three phase flow simulation (air, water, oil), including the free water surface, is a basic need for the development of an efficient oil recovery system such as the Seaway Independent Oilskimming System (SOS). As the oil separation process is highly dependent on the ships motions, its seakeeping behaviour needs to be simulated accurately. The paper presents two-phase flow simulations (air, water) of the seakeeping behaviour in three and six degrees of freedom (two- and three-dimensional — 2D/3D). The vessel motions simulated in various sea states are validated by model tests conducted in a physical wave tank. The grid resolution as well as the flow parameters of the simulation have been varied to find a fast and reliable solution. The need for three dimensional simulation runs is questioned, as two dimensional simulations give nearly the same results and are far less time intensive. Oil is introduced as the third phase. The associated analysis illustrates the oil-water separation process and yields the systems efficiency in dependency of the sea state conditions. Based on the results of three-phase simulations, the operational range of the Seaway Independent Oilskimmer is determined and recommendations for the system optimization can be made.

Prediction of Ship Motions Via a Three-Dimensional Time-Domain Method Following a Quad-Tree Adaptive Mesh Technique

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-38
Author(s):  
Teng Zhang ◽  
Junsheng Ren ◽  
Lu Liu
Keyword(s):  
Free Surface ◽  
Incident Wave ◽  
Time Domain ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Adaptive Mesh ◽  
Wave Profile ◽  
Time Domain Method ◽  
Ship Motions ◽  
Quad Tree ◽  
Mesh Technique

AbstractA three-dimensional (3D) time-domain method is developed to predict ship motions in waves. To evaluate the Froude-Krylov (F-K) forces and hydrostatic forces under the instantaneous incident wave profile, an adaptive mesh technique based on a quad-tree subdivision is adopted to generate instantaneous wet meshes for ship. For quadrilateral panels under both mean free surface and instantaneous incident wave profiles, Froude-Krylov forces and hydrostatic forces are computed by analytical exact pressure integration expressions, allowing for considerably coarse meshes without loss of accuracy. And for quadrilateral panels interacting with the wave profile, F-K and hydrostatic forces are evaluated following a quad-tree subdivision. The transient free surface Green function (TFSGF) is essential to evaluate radiation and diffraction forces based on linear theory. To reduce the numerical error due to unclear partition, a precise integration method is applied to solve the TFSGF in the partition computation time domain. Computations are carried out for a Wigley hull form and S175 container ship, and the results show good agreement with both experimental results and published results.

scholarly journals Under pressure: Hydrogel swelling in a granular medium

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. eabd2711
Author(s):  
Jean-François Louf ◽  
Nancy B. Lu ◽  
Margaret G. O’Connell ◽  
H. Jeremy Cho ◽  
Sujit S. Datta
Keyword(s):  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Granular Medium ◽  
Granular Media ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Osmotic Swelling ◽  
Widespread Adoption ◽  
Dry Soil ◽  
Hydrogel Swelling

Hydrogels hold promise in agriculture as reservoirs of water in dry soil, potentially alleviating the burden of irrigation. However, confinement in soil can markedly reduce the ability of hydrogels to absorb water and swell, limiting their widespread adoption. Unfortunately, the underlying reason remains unknown. By directly visualizing the swelling of hydrogels confined in three-dimensional granular media, we demonstrate that the extent of hydrogel swelling is determined by the competition between the force exerted by the hydrogel due to osmotic swelling and the confining force transmitted by the surrounding grains. Furthermore, the medium can itself be restructured by hydrogel swelling, as set by the balance between the osmotic swelling force, the confining force, and intergrain friction. Together, our results provide quantitative principles to predict how hydrogels behave in confinement, potentially improving their use in agriculture as well as informing other applications such as oil recovery, construction, mechanobiology, and filtration.

scholarly journals A three-dimensional polyoxometalate/graphene aerogel as a highly efficient and recyclable absorbent for oil/water separation

2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 189-197
Author(s):  
Sen Wang ◽  
Xiao Wang ◽  
Xiao-yu Shi ◽  
Cai-xia Meng ◽  
Cheng-lin Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Graphene Aerogel ◽  
Water Separation ◽  
Highly Efficient ◽  
Oil Water Separation ◽  
Oil Water

Mass Transfer in Tubular Ceramic Membranes for Polluted Water Treatment - Numerical Simulation

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 16-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Saraiva de Souza ◽  
S. José dos Santos Filho ◽  
Severino Rodrigues de Farias Neto ◽  
A.G. Barbosa de Lima ◽  
H.A. Luma Fernandes Magalhães
Keyword(s):  
Mass Transfer ◽  
Water Treatment ◽  
Produced Water ◽  
Ceramic Membrane ◽  
Porous Ceramic ◽  
Ceramic Membranes ◽  
Numerical Results ◽  
Polluted Water ◽  
Separation Processes ◽  
Water Separation

Innovative technologies are needed to attend the increasingly strict requirements for produced water treatment, since most of the separation processes are limited to particles larger than 10 μm. Separation processes using ceramic membranes are attracting great interest from academic and industrial community. Nevertheless, few studies, especially numerical, regarding the inorganic membrane’s application for the polluted water separation have been reported. In the present work, therefore, a study of fluid-flow dynamics for a laminar regime in porous tubes (tubular porous ceramic membrane) has been performed. The mass, momentum and mass transport conservation equations were solved with the aid of a structured mesh using ANSYS CFX commercial package. The velocity of local permeation was determined using the resistance in series model. The specific resistance of the polarized layer was obtained by Carman-Kozeny equation. The numerical results were evaluated and compared with the results available in the literature, where by a good agreement with each other was found. The numerical results, obtained by the proposed shell and tubular membrane separation module, indicate that there is facilitation of mass transfer and hence a reduction in the thickness of the polarized boundary layer occurs.

scholarly journals Complex Aerogels Generated from Nano-Polysaccharides and Its Derivatives for Oil–Water Separation

Polymers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1593 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hajo Yagoub ◽  
Liping Zhu ◽  
Mahmoud H. M. A. Shibraen ◽  
Ali A. Altam ◽  
Dafaalla M. D. Babiker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Guar Gum ◽  
Corn Oil ◽  
Cellulose Nanofibers ◽  
Aqueous Media ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Absorption Capacity ◽  
Water Contact ◽  
Water Separation ◽  
Oil Water Separation ◽  
Oil Water

The complex aerogel generated from nano-polysaccharides, chitin nanocrystals (ChiNC) and TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibers (TCNF), and its derivative cationic guar gum (CGG) is successfully prepared via a facile freeze-drying method with glutaraldehyde (GA) as cross-linkers. The complexation of ChiNC, TCNF, and CGG is shown to be helpful in creating a porous structure in the three-dimensional aerogel, which creates within the aerogel with large pore volume and excellent compressive properties. The ChiNC/TCNF/CGG aerogel is then modified with methyltrichlorosilane (MTCS) to obtain superhydrophobicity/superoleophilicity and used for oil–water separation. The successful modification is demonstrated through FTIR, XPS, and surface wettability studies. A water contact angle of 155° on the aerogel surface and 150° on the surface of the inside part of aerogel are obtained for the MTCS-modified ChiNC/TCNF/CGG aerogel, resulting in its effective absorption of corn oil and organic solvents (toluene, n-hexane, and trichloromethane) from both beneath and at the surface of water with excellent absorption capacity (i.e., 21.9 g/g for trichloromethane). More importantly, the modified aerogel can be used to continuously separate oil from water with the assistance of a vacuum setup and maintains a high absorption capacity after being used for 10 cycles. The as-prepared superhydrophobic/superoleophilic ChiNC/TCNF/CGG aerogel can be used as a promising absorbent material for the removal of oil from aqueous media.

A Numerically Efficient Method for Analysis of Very Large Articulated Floating Structures

1998 ◽  
Vol 42 (03) ◽  
pp. 174-186
Author(s):  
C. J. Garrison
Keyword(s):  
Hydrodynamic Interaction ◽  
Near Field ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Computational Effort ◽  
Floating Structure ◽  
Complete Structure ◽  
Field Interaction ◽  
Floating Structures ◽  
Computing Effort ◽  
The Individual

A method is presented for evaluation of the motion of long structures composed of interconnected barges, or modules, of arbitrary shape. Such structures are being proposed in the construction of offshore airports or other large offshore floating structures. It is known that the evaluation of the motion of jointed or otherwise interconnected modules which make up a long floating structure may be evaluated by three dimensional radiation/diffraction analysis. However, the computing effort increases rapidly as the complexity of the geometric shape of the individual modules and the total number of modules increases. This paper describes an approximate method which drastically reduces the computational effort without major effects on accuracy. The method relies on accounting for hydrodynamic interaction effects between only adjacent modules within the structure rather than between all of the modules since the near-field interaction is by far the more important. This approximation reduces the computational effort to that of solving the two-module problem regardless of the total number of modules in the complete structure.

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