“Bigfoot” DVA Semi-Submersible Model Tests and Comparison With Numerical Predictions

Author(s):  
Stergios Liapis ◽  
Yile Li ◽  
Haining Lu ◽  
Tao Peng

The Bigfoot direct vertical access (DVA) semisubmersible is a novel floating drilling and production host that provides an attractive alternative to the spar. This concept utilizes heave plates (big feet) that improve the motion characteristics of a semisubmersible in all mild environments (S.E. Asia, W. Africa and Brazil). Bigfoot offers direct-vertical access (DVA) which is often a project requirement. This floater works in all water depths, in particular ultra-deepwater (5000+ ft) where a tension leg platform (TLP) is not an option, supports top tensioned risers and enables drilling and workover operations. The Bigfoot has several advantages over a spar. These include: 1) Quayside topsides integration. This eliminates offshore topsides integration, a significant issue for all spar projects in terms of cost, safety and schedule. 2) A more open deck layout compared to a spar, 3) No fabrication location restrictions as it can be built by many yards worldwide potentially offering local content to a project. Model tests were undertaken at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) Offshore Basin to assess the dynamic response of the Bigfoot in waves, swell, wind and current. Five mild (non-Gulf of Mexico) environments were considered. In all cases, the floater motions are an order of magnitude smaller than those of a conventional semisubmersible for similar deck payload thus enabling drilling operations and top-tensioned production risers. In a parallel effort, a COSMOS numerical model of the Bigfoot was developed for coupled motion analysis. The experimental results and the COSMOS numerical predictions are in close agreement. In addition to measuring global motions, two heave plates were instrumented with load cells to measure forces and moments. The force measurements from the model tests are in good agreement with numerical predictions using computational fluid dynamics (CFD).

Author(s):  
Stergios Liapis ◽  
Yile Li ◽  
Haining Lu ◽  
Tao Peng

The Bigfoot direct vertical access (DVA) semisubmersible is a novel floating drilling and production host that provides an attractive alternative to the spar. This concept utilizes heave plates (big feet) that improve the motion characteristics of a semisubmersible in all mild environments (Southeast Asia, West Africa, and Brazil). Bigfoot offers riser-friendly motions that enable top-tensioned risers, which is often a project requirement. This floater works in all water depths, in particular ultra-deepwater (5000 + ft) where a tension leg platform (TLP) is not an option, supports top-tensioned risers, and enables drilling and workover operations. The Bigfoot has several advantages over a spar. These include: (1) quayside topsides integration. This eliminates offshore topsides integration, a significant issue for all spar projects in terms of cost, safety, and schedule, (2) a more open deck layout compared to a spar, and (3) no fabrication location restrictions as it can be built by many yards worldwide potentially offering local content to a project. Model tests were undertaken at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) Offshore Basin to assess the dynamic response of the Bigfoot in waves, swell, wind, and current. Five mild non-Gulf of Mexico (GOM) environments were considered. In all the cases, the floater motions are an order of magnitude smaller than those of a conventional semisubmersible for similar deck payload, thus enabling drilling operations and top-tensioned production risers. In a parallel effort, a cosmos numerical model of the Bigfoot was developed for coupled motion analysis. The experimental results and the cosmos numerical predictions are in close agreement. In addition to measuring global motions, two heave plates were instrumented with load cells to measure forces and moments. The force measurements from the model tests are in good agreement with numerical predictions using computational fluid dynamics (CFD).


Author(s):  
G L Quarini ◽  
Y C Chang

There is a need to engineer working areas where air-borne pollution is below specified limits. This need arises from activities as diverse as food processing, semi-conductor manufacture and surgery. In this paper, detailed experimental measurements of flows in a semiconductor manufacturing room are reported. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has been used to study the flows within the room. Good agreement was found between the measured and predicted mean flow velocity distributions. Both the experimental measurements and the numerical predictions suggest that the ventilation system used in this room, which is of a common industrial design, does not produce ideal clean room conditions.


Author(s):  
J. L. F. van Kessel ◽  
F. Fathi

This contribution presents a comparison between Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), potential theory and model tests for an oscillating aircushion supported structure. The linear method was developed at Delft University of Technology and uses a linear adiabatic law to describe the air pressure inside the cushion. In this method, the structure and the water surface within the aircushion are modelled by means of panel distributions representing oscillating sources. The CFD solver is the commercial software CFX which solves the whole flow field using Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes Equations (RANSE). The free surface is modelled by a Volume of Fluid (VOF) approach. The results in this paper show a good agreement between experimental results and numerical results of both methods for aircushion pressure variations, added mass, damping and wave elevations inside the aircushion. As such it is validated that the behaviour of an aircushion supported structure subjected to forced heave oscillations can be well predicted by both CFD and potential theory.


Author(s):  
Kevin McTaggart ◽  
Jean-François Marly

This paper gives comparisons of numerical predictions with seakeeping model tests for R/V Melville, an oceanographic research vessel that is propelled by two ducted azimuthing propellers. The model tests were conducted on a 1/23 scale model that was controlled by a human pilot using a remote control. The ship motions were predicted using the ShipMo3D ship motion library, which uses potential flow theory to determine hull radiation and diffraction forces. Predicted roll and pitch motions give good agreement with model tests. Predicted yaw motions and azimuthing propeller deflection angles are much less than values observed during the model tests. Challenges with prediction of yaw and azimuthing propeller deflection are likely due to approximation of the human model pilot with a simple proportional-derivative (PD) autopilot. The comparisons between numerical predictions and model tests suggest that the azimuthing propellers have minimal influence on roll for R/V Melville.


Radiocarbon ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 31 (03) ◽  
pp. 305-310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roy Middleton ◽  
David Fink ◽  
Jeffrey Klein ◽  
Pankaj Sharma

We have made the first measurements without pre-enrichment of 41Ca in terrestrial rock and bone samples using accelerator mass spectrometry. Although the results in tufa deposits from Egypt are in good agreement with the saturation value of 8×10-15 predicted by Raisbeck and Yiou (1979), the average 41Ca:40Ca ratio of 2×10-15 (range: 0.6 to 4.2×10-15) that we measure in modern bone is an order of magnitude lower than that obtained previously by Henning, et al (1987) on a cow bone that was measured using AMS following isotope enrichment. The low value and the variability (more than a factor of seven) of the 41Ca:40Ca ratio in modern bone make the possibility of dating bones using 41Ca unlikely.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (01) ◽  
pp. 1950008
Author(s):  
Binwen Wang ◽  
Xueling Fan

Flutter is an aeroelastic phenomenon that may cause severe damage to aircraft. Traditional flutter evaluation methods have many disadvantages (e.g., complex, costly and time-consuming) which could be overcome by ground flutter test technique. In this study, an unsteady aerodynamic model is obtained using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code according to the procedure of frequency domain aerodynamic calculation. Then, the genetic algorithm (GA) method is adopted to optimize interpolation points for both excitation and response. Furthermore, the minimum-state method is utilized for rational fitting so as to establish an aerodynamic model in time domain. The aerodynamic force is simulated through exciters and the precision of simulation is guaranteed by multi-input and multi-output robust controller. Finally, ground flutter simulation test system is employed to acquire the flutter boundary through response under a range of air speeds. A good agreement is observed for both velocity and frequency of flutter between the test and modeling results.


Author(s):  
Qiangqiang Huang ◽  
Xinqian Zheng ◽  
Aolin Wang

Air often flows into compressors with inlet prewhirl, because it will obtain a circumferential component of velocity via inlet distortion or swirl generators such as inlet guide vanes. A lot of research has shown that inlet prewhirl does influence the characteristics of components, but the change of the matching relation between the components caused by inlet prewhirl is still unclear. This paper investigates the influence of inlet prewhirl on the matching of the impeller and the diffuser and proposes a flow control method to cure mismatching. The approach combines steady three-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulations with theoretical analysis and modeling. The result shows that a compressor whose impeller and diffuser match well at zero prewhirl will go to mismatching at non-zero prewhirl. The diffuser throat gets too large to match the impeller at positive prewhirl and gets too small for matching at negative prewhirl. The choking mass flow of the impeller is more sensitive to inlet prewhirl than that of the diffuser, which is the main reason for the mismatching. To cure the mismatching via adjusting the diffuser vanes stagger angle, a one-dimensional method based on incidence matching has been proposed to yield a control schedule for adjusting the diffuser. The optimal stagger angle predicted by analytical method has good agreement with that predicted by computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The compressor is able to operate efficiently in a much broader flow range with the control schedule. The flow range, where the efficiency is above 80%, of the datum compressor and the compressor only employing inlet prewhirl and no control are just 25.3% and 31.8%, respectively. For the compressor following the control schedule, the flow range is improved up to 46.5%. This paper also provides the perspective of components matching to think about inlet distortion.


Author(s):  
Dewen Liu ◽  
Kai Lu ◽  
Shusen Liu ◽  
Yan Wu ◽  
Shuzhan Bai

From the aspect of reducing the risk of crystallization on nozzle surface, a new design of nozzle protective cover was to solve the problem in selective catalytic reduction (SCR) urea injection system. The simulation calculation and experimental verification methods were used to compare different schemes. The results show that reducing the height of nozzle holder can reduce the vortex currents near nozzle surface and effectively reduce the risk of crystallization on the nozzle surface. It is proposed to install a protective cover in the nozzle holder under the scheme of reducing the height of nozzle holder, which can further eliminate the vortex. Simulation and test results demonstrate good agreement under the rated running condition. The scheme of adding a protective cover in the nozzle holder shows the least crystallization risk by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method. The crystallization cycle test shows that, after the height of nozzle holder is reduced, the risk of crystallization on the nozzle surface is reduced correspondingly. The addition of a protective cover in the nozzle holder solves the problem of crystallization on the nozzle surface, which provides a new method for anti-crystallization design.


Author(s):  
Walter L. Kuehnlein ◽  
K.-E. Brink

At present common stability criteria are based on practical knowledge gained from the operation of ships. Therewith the assessment of ship safety against capsizing is partly determined by long-term statistics of accidents. Regulations like the IMO-Resolution A 167 do not rate the typical seakeeping characteristics of different hull form geometries. Therefore strictly speaking, these criteria are just applicable for ships of similar types as included in statistics. Rapid development in ship design calls for the determination of ship and cargo safety in regard of extreme roll motions or capsizing during early design stage. Within the ROLL-S project, which was founded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, dynamic stability tests with a box shaped Container Ship and a RO-RO vessel have been performed. The performance of model tests, which are intended to serve for the validation of numerical simulation methods, put high demands on test and data acquisition techniques. The data of the waves encountered, course and position, as well as the response of the model had to be determined by model tests in order to use these data for the validation of numerical ship motion simulations. During the tests extreme roll motions of the two considered vessels could be observed in head seas and in following seas. Besides critical motion characteristics in following seas, like broaching, parametric induced roll motion effects were investigated in head sea condition. Remark: This paper should be read in conjunction with paper OMAE 2002-28297 which describes generation and transformation of the used waves.


Author(s):  
Marcel Mahner ◽  
Pu Li ◽  
Andreas Lehn ◽  
Bernhard Schweizer

A detailed elasto-gasdynamic model of a preloaded three-pad air foil journal bearing is presented. Bump and top foil deflections are herein calculated with a nonlinear beamshell theory according to Reissner. The 2D pressure distribution in each bearing pad is described by the Reynolds equation for compressible fluids. With this model, the influence of the assembly preload on the static bearing hysteresis as well as on the aerodynamic bearing performance is investigated. For the purpose of model validation, the predicted hysteresis curves are compared with measured curves. The numerically predicted and the measured hysteresis curves show a good agreement. The numerical predictions exhibit that the assembly preload increases the bearing stiffness (in particular for moderate shaft displacements) and the bearing damping.


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