Local scour at offshore windfarm monopile foundations: A review

In this article,current research findings of local scour at offshore windfarm monopile foundations are presented.The scour mechanisms and scour depth prediction formulas under different hydrodynamic conditions are summarized,including the current-only condition,wave-only condition,combined wave-current condition,and complex dynamic condition.Furthermore,this article analyzes the influencing factors on the basis of classical equations for predicting the equilibrium scour depth under specific conditions.The weakness of existing researches and future prospects are also discussed.It is suggested that future research shall focus on physical experiments under unsteady tidal currents or other complex loadings.The computational fluid dynamics-discrete element method and artificial intelligence technique are suggested being adopted to study the scour at offshore windfarm foundations.

Effect of upward seepage on bedload transport rate

The paper presents an investigation of injection effects on the bedload transport rate. According to dimensional analysis, two dimensionless groups, an Einstein＇s parameter group and a modified densimetric Froude number group, were chosen to examine how injection affects the bedload transport rate. Experimental studies were conducted in an open-channel flume with an upward seepage zone. The sediment particles used for the test were 0.9 mm in diameter. The experimental results show that an increase in the injection velocity causes a reduction in the shear velocity excess, which is defined as the difference between the shear and critical shear velocities, leading to a reduction in the bedload transport rate. The equation for predicting the bedload transport rate in the presence of upward seepage was derived empirically. The proposed prediction method is suitable for engineering practice, since it only requires the undisturbed flow condition, properties of sediment particles, and the injection velocity.

Local scour at submarine pipelines

The rapid development of offshore oilfields has increased the number of submarine pipelines being constructed for the transport of crude oil to onshore refineries.Interactions between the pipeline and an erodible bed under the influence of current and waves often lead to local scouring around the structure.When this occurs, the pipeline may be suspended on the seabed resulting in the formation of a span.If the free span is long enough, the pipe may experience resonant flow-induced oscillations,leading to structural failure.This study examines the complex flow-structure-sediment interaction leading to the development of local scour holes around submarine pipelines.It reviews published literature in this area,which primarily is confined to the development of 2- dimensional scour holes.Despite the abundance of such research studies,pipeline-scour in the field essentially is 3-dimensional in nature.Hence,most of these studies have overlooked the importance of the transverse dimension of the scour hole,while emphasizing on its vertical dimension.This clearly is an issue that must be re-examined in light of the potential hazard and environmental disaster that one faces in the event of a pipeline failure.Recent studies have begun to recognize this shortcoming,and attempts have been made to overcome the deficiency.The study presents the state-of-the-art knowledge on local scour at submarine pipelines,both from a 2-dimensional as well as the 3-dimensional perspective.

Characterization of sand convective motions at a vertical wall subjected to long-term cyclic loading

By conducting a two-dimensional experimental study,this paper aims to enhance the understanding of the mechanism of sand convective motions in the vicinity of a wall subjected to long-term cyclic lateral loadings.The experimental tests were conducted in a rectangular sandbox with a transparent front-wall,through which the process of sand particle motions could be recorded by using a high-resolution digital camera.The images were processed with a high time-resolved PIV(Particle Image Velocimetry)system.Based on the experimental data,this work(1)presents the sand flow field in the convective zones;(2)provides means to describe the convection mechanism;(3)proposes the relationships between the loading conditions and dimensions of the region with intense sand movement;and(4)elaborates the similarity of the sand flow velocity structure within the sand convective zones.