A Comparative Study on the Post-Buckling Behavior of Reinforced Thermoplastic Pipes(RTPs)Under External Pressure Considering Progressive Failure

The collapse pressure is a key parameter when RTPs are applied in harsh deep-water environments.To investigate the collapse of RTPs,numerical simulations and hydrostatic pressure tests are conducted.For the numerical simulations,the eigenvalue analysis and Riks analysis are combined,in which the Hashin failure criterion and fracture energy stiffness degradation model are used to simulate the progressive failure of composites,and the“infinite”boundary conditions are applied to eliminate the boundary effects.As for the hydrostatic pressure tests,RTP specimens were placed in a hydrostatic chamber after filled with water.It has been observed that the cross-section of the middle part collapses when it reaches the maximum pressure.The collapse pressure obtained from the numerical simulations agrees well with that in the experiment.Meanwhile,the applicability of NASA SP-8007 formula on the collapse pressure prediction was also discussed.It has a relatively greater difference because of the ignorance of the progressive failure of composites.For the parametric study,it is found that RTPs have much higher first-ply-failure pressure when the winding angles are between 50°and 70°.Besides,the effect of debonding and initial ovality,and the contribution of the liner and coating are also discussed.

A positive trend in the stability of global offshore wind energy

The recognition on the trend of wind energy stability is still extremely rare,although it is closely related to acquisition efficiency,grid connection,equipment lifetime,and costs of wind energy utilization.Using the 40-year(1979–2018)ERA-Interim data from the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts,this study presented the spatial-temporal distribution and climatic trend of the stability of global offshore wind energy as well as the abrupt phenomenon of wind energy stability in key regions over the past 40 years with the climatic analysis method and Mann-Kendall(M-K)test.The results show the following 5 points.(1)According to the coefficient of variation(C_(v))of the wind power density,there are six permanent stable zones of global offshore wind energy:the southeast and northeast trade wind zones in the Indian,Pacific and Atlantic oceans,the Southern Hemisphere westerly,and a semi-permanent stable zone(North Indian Ocean).(2)There are six lowvalue zones for both seasonal variability index(S_(v))and monthly variability index(M_(v))globally,with a similar spatial distribution as that of the six permanent stable zones.M_(v) and S_(v) in the Arabian Sea are the highest in the world.(3)After C_(v),M_(v) and S_(v) are comprehensively considered,the six permanent stable zones have an obvious advantage in the stability of wind energy over other sea areas,with C_(v) below 0.8,M_(v) within 1.0,and S_(v) within 0.7 all the year round.(4)The global stability of offshore wind energy shows a positive climatic trend for the past four decades.C_(v),M_(v) and S_(v) have not changed significantly or decreased in most of the global ocean during 1979 to2018.That is,wind energy is flat or more stable,while the monthly and seasonal variabilities tend to shrink/smooth,which is beneficial for wind energy utilization.(5)C_(v) in the low-latitude Pacific and M_(v) and S_(v) in both the North Indian Ocean and the low-latitude Pacific have an obvious abrupt phenomenon at the end of the20th century.

Numerical Study of Flow Features Around Submerged Circular and Square Piles at Flat and Scoured Beds Using OpenFOAM

Elucidating the flow features around piles in local scouring processes is crucial for studies of local scouring mechanisms and scour depth estimates.This study details the flow turbulence characteristics of two submerged piles that are determined by solving the Navier-Stokes equations with the improved delayed detached eddy simulation model.This model is verified by comparing experimental and numerical results for hydrodynamic parameters with the literature for both square-crossing piles(SCPs)and circular-crossing piles(CCPs).Original topographies of flat and scoured beds(i.e.,the initial and equilibrium scouring stages)are based on experimental results obtained by the authors in the present paper.SCP and CCP flow features in the scouring process are discussed.The results indicate that during the scouring process,the time-averaged drag coefficient and root mean square(rms)of the lift coefficient increase linearly in the CCP test,while the rms of the lift coefficient in the SCP test decreases linearly.Moreover,the minimum pressure coefficient is always located in the upstream corners in the SCP case but moves from 72.5°to 79.5°when the scour hole is completely developed in the CCP case.Downward flow behind the pile,which is generated by separated boundary layers above the top face of the pile,can reach the sand bed and turn the separated shear layers into patches of small vortices in the near-wake regions.Thus,the high shear stress zones are mainly at the scour edges under scoured-bed conditions.

Diffusion Characteristics of Swells in the North Indian Ocean

Research on the diffusion characteristics of swells contributes positively to wave energy forecasting, swell monitoring, and early warning. In this work, the South Indian Ocean westerly index(SIWI) and Indian Ocean swell diffusion effect index(IOSDEI) are defined on the basis of the 45-year(September 1957–August 2002) ERA-40 wave reanalysis data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts(ECMWF) to analyze the impact of the South Indian Ocean westerlies on the propagation of swell acreage. The following results were obtained: 1) The South Indian Ocean swell mainly propagates from southwest to northeast. The swell also spreads to the Arabian Sea upon reaching low-latitude waters. The 2.0-meter contour of the swell can reach northward to Sri Lankan waters. 2) The size of the IOSDEI is determined by the SIWI strength. The IOSDEI requires approximately 2–3.5 days to fully respond to the SIWI. The correlations between SIWI and IOSDEI show obvious seasonal differences, with the highest correlations found in December–January–February(DJF) and the lowest correlations observed in June–July–August(JJA). 3) The SIWI and IOSDEI have a common period of approximately 1 week in JJA and DJF. The SIWI leads by approximately 2–3 days in this common period.

Case Study of a Short-Term Wave Energy Forecasting Scheme:North Indian Ocean

Short-term forecasts of wave energy play a key role in the daily operation,maintenance planning,and electrical grid operation of power farms.In this study,we propose a short-term wave energy forecast scheme and use the North Indian Ocean(NIO)as a case study.Compared with the traditional forecast scheme,our proposed scheme considers more forecast elements.In addition to the traditional short-term forecast factors related to wave energy(wave power,significant wave height(SWH),wave period),our scheme emphasizes the forecast of a series of key factors that are closely related to the effectiveness of the energy output,capture efficiency,and conversion efficiency.These factors include the available rate,total storage,effective storage,co-occurrence of wave power-wave direction,co-occurrence of the SWH-wave period,and the wave energy at key points.In the regional nesting of nu-merical simulations of wave energy in the NIO,the selection of the southern boundary is found to have a significant impact on the simulation precision,especially during periods of strong swell processes of the South Indian Ocean(SIO)westerly.During tropical cyclone‘VARDAH’in the NIO,as compared with the simulation precision obtained with no expansion of the southern boundary(scheme-1),when the southern boundary is extended to the tropical SIO(scheme-2),the improvement in simulation precision is significant,with an obvious increase in the correlation coefficient and decrease in error.In addition,the improvement is much more significant when the southern boundary extends to the SIO westerly(scheme-3).In the case of strong swell processes generated by the SIO westerly,the improvement obtained by scheme-3 is even more significant.

Probability Density Analysis of Nonlinear Random Ship Rolling

Ship rolling in random waves is a complicated nonlinear motion that contributes substantially to ship instability and capsizing.The finite element method(FEM)is employed in this paper to solve the Fokker Planck(FP)equations numerically for homoclinic and heteroclinic ship rolling under random waves described as periodic and Gaussian white noise excitations.The transient joint probability density functions(PDFs)and marginal PDFs of the rolling responses are also obtained.The effects of stimulation strength on ship rolling are further investigated from a probabilistic standpoint.The homoclinic ship rolling has two rolling states,the connection between the two peaks of the PDF is observed when the periodic excitation amplitude or the noise intensity is large,and the PDF is remarkably distributed in phase space.These phenomena increase the possibility of a random jump in ship motion states and the uncertainty of ship rolling,and the ship may lose stability due to unforeseeable facts or conditions.Meanwhile,only one rolling state is observed when the ship is in heteroclinic rolling.As the periodic excitation amplitude grows,the PDF concentration increases and drifts away from the beginning location,suggesting that the ship rolling substantially changes in a cycle and its stability is low.The PDF becomes increasingly uniform and covers a large region as the noise intensity increases,reducing the certainty of ship rolling and navigation safety.The current numerical solutions and analyses may be applied to evaluate the stability of a rolling ship in irregular waves and capsize mechanisms.

Experimental Study of Submergence Ratio on Local Scour Around a Square Pile in Steady Flow

Scour around a submerged square pile was realized experimentally in a steady flow to study the effects of flow depth on local scour.Flow depth to pile height ratios ranging from 1.5 to 5 in uniform sand and 2 to 5 in non-uniform sand were tested in the approaching flow velocity to critical velocity(larger than which the sediment particle is motivated)ratios of 0.56 and 1.03,respectively.The influences of flow depth were investigated on the basis of analysis of the three-dimensional topography,temporal maximum scour depth,bed profile development,and equilibrium scour depth.Results showed that the maximum scour depth was at the upstream corners of the pile other than at the stagnation point.The evolutions of the maximum scour depth data in non-uniform sand were well fitted with a recent exponential function,which characterized the initial,developing,and equilibrium stages of scour depth.The scour hole slopes upstream of the pile were found to be parallel to each other in the process of each test and were mainly governed by the sediment repose underwater.The equilibrium scour depth varied slightly with flow depth when the submergence ratio was larger than 1 in uniform sand while it was 2 in non-uniform sand.The armoring effects of coarse sediment particles markedly reduced the sediment transport in non-uniform sand despite the 0.34 increment in non-uniformity.

Hydrodynamic Performance and Power Absorption of A Coaxial DoubleBuoy Wave Energy Converter

As an important wave energy converter(WEC),the double-buoy device has advantages of wider energy absorption band and deeper water adaptability,which attract an increasing number of attentions from researchers.This paper makes an in-depth study on double-buoy WEC,by means of the combination of model experiment and numerical simulation.The Response Amplitude Operator(RAO)and energy capture of the double-buoy under constant power take-off(PTO)damping are investigated in the model test,while the average power output and capture width ratio(CWR)are calculated by the numerical simulation to analyze the influence of the wave condition,PTO,and the geometry parameters of the device.The AQWA-Fortran united simulation sy stem,including the secondary developme nt of AQWA software coupled with the flowchart of the Fortran code,models a new dynamic system.Various viscous damping and hydraulic friction from WEC system are measured from the experimental results,and these values are added to the equation of motion.As a result,the energy loss is contained in the final numerical model the by united simulation system.Using the developed numerical model,the optimal period of energy capture is identified.The power capture reaches the maximum value under the outer buoy's natural period.The paper gives the peak value of the energy capture under the linear PTO damping force,and calculates the optimal mass ratio of the device.

Experimental Study on Interaction Between Degrees of Freedom in a Wave Buoy

Increasing degrees of freedom(DOFs)is a useful way to raise the power capture efficiency of oscillating wave energy converters.Thus,this study proposes a buoy with three DOFs,which are surge,heave,and pitch.The hydrodynamic performance and power capture efficiency of the buoy is physically modeled.Amplitudes of unidirectional and coupled motions are compared to analyze the interaction effect between freedoms under conditions with and without power take-off damping.The capture width ratio and corresponding growth rates are also calculated.Results show that the buoy makes a periodic sinusoidal(or approximate)movement in every DOF.Coupling effect can cause an increase in the amplitude in one DOF and a decrease in the amplitudes of the others.This phenomenon shows that the kinematic energy of the buoy redistributes to all DOFs compared with the unidirectional conditions.Adding DOFs can improve the power absorption of the buoy in most cases,but the number of DOFs is not the more the better.

Analytical and Experimental Studies on Hydrodynamic Performance of Semi-Immersed Jarlan-Type Perforated Breakwaters

The present study proposes a new semi-immersed Jarlan-type perforated breakwater including a perforated front wall, a solid rear wall, and a horizontal perforated plate connecting the lower tips of the two walls. An analytical solution is developed to estimate the hydrodynamic performance of the new breakwater. The analytical solution is confirmed by solutions for special cases, an independently developed multi-domain boundary element method solution and experimental data. Numerical examples based on the analytical solution indicate that compared with previous semi-immersed breakwaters, the new breakwater may have better wave-absorbing performance and smaller wave forces. Some useful results are presented for practical designs of semi-immersed Jarlan-type perforated breakwaters.

Analysis of Oblique Wave Interaction with a Comb-Type Caisson Breakwater

This study develops an analytical solution for oblique wave interaction with a comb-type caisson breakwater based on linear potential theory. The fluid domain is divided into inner and outer regions according to the geometrical shape of breakwater. By using periodic boundary condition and separation of variables, series solutions of velocity potentials in inner and outer regions are developed. Unknown expansion coefficients in series solutions are determined by matching velocity and pressure of continuous conditions on the interface between two regions. Then, hydrodynamic quantities involving reflection coefficients and wave forces acting on breakwater are estimated. Analytical solution is validated by a multi-domain boundary element method solution for the present problem. Diffusion reflection due to periodic variations in breakwater shape and corresponding surface elevations around the breakwater are analyzed. Numerical examples are also presented to examine effects of caisson parameters on total wave forces acting on caissons and total wave forces acting on side plates. Compared with a traditional vertical wall breakwater, the wave force acting on a suitably designed comb-type caisson breakwater can be significantly reduced. This study can give a better understanding of the hydrodynamic performance of comb-type caisson breakwaters.

Combined Action of Uniform Flow and Oscillating Flow Around Marine Riser at Low Keulegan-Carpenter Number

With the increase of petroleum and gas production in deep ocean, marine risers of circular cylinder shape are widely used in the offshore oil and gas platform. In order to research the hydrodynamic performance of marine risers, the dynamic mesh technique and User-Defined Function(UDF) are used to simulate the circular cylinder motion. The motion of a transversely oscillating circular cylinder in combination of uniform flow and oscillating flow is simulated. The uniform flow and oscillating flow both are in x direction. SIMPLE algorithm is used to solve the Navier-Stokes equations. The User-Defined Function is used to control the cylinder transverse vibration and the inlet flow. The lift and drag coefficient changing with time and the map of vorticity isolines at different phase angle are obtained. Force time histories are shown for uniform flow at Reynolds number(Re) of 200 and for the combination of uniform and oscillating flows. With the increase of amplitude of oscillating flow in combined flow, the change of lift amplitude is not sensitive to the the change of cylinder oscillating frequency. Lift amplitude increases with the increase of oscillating flow amplitude in the combined flow, but there is no definite periodicity of the lift coefficient. The drag and inertia force coefficients change when the maximum velocity of the oscillating flow increases in the combined flow. The vortex shedding near the circular cylinder shows different characteristics.

Numerical Analysis of the Flow Field in a Sloshing Tank with a Horizontal Perforated Plate

Liquid sloshing is a type of free surface flow inside a partially filled water tank.Sloshing exerts a significant effect on the safety of liquid transport systems;in particular,it may cause large hydrodynamic loads when the frequency of the tank motion is close to the natural frequency of the tank.Perforated plates have recently been used to suppress the violent movement of liquids in a sloshing tank at resonant conditions.In this study,a numerical model based on OpenF OAM(Open Source Field Operation and Manipulation),an open source computed fluid dynamic code,is used to investigate resonant sloshing in a swaying tank with a submerged horizontal perforated plate.The numerical results of the free surface elevations are first verified using experimental data,and then the flow characteristics around the perforated plate and the fluid velocity distribution in the entire tank are examined using numerical examples.The results clearly show differences in sloshing motions under first-order and third-order resonant frequencies.This study provides a better understanding of the energy dissipation mechanism of a horizontal perforated plate in a swaying tank.

Experimental Investigation of Wave Load and Run-up on the Composite Bucket Foundation Influenced by Regular Waves

In the design of wind turbine foundations for offshore wind farms, the wave load and run-up slamming on the supporting structure are the quantities that need to be considered. Because of a special arc transition, the interaction between the wave field and the composite bucket foundation(CBF) becomes complicated. In this study, the hydrodynamic characteristics, including wave pressure, load, upwelling, and run-up, around the arc transition of a CBF influenced by regular waves are investigated through physical tests at Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ocean Engineering, Ocean University of China. The distributions of the wave pressures and upwelling ratios around the CBF are described, and the relationship between the wave load and the wave parameters is discussed. New formulae based on the velocity stagnation head theory with linear wave theory and the second-order Stokes wave theory for wave kinematics are proposed to estimate the wave run-up. Moreover, the multiple regression method with nonlinear technology is employed to deduce an empirical formula for predicting run-up heights. Results show that the non-dimensional wave load increases with the increase in the values of the wave scattering parameter and relative wave height. The wave upwelling height is high in front of the CBF and has the lowest value at an angle of 135? with the incoming wave direction. The performance of the new formulae proposed in this study is compared using statistical indices to demonstrate that a good fit is obtained by the multiple regression method and the analytical model based on the velocity stagnation head theory is underdeveloped.

Capture Performance of A Multi-Freedom Wave Energy Converter with Different Power Take-off Systems

Among the wave energy converters (WECs), oscillating buoy is a promising type for wave energy development in offshore area. Conventional single-freedom oscillating buoy WECs with linear power take-off (PTO) system are less efficient under off-resonance conditions and have a narrow power capture bandwidth. Thus, a multi-freedom WEC with a nonlinear PTO system is proposed. This study examines a multi-freedom WEC with 3 degrees of freedom: surge, heave and pitch. Three different PTO systems (velocity-square, snap through, and constant PTO systems) and a traditional linear PTO system are applied to the WEC. A time-domain model is established using linear potential theory and Cummins equation. The kinematic equation is numerically calculated with the fourth-order Runge–Kutta method. The optimal average output power of the PTO systems in all degrees of freedom are obtained and compared. Other parameters of snap through PTO are also discussed in detail. Results show that according to the power capture performance, the order of the PTO systems from the best to worst is snap through PTO, constant PTO, linear PTO and velocity-square PTO. The resonant frequency of the WEC can be adjusted to the incident wave frequency by choosing specific parameters of the snap through PTO. Adding more DOFs can make the WEC get a better power performance in more wave frequencies. Both the above two methods can raise the WEC’s power capture performance significantly.

A Stiffness Surface Method to Analyze the Cross-Sectional Mechanical Properties of Reinforced Thermoplastic Pipes Subjected to Axisymmetric Loads

Axial and hoop stiffness can describe the elastic responses of reinforced thermoplastic pipes(RTPs)subjected to axisymmetric loads,such as tension,compression,pressure,and crushing loads.However,an accurate analytical prediction cannot be provided because of the anisotropy of RTP laminates.In the present study,a stiffness surface method,in which the analytical expressions of the axial and hoop stiffness are derived as two concise formulas,is proposed.The axial stiffness formula is obtained by solving the equilibrium equations of RTPs under a uniaxial stress state based on the homogenization assumption,whereas the hoop stiffness formula is derived from the combination of the elastic stability theory,the classical lamination theory,and NASA SP-8007 formula.To verify the proposed method,three types of RTPs are modeled to conduct the quasi-static analyses of the tension and crushing cases.The consistency between numerical and analytical results verifies the effectiveness of the proposed method on the prediction of the axial and hoop stiffness of RTPs,which also proves the existence of stiffness surfaces.As the axial stiffness is proportional to the radii,the axial stiffness surface consists of a series of straight lines,which can be used to predict both thin-walled and thick-walled RTPs.Meanwhile,the hoop stiffness is more applicable for thin-walled RTPs because the proposed method ignores the proportional relationship between the homogenized hoop elastic moduli and the reciprocal radii in helical structures.

Study on Hydraulic System Efficiency of Heaving-Buoy Wave Energy Converter

The hydraulic system is the key component in the widely used wave energy converters(WEC).In this paper,we theoretically analyze and describe our investigation of the efficiency of the hydraulic system by simulation and model testing of the combined heaving-buoy WEC.We derive a new governing equation that includes nonlinear hydraulic resistance in the power take-off(PTO).We conducted a physical model experiment based on a 100-kW prototype and applied a hydraulic system with an energy accumulator.The model test results reveal an important parameter related to efficiency with respect to nonlinear hydraulic resistance.We also studied the relationship between the efficiency and the initial conditions.Finally,based on our numerical simulation results,we discuss the effect on efficiency of the gas content of the hydraulic fluid and ways to reduce its impact.

Investigation of the Hydrodynamic Performance of a Novel Semi-Submersible Platform with Multiple Small Columns

This paper presents a novel semi-submersible(SEMI) platform concept, called the multiple small columns(MSC) SEMI that improves upon the hydrodynamic performance of the conventional SEMI. Unlike the conventional SEMI, the proposed MSC SEMI utilizes multiple small circular columns to support the deck and a large pontoon that increases the structural displacement. The novelty of the MSC SEMI is its reduction of the hydrodynamic load on the structure and suppression of its motion response, particularly in the heave direction. The MSC SEMI has the advantages of increasing the added mass, radiation damping, and natural period of the structure. A comprehensive investigation of the hydrodynamic performance of the novel MSC SEMI is conducted in both the time and frequency domains with a special focus on the resulting hydrodynamic load and motion response. Numerical simulation results demonstrate that the MSC SEMI concept can reduce the hydrodynamic load and motion response and improve the hydrodynamic performance of SEMIs as expected.

Experimental Study on the Hydrodynamic Performance of a Heaving Buoy Assembled on a Net Cage Platform

To take advantage of the abundance of both fishery and wave energy resources in offshore sea areas,a novel floating platform with a heaving buoy-based wave energy converter(WEC)assembled with a set of net cages is presented in this work.The floating WEC system provides a power supply,while the net cages are used for aquaculture.It is designed to have an independent and self-operation breeding function.An experimental study is carried out to investigate the hydrodynamic performance of the device in a wave tank considering the factors of net cages,draft depth,and power take-off,and results show that these variables have significant effects on wave energy capture.Incident waves with short periods cause intense interactions that allow the device to undergo large relative motion.The draft depth could be determined according to wave period rather than wave height.This study also explores the response amplitude operator of the device and determines its resonance scope.The experimental results could provide reliable information for future studies on phase differences and the design of two-body WECs.

Probabilistic Analysis and Fatigue Damage Assessment of Offshore Mooring System due to Non-Gaussian Bimodal Tension Processes

Both wave-frequency(WF) and low-frequency(LF) components of mooring tension are in principle non-Gaussian due to nonlinearities in the dynamic system.This paper conducts a comprehensive investigation of applicable probability density functions(PDFs) of mooring tension amplitudes used to assess mooring-line fatigue damage via the spectral method.Short-term statistical characteristics of mooring-line tension responses are firstly investigated,in which the discrepancy arising from Gaussian approximation is revealed by comparing kurtosis and skewness coefficients.Several distribution functions based on present analytical spectral methods are selected to express the statistical distribution of the mooring-line tension amplitudes.Results indicate that the Gamma-type distribution and a linear combination of Dirlik and Tovo-Benasciutti formulas are suitable for separate WF and LF mooring tension components.A novel parametric method based on nonlinear transformations and stochastic optimization is then proposed to increase the effectiveness of mooring-line fatigue assessment due to non-Gaussian bimodal tension responses.Using time domain simulation as a benchmark,its accuracy is further validated using a numerical case study of a moored semi-submersible platform.