Experimental Study on Vortex-Induced Vibration of Rough Risers with Coupling Interference Effect Under Side-by-Side Arrangement

A vortex-induced vibration(VIV)experiment of rough risers with coupling interference effect under a side-by-side arrangement was carried out in a wave-current combined flume.The roughness of the riser was characterized by arranging different specifications of surface attachments on the surface of the riser.Rough risers with three different roughnesses were arranged side by side with smooth risers to explore the VIV response of the riser under the combined action of roughness and interference effect,and to reveal the coupling mechanism between roughness and interference effect.The experimental results show that,compared with that of a smooth riser,the VIV of a rough riser under the coupling interference effect has a wider"lock-in"region,and the displacement decreases more significantly at a high reduced velocity,which is more likely to excite higher-order modes and frequency responses.In addition,the displacement response and frequency response of the smooth riser are not significantly affected by wake interference from the rough riser,which is caused by the decrease of the wake region due to the delay of the boundary layer separation point of the rough riser.

Use of Helical Strakes for FIV Suppression of Two Inclined Flexible Cylinders in A Side-by-Side Arrangement

The experimental studies on flow-induced vibrations(FIV) reduction of two side-by-side flexible cylinders inclined at 45° by using the helical strakes were carried out in a towing tank. The main aim of the experiment is to check whether the helical strakes with a pitch of 17.5 D and a height of 0.25 D, which is considered as the most effective vibration suppression device for the isolated cylinder undergoing vortex-shedding, still perform very well to reduce FIV of two inclined flexible cylinders in a side-by-side arrangement. The vibration of two identical inclined cylinders with a mass ratio of 1.90 and an aspect ratio of 350 was tested in the experiment. The center-to-center distance between the two cylinders was 3.0 D. The uniform flow was simulated by towing the cylinder models along the tank.The towing velocity varied from 0.05 to 1.0 m/s with an interval of 0.05 m/s. The maximum Reynolds number can be up to 1.6×104. Three cases were experimentally studied in this paper, including two side-by-side inclined smooth cylinders, only one smooth cylinder fitted with helical strakes in the two side-by-side inclined cylinders system and both two cylinders attached with helical strakes. The variations of displacement amplitude, dominant frequency, FIV suppression efficiency and dominant mode for the two side-by-side inclined cylinders with reduced velocity were shown and discussed.

Study on Ship Automatic Berthing System with Mooring Lines

This study describes an automatic berthing system with mooring lines. It is designed to be berthed by using mooring device on the upper deck of a ship. It is to berth once maintaining parallel with the quay by controlling both forward and aft breast lines. Berthing method is used through length adjustment of mooring lines connected between ship and quay by controlling the angular velocity and the torque of hydraulic motor in mooring device. The study is conducted under three changing conditions of draft, such as even-keel, rise of the gravity center and trim to stern. Variables affecting berthing stability are determined based on the control performance of each condition. Bond graphs method is used to model the system. Controller is designed as PID control method of reference-model algorithm. The control program is composed of synchronous control system based on the equations derived with the numerical analysis. The tank test is conducted to verify the usefulness of the control program.

Time-Domain Simulation for Coupled Motions of Three Barges Moored Side-by-Side in Floatover Operation

Simulating the coupled motions of multiple bodies in the time domain is a complex problem because of the strong hydrodynamic interactions and coupled effect of various mechanical connectors. In this study, we investigate the hydrodynamic responses of three barges moored side-by-side in a floatover operation in the frequency and time domains. In the frequency domain, the damping lid method is adopted to improve the overestimated hydrodynamic coefficients calculated from conventional potential flow theory. A time-domain computing program based on potential flow theory and impulse theory is compiled for analyses that consider multibody hydrodynamic interactions and mechanical effects from lines and fenders. Correspondingly, an experiment is carried out for comparison with the numerical results. All statistics, time series, and power density spectra from decay and irregular wave tests are in a fairly good agreement.

Numerical Simulation on Flow Past Two Side-by-Side Inclined Circular Cylinders at Low Reynolds Number

A series of three-dimensional numerical simulations is carried out to investigate the effect of inclined angle on flow behavior behind two side-by-side inclined cylinders at low Reynolds number Re=100 and small spacing ratio T/D=1.5 (T is the center-to-center distance between two side-by-side cylinders, D is the diameter of cylinder). The instantaneous and time-averaged flow fields, force coefficients and Strouhal numbers are analyzed. Special attention is focused on the axial flow characteristics with variation of the inclined angle. The results show that the inclined angle has a significant effect on the gap flow behaviors behind two inclined cylinders. The vortex shedding behind two cylinders is suppressed with the increase of the inclined angle as well as the flip-flop gap flow. Moreover, the mean drag coefficient, root-mean-square lift coefficient and Strouhal numbers decrease monotonously with the increase of the inclined angle, which follows the independent principle at small inclined angles.

Response of Two Unequal-Diameter Flexible Cylinders in A Side-by-Side Arrangement:Characteristics of FIV

Till now,little information is available on the flow-induced vibration(FIV)of multiple flexible cylinders with unequal diameters.Some FIV characteristics of unequal-diameter cylinders can be predicted based on the knowledge of equal-diameter cylinders,while there are still other features remaining unrevealed.In this paper,the FIV characteristics of two flexible cylinders with unequal diameters arranged side-by-side are experimentally investigated.The diameter ratio of the small cylinder(Small Cyl.)to the large cylinder(Large Cyl.)is nearly 0.5.The aspect ratios and mass ratios of the two flexible cylinders are 350/181 and 1.90/1.47,respectively.The centre-tocentre spacing ratio in the cross-flow(CF)direction is kept constant as 6.0 and the two cylinders can oscillate freely in both the CF and in-line(IL)directions.The towing velocity varies from 0.05 m/s to 1.00 m/s.The dominant modes and frequencies,CF and IL displacement amplitudes and response trajectories are discussed.Compared with the case of two identical cylinders in our previous study,the FIV responses demonstrate some similarities and differences.The similarities are as follows.Both cylinders exhibit multi-mode vibration features and they interact with each other.Meanwhile,the IL FIV shows a more complex behaviour than that in the CF direction.The difference is that as the diameter of one cylinder is increased,the effect on the smaller cylinder becomes more significant.For Large Cyl.,the FIV response is similar to its isolated counterpart,which indicates that Small Cyl.has a negligible effect on the FIV of the larger one.Whereas Large Cyl.perplexes the FIV of Small Cyl.during the vibration process.The spacing would change when both cylinders are oscillating.Proximity interference between the two cylinders and wake shielding effect of the Large Cyl.may occur.The dominant frequencies of Small Cyl.are reduced and the wake-induced flutter of Small Cyl.is observed from the response trajectories at different measuring points.

Measurements of Wind Loads on Side-by-Side Semi-Submersibles in A Wind Tunnel

The multi-body system has been a popular form for offshore operations in terms of high efficiency.The wind effects are crucial which directly affect the relative positions of floating bodies and operating security.In this study,the aerodynamic characteristics for two coupled semi-submersibles were analyzed in a wind tunnel to fill the gaps in literature related to the wind sheltering on offshore platforms.The influences of separation distance were also investigated.According to the results,substantial shielding effects were observed and wind forces on the shielded vessel decreased dramatically:a reduction in the transverse force could be up to 74%.Moreover,the longitudinal wind load was amplified by the platform abreast in a side-by-side configuration.As expected,the interference level became more pronounced with a decreasing separation distance.For cases in which wind interaction decayed rapidly with distance,logarithmic functions were preferable for describing the relationship between them.Whereas linear fitting was reasonable for the transverse wind force when there was still evident sheltering at a quite large distance.The length of shielding area was another important factor that there was approximately a linear relationship between it and the shielding level for two platforms in close proximity at various wind attack angles.Based on the two parameters,a preliminary wind loads estimation method considering shielding effects was proposed.This approach can aid the industry to have a qualitative assessment of wind sheltering especially at early stages.

Application of Helical Strakes for Suppressing the Flow-Induced Vibration of Two Side-by-Side Long Flexible Cylinders

Helical strakes have been widely applied for suppressing the vibration of flexible cylinders undergoing vortexshedding in offshore engineering.However,most research works have concerned on the application of helical strakes for the isolated flexible cylinder subjected to vortex-induced vibration(VIV).The effectiveness of helical strakes attached to side-by-side flexible cylinders in vibration reduction is still unclear.In this paper,the response characteristics of two side-by-side flexible cylinders with and without helical strakes were experimentally investigated in a towing tank.The configuration of the helical strakes used in the experiment had a pitch of 17.5D and a height of 0.25D(where D is the cylinder diameter),which is usually considered the most effective for VIV suppression of isolated marine risers and tendons.The center-to-center distance of the two cylinders was 3.0D.The uniform flow with a velocity ranging from 0.05 m/s to 1.0 m/s was generated by towing the cylinder models along the tank.Experimental results,including the displacement amplitude,the dominant frequency,the dominant mode,and the mean drag force coefficient,were summarized and discussed.For the case where only one cylinder in the two-cylinder system had helical strakes,the experimental results indicated that helical strakes can remarkably reduce the flow-induced vibration(FIV)of the staked cylinder.For the case of two straked cylinders in a side-by-side arrangement,it was found that the performance of helical strakes in suppressing the FIV is as good as that for the isolated cylinder.

An Experimental Study on Dynamics Features of Three Side-by-Side Flexible Risers Undergoing Vortex-Induced Vibrations in A Uniform Flow

A vortex-induced vibration(VIV)experiment on three side-by-side risers subjected to a uniform flow was carried out in a combined wave-current flume.The dynamic features of interference effect on three side-by-side risers were investigated by varying fluid velocity and inter-riser spacing.The distributions of dimensionless displacement,dominant frequency,and displacement trajectory of the model risers were measured using mode decomposition and wavelet transform techniques.The coupled interference of inter-riser fluid to adjacent risers at different spacings was disclosed by introducing the"interference ratio"concept.The results show that at spacings smaller than 6.0 D,the three model risers display appreciable deviations in their displacement responses in cross-flow or in-line direction,attributable to the strong proximity disturbance and wake interference between the risers.When the spacing is increased to 8.0 D,wake interference still makes great difference to the dynamic response of the risers in both directions.As reduced velocity increases,the three risers show higher agreement with an isolated riser in overall dominant vibration frequency in CF direction than that in IL direction at all spacings and the side risers,although symmetrically placed,do not vibrate symmetrically,as a result of the steady deflection of clearance flow within the riser group.Interference effect results in a remarkable unsteady mode competition within the risers;quantitation of the interference levels for the three risers at different spacings with interference ratio revealed that under low flow velocities and large spacing ratios,clearance flow constitutes a non-neglectable interferer for three side-by-side risers.

NUMERICAL COMPUTATION OF THE FLOW AROUND TWO SQUARE CYLINDERS ARRANGED SIDE-BY-SIDE

The numerical method is used to calculate the flow around two square cylinders arranged side-by-side and the mean and fluctuating aerodynamic forces, and Strouhal numbers and power spectrum of lift force and drag force are obtained. An improved MAC method proposed by Chen Suqin et al.,which uses three order upwind scheme to discretize the convection term and uses multigrid method to solve the Poisson equation for pressure is applied to simulate the flow around two square cylinders arranged side-by-side. Results show that the interference characteristic of two square cylinders arranged side-by-side is completely different with the different spacing ratio. When the spacing ratio is smaller than a certain critical value, the gap flow between two cylinders is biased to one side in a stable or unstable manner.

Real Time Math Simulation of Contact Interaction during Spacecraft Docking and Berthing

Contact reactions of guide surfaces of assembly interfaces lead to the decreasing of theirs lateral and angular misalignments. The focus of this paper is the development of algorithms for computation of guide surfaces contact forces with acceptable engineering accuracy for real time simulation of assembly operations. Therefore, each complex guide surface is described as a set of contacting elements. Each contacting element for one＇s part can be represented by a finite set of geometric primitives which geometry is described by low order algebraic equations. So contact conditions and geometric parameters for all pairs of primitives are determined by analytical expressions. Math models are developed for two classes of contact interaction. The first class includes all cases when each contacting surface has several degrees of freedom of motion. Therefore, contact reactions introduced into differential equations of motion are calculated by using contacting elements penetrations, stiffness and damping parameters. The second class corresponds to all cases when one of contacting surfaces has insignificant inertia and only one degree of freedom of relative displacement counteracted by a spring. Here contact reactions are calculated from spring tension with any practical accuracy. This is very useful in some practical applications. Presented algorithms provide real time simulation together with some approaches for reduction of redundant comnutations.

Modeling and Simulation of Automatic Berthing based on Bow and Stern Thruster Assist for Unmanned Surface Vehicle

In order to solve the technical problems of autonomous berthing of the Unmanned Surface Vehicle(USV),this research has met the requirements of maneuverability berthing under different conditions by effectively using the bow and stern thrusters,which is a technological breakthrough in actual production and life.Based on the MMG model,the maneuverability mathematical model of the USV with bow and stern thruster was established.And the motion simulation of USV maneuvering was carried out through the numerical simulation calculation.Then the berthing plan was designed based on the maneuverability analysis of the USV low-speed motion,and the simulation of automatic berthing for USV was carried out.The research results of this paper can be of certain practical significance for the USV based on the support of the bow and stern thruster in the berthing.At the same time,it also provides a certain theoretical reference for the handling of the USV automatic berthing.

Safety and efficacy of transpapillary bridged bilateral side-by-side stenting for unresectable malignant hilar biliary obstruction

To the Editor:Biliary drainage is most frequently performed among endoscopic procedures using pancreatobiliary endoscopy.A large-diameter metallic stent can significantly extend the patency period rather than a plastic stent for extrahepatic biliary stricture.;However,the optimal drainage for the hilar biliary obstruction is still controversial.

Experimental Study on Allowable Berthing and Mooring Conditions of An Oil Tanker

When an oil tanker under the combined action of wind, waves and tidal current and is berthed or moored to a platform, the impact forces on the fenders and the tensile force in the mooring lines are important factors in the studies of berthing and mooring conditions. Based on the experiment of a berthing and mooring tanker model under the action of wind, wave and tidal current in the same direction, this paper studies the allowable berthing and mooring conditions by considering the tensile forces of mooring lines and impact forces on the fenders, as well as the impact energy on the fenders. And a method has been proposed here for motion amplitude analysis. A successful method to decrease impact forces on the fenders is put forward. Blowing in wind and blowing off wind and different angles between waves and the fenders are considered in the experimental study. In the berthing tests of the tanker model, the impact forces are measured and the impact energy is calculated, then the berthing conditions are determined. In the mooring tests of the tanker model, the mooring line tensile forces and impact forces are measured, and the allowable mooring conditions are given that will be useful to engineering design.

Material Selection for Hawsers for a Side-by-side Offloading System

In order to provide a theoretical guide for choosing the material for the hawsers for the FPSO side-by-side offloading system, which is moored by the yoke system, the 3D potential flow theory and full coupled time-domain analysis are presented to study the dynamic response of the offloading system. The MingZhu FPSO offloading system in the field BZ25-1 is simulated here; and four different characteristic fiber ropes are used as the material for the hawsers. To acquire an accurate hawser line tension, the polynomial fitting method is used to calculate the nonlinear stiffness of the hawsers. By comparing the hawser lines＇ tension and the relative motion between the FPSO and the shuttle tanker, a suitable material for the hawser lines is chosen and discussed in this paper. The results indicate that the nonlinear stiffness characteristic of the fiber rope has a small effect on the relative motion of the vessels, but the hawser lines＇ tension is greatly influenced by the different characteristics of the fiber ropes. The hawser lines＇ tension with nonlinear stiffness is in accordance with the one with the upper and lower bound linear stiffness, which proves this method of fitting the fiber ropes＇ nonlinear stiffness is reasonable and reliable.

Aheuristic Algorithm for Berth Scheduling Problem in Container Ports

In this paper,the berth scheduling problem is transformed into a special two-dimensional packing problem with some constraints.A nonlinear programming model for the problem is established,and a heuristic algorithm is proposed to solve the model.Simulation results show that the algorithm can improve the utilization of berths on discrete berth scheduling in the container port.

Integration of Berth Allocation and Quay Crane Assignment in Tidal Container Ports

Tide is a significant factor which interferes with the berthing and departing operations of vessels in tidal ports. It is a preferable way to incorporate this factor into the simultaneous berth allocation and quay crane( QC) assignment problem( BACAP) in order to facilitate the realistic decision-making process at container terminal. For this purpose,an integrated optimization model is built with tidal time windows as forbidden intervals for berthing or departing. A hind-and-fore adjustment heuristic is proposed and applied under an iterative optimization framework. Numerical experiment shows the satisfying performance of the proposed algorithm.

Nesting and Berth Allocation by an Expert System Using Heuristic Search

Nesting is a common problem in industries such as shipbuilding, auto-maker, clothing, shoe-making, and furniture, in which various parts are cut off from a stock or stocks while minimizing the wastes or maximizing the utilization of the stock. Berth allocation at seaside is also considered one form of two dimensional nesting problems, in which a ship is assigned a location for service during a certain time slot. This paper presents an expert system using a heuristic search method for nesting problems. The parts and stocks are represented by pixels with which utility function is used to evaluate current state in search tree. The system is developed in CLIPS, an expert system shell and applied to various example problems with different constraints and to a berth allocation example to illustrate its applicability under different conditions.

An Improved Genetic Algorithm for Berth Scheduling at Bulk Terminal

Berth and loading and unloading machinery are not only the mainfactors that affecting the terminal operation, but also the main starting point ofenergy saving and emission reduction. In this paper, a genetic Algorithm Framework is designed for the berth allocation with low carbon and high efficiency atbulk terminal. In solving the problem, the scheduler’s experience is transformedinto a regular way to obtain the initial solution. The individual is represented as achromosome, and the sub-chromosomes are encoded as integers, the roulettewheel method is used for selection, the two-point crossing method is used forcross, and the exchange variation method is used for variation in the procedureof designing the Algorithm. Considering the complexity of berth schedulingproblem and the diversity of constraints and boundary conditions, the geneticalgorithm combines with system simulation to get the final scheme of berthallocation. This model and algorithm are verified to be practical by analyzingmultiple sets of examples of shorelines with different lengths. When comparedwith the traditional algorithms in three aspects which includes berth offsetdistance, departure delay cost and energy consumption of portal crane, the resultindicates that the improved algorithm is more effective and feasible. The studywill help to lower energy consumption and resource waste, reduce environmentalpollution, and provide a reference for low-carbon, green and sustainable development of the terminal.

Berth-crane allocation under uncertainty:dynamic modeling and nested Tabu search

The integrated berth-crane allocation problem at container terminals is addressed under the uncertainty of vessel arrival time at operational level. To ensure both robustness and flexibility of the 2-stage decision processes,a dynamic decision framework is proposed based on the dynamic analysis of information and operation at container terminal. A mixed integer programming model is established aiming at minimizing total cost of all vessels,including the cost of fixed to-be-executed decisions in the 1^(st) stage and expected cost of the adjustable stochastic-scenario-based decisions of all scenarios in the 2^(nd) stage. A multi-layer nested Tabu search is proposed for each epoch dynamically. Finally numerical experiments have been conducted to testify the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed model and algorithm.