A Response Model for Vortex Induced Vibrations in Low KC Number Flows

Author(s):  
Knut Vedeld ◽  
Håvar Sollund ◽  
Olav Fyrileiv ◽  
Arne Nestegård

Vortex induced vibrations (VIV) are generally less critical in wave dominated flow conditions than in pure current flows. A steady state response needs time to build up and continuous variation in flow velocity generally reduces the vibration amplitudes. For low Keulegan-Carpenter (KC) flows in-line VIV is generally removed entirely, replaced by forced response at the wave frequency, while cross-flow vibration amplitudes are reduced. For large KC numbers, the wave induced flow behaves similarly to a current and the oscillatory nature of the flow no longer influences the VIV response as much. Empirical models to predict the influence of waves in VIV design of offshore cylindrical structures are formulated in offshore design codes. For most flow regimes the models are sound and supported by a solid base of empirical test data. There are, however, exceptions — particularly for the low KC number regime, defined here as LKCR. For such flows the oscillating pressure differentials which cause vortex induced vibrations are no longer governed by traditional dimensionless parameters such as the reduced velocity, but instead the oscillating lift is governed by the ratio between the eigen-frequency of the structure and the wave frequency. Particularly, the frequency of the lift force is twice the wave frequency in regular waves. In irregular wave conditions there are necessarily also spectral peaks at both the actual wave frequency and at three times the wave frequency, but the governing spectral density is concentrated at two times the wave frequency. The present study introduces a novel response model to conservatively assess cross-flow VIV in LKCR.

Author(s):  
Carl M. Larsen ◽  
Rune Yttervik ◽  
Kristoffer Aronsen

Pure in-line (IL) vibrations will in many cases contribute significantly to fatigue damage for free spanning pipelines. This might be the case even if IL amplitudes are smaller than cross-flow (CF). While CF response has been subjected to research for a long time, little attention has so far been given to the pure IL VIV case. The hydrodynamic coefficients needed for response calculation have in fact not been available until recently, but results from forced IL oscillations have improved this situation. Data for added mass and force in IL direction has been used to establish a general response model along the same lines as for traditional CF response analysis. This has made it possible to calculate stresses from IL VIV in free spanning pipelines, and include the influence from interaction with the seafloor at the span shoulders. A brief presentation of the analysis method is given, but the main part of the paper gives results from a case study that illustrates important effects and the significance of IL response as compared to CF.


Author(s):  
Remi Bourguet ◽  
Michael S. Triantafyllou ◽  
Michael Tognarelli ◽  
Pierre Beynet

The fluid-structure energy transfer of a tensioned beam of length to diameter ratio 200, subject to vortex-induced vibrations in linear shear flow, is investigated by means of direct numerical simulation at three Reynolds numbers, from 110 to 1,100. In both the in-line and cross-flow directions, the high-wavenumber structural responses are characterized by mixed standing-traveling wave patterns. The spanwise zones where the flow provides energy to excite the structural vibrations are located mainly within the region of high current where the lock-in condition is established, i.e. where vortex shedding and cross-flow vibration frequencies coincide. However, the energy input is not uniform across the entire lock-in region. This can be related to observed changes from counterclockwise to clockwise structural orbits. The energy transfer is also impacted by the possible occurrence of multi-frequency vibrations.


Author(s):  
Yoann Jus ◽  
Elisabeth Longatte ◽  
Jean-Camille Chassaing ◽  
Pierre Sagaut

The present work focusses on the numerical study of Vortex-Induced Vibrations (VIV) of an elastically mounted cylinder in a cross flow at moderate Reynolds numbers. Low mass-damping experimental studies show that the dynamic behavior of the cylinder exhibits a three-branch response model, depending on the range of the reduced velocity. However, few numerical simulations deal with accurate computations of the VIV amplitudes at the lock-in upper branch of the bifurcation diagram. In this work, the dynamic response of the cylinder is investigated by means of three-dimensional Large Eddy Simulation (LES). An Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian framework is employed to account for fluid solid interface boundary motion and grid deformation. Numerous numerical simulations are performed at a Reynolds number of 3900 for both no damping and low-mass damping ratio and various reduced velocities. A detailed physical analysis is conducted to show how the present methodology is able to capture the different VIV responses.


Author(s):  
Carl M. Larsen ◽  
Gro Sagli Baarholm ◽  
Halvor Lie

Helical strakes are known to reduce and even eliminate the oscillation amplitude of vortex induced vibrations (VIV). This reduction will increase fatigue life, and also reduce drag magnification from cross-flow vibrations. But sections with strakes will also have a larger drag coefficient than the bare riser. Hence, the extension of a section with strakes along a riser should be large enough to reduce oscillations, but not too long in order to limit drag forces from current and waves. The optimum length and position for a given riser will therefore vary with current profile. Dynamic response from waves should also be taken into account. The purpose of the present paper is to illustrate the influence from strakes on VIV, as well as on static and dynamic response for a drilling riser. Hydrodynamic coefficients for a cylinder with helical strakes are found from experiments and applied in an empirical model for the analysis of VIV. The result from the VIV analysis is used for a second calculation of drag forces that are applied in an updated static analysis. Dynamic stresses from regular waves are also presented, but VIV are not considered for these cases. A simple study of length and position of the section with strakes is carried out for some standard current profiles. Results are presented in terms of oscillation amplitudes, fatigue damage, bending stresses and riser angles at ends. The study is based on test data for one particular strake geometry, but the analysis method as such is general, and the computer programs used in the study can easily apply other test data.


2011 ◽  
Vol 677 ◽  
pp. 342-382 ◽  
Author(s):  
REMI BOURGUET ◽  
GEORGE E. KARNIADAKIS ◽  
MICHAEL S. TRIANTAFYLLOU

We investigate the in-line and cross-flow vortex-induced vibrations of a long cylindrical tensioned beam, with length to diameter ratio L/D = 200, placed within a linearly sheared oncoming flow, using three-dimensional direct numerical simulation. The study is conducted at three Reynolds numbers, from 110 to 1100 based on maximum velocity, so as to include the transition to turbulence in the wake. The selected tension and bending stiffness lead to high-wavenumber vibrations, similar to those encountered in long ocean structures. The resulting vortex-induced vibrations consist of a mixture of standing and travelling wave patterns in both the in-line and cross-flow directions; the travelling wave component is preferentially oriented from high to low velocity regions. The in-line and cross-flow vibrations have a frequency ratio approximately equal to 2. Lock-in, the phenomenon of self-excited vibrations accompanied by synchronization between the vortex shedding and cross-flow vibration frequencies, occurs in the high-velocity region, extending across 30% or more of the beam length. The occurrence of lock-in disrupts the spanwise regularity of the cellular patterns observed in the wake of stationary cylinders in shear flow. The wake exhibits an oblique vortex shedding pattern, inclined in the direction of the travelling wave component of the cylinder vibrations. Vortex splittings occur between spanwise cells of constant vortex shedding frequency. The flow excites the cylinder under the lock-in condition with a preferential in-line versus cross-flow motion phase difference corresponding to counter-clockwise, figure-eight orbits; but it damps cylinder vibrations in the non-lock-in region. Both mono-frequency and multi-frequency responses may be excited. In the case of multi-frequency response and within the lock-in region, the wake can lock in to different frequencies at various spanwise locations; however, lock-in is a locally mono-frequency event, and hence the flow supplies energy to the structure mainly at the local lock-in frequency.


Author(s):  
Prashant K. Soni ◽  
Carl M. Larsen

Pipelines laid on an uneven bottom often have free spans. For cases with long spans, one may have several modes and eigenfrequencies that can be excited by vortex shedding. Furthermore, due to the sag effect of a long free-span, the dynamic properties are different in vertical and in horizontal directions. This causes a complex response pattern in the cross-flow (CF) and in-line (IL) directions. From previous research we know that pure IL response at relatively low current velocities may significantly contribute to fatigue damage. This response type must be studied in addition to the combined IL and CF response. The objective of this paper is to present experimental results from flexible beam experiments where both response types are studied, as well as to present results from an empirical response model for the same cases. The empirical model is based on two types of experiments. The first set of experiments were conducted with a flexible pipe for both single and double span configuration. Pure IL and combined IL and CF motions were observed. In the second set of experiments, forces on a rigid cylinder were measured under forced motions in a current. The motions were found from measurements of cross section in the flexible pipe tests. Hydrodynamic coefficients such as drag, added mass, excitation and damping force coefficients were found and then applied in the empirical response model. In the present paper the results from the flexible beam experiments are presented and also compared with the results from the empirical response model. The results so far are encouraging, but further work and more data are needed in order to have a general and robust response model for combined CF and IL VIV.


2015 ◽  
Vol 782 ◽  
pp. 300-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fangfang Xie ◽  
Yue Yu ◽  
Yiannis Constantinides ◽  
Michael S. Triantafyllou ◽  
George Em Karniadakis

We employ three-dimensional direct and large-eddy numerical simulations of the vibrations and flow past cylinders fitted with free-to-rotate U-shaped fairings placed in a cross-flow at Reynolds number $100\leqslant \mathit{Re}\leqslant 10\,000$. Such fairings are nearly neutrally buoyant devices fitted along the axis of long circular risers to suppress vortex-induced vibrations (VIVs). We consider three different geometric configurations: a homogeneous fairing, and two configurations (denoted A and AB) involving a gap between adjacent segments. For the latter two cases, we investigate the effect of the gap on the hydrodynamic force coefficients and the translational and rotational motions of the system. For all configurations, as the Reynolds number increases beyond 500, both the lift and drag coefficients decrease. Compared to a plain cylinder, a homogeneous fairing system (no gaps) can help reduce the drag force coefficient by 15 % for reduced velocity $U^{\ast }=4.65$, while a type A gap system can reduce the drag force coefficient by almost 50 % for reduced velocity $U^{\ast }=3.5,4.65,6$, and, correspondingly, the vibration response of the combined system, as well as the fairing rotation amplitude, are substantially reduced. For a homogeneous fairing, the cross-flow amplitude is reduced by about 80 %, whereas for fairings with a gap longer than half a cylinder diameter, VIVs are completely eliminated, resulting in additional reduction in the drag coefficient. We have related such VIV suppression or elimination to the features of the wake flow structure. We find that a gap causes the generation of strong streamwise vorticity in the gap region that interferes destructively with the vorticity generated by the fairings, hence disorganizing the formation of coherent spanwise cortical patterns. We provide visualization of the incoherent wake flow that leads to total elimination of the vibration and rotation of the fairing–cylinder system. Finally, we investigate the effect of the friction coefficient between cylinder and fairing. The effect overall is small, even when the friction coefficients of adjacent segments are different. In some cases the equilibrium positions of the fairings are rotated by a small angle on either side of the centreline, in a symmetry-breaking bifurcation, which depends strongly on Reynolds number.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre-Adrien Opinel ◽  
Narakorn Srinil

Abstract This paper presents the experimental investigation of vortex-induced vibrations (VIV) of a flexibly mounted circular cylinder in combined current and wave flows. The same experimental setup has previously been used in our previous study (OMAE2020-18161) on VIV in regular waves. The system comprises a pendulum-type vertical cylinder mounted on two-dimensional springs with equal stiffness in in-line and cross-flow directions. The mass ratio of the system is close to 3, the aspect ratio of the tested cylinder based on its submerged length is close to 27, and the damping in still water is around 3.4%. Three current velocities are considered in this study, namely 0.21 m/s, 0.29 m/s and 0.37 m/s, in combination with the generated regular waves. The cylinder motion is recorded using targets and two Qualisys cameras, and the water elevation is measured utilizing a wave probe. The covered ranges of Keulegan-Carpenter number KC are [9.6–35.4], [12.8–40.9] and [16.3–47.8], and the corresponding ranges of reduced velocity Vr are [8–16.3], [10.6–18.4] and [14–20.5] for the cases with current velocity of 0.21 m/s, 0.29 m/s and 0.37 m/s, respectively. The cylinder response amplitudes, trajectories and vibration frequencies are extracted from the recorded motion signals. In all cases the cylinder oscillates primarily at the flow frequency in the in-line direction, and the in-line VIV component additionally appears for the intermediate (0.29 m/s) and high (0.37 m/s) current velocities. The cross-flow oscillation frequency is principally at two or three times the flow frequency in the low current case, similar to what is observed in pure regular waves. For higher current velocities, the cross-flow frequency tends to lock-in with the system natural frequency, as in the steady flow case. The inline and cross-flow cylinder response amplitudes of the combined current and regular wave flow cases are eventually compared with the amplitudes from the pure current and pure regular wave flow cases.


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