bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Case Based Scaling: Recent Developments in Ice Model Testing Technology
Authors: von Bock und Polach R. U. Franz , Ziemer Gesa , Klein Marco , Hartmann Moritz C. N. , Toffoli Alessandro , Monty Jason
Published: December 2020

Model ice testing is the state of the art validation and testing method for ships and structures interacting with ice. Its initial design objective was the prediction of resistance forces of ice breaking ships by using Froude and Cauchy similitude to account to the most significant force ratios. In the ice breaking process the forces due to downward bending are considered most significant and therewith much emphasis was spent on the correct scaling of the bending strength or flexural strength of the model ice. Recent research on the mechanical behavior of model ice shows a significantly higher compliance in downward bending than targeted when following the applied scaling laws. This can lead to scale effects in the resistance force also when testing ice breaking ships. The too compliant ice facilitates an additional ride-up of the ship onto the ice and the vertical motions manifest as additional resistance contribution. The low compliance of model ice also imposes uncertainties on wave-ice interaction tests, which gain increasing significance due to the climatic changes in Polar regions. The modeling of ice break-up due to waves, with the current standard model ice, requires much steeper waves than in full scale as the ice surface needs to experience a much higher deflection to reach the critical failure stress. A similar issue arises for vertical structures exposed to drifting ice. In full-scale a pile-up of ice around the structure is observed and in the contact area so called high-pressure zones may form. Such effects cannot be modeled with classic model ice as it easily bends downwards and produces a failure pattern and failure process very different from full-scale as well as high-pressure zones do not form which is due to the string property gradient in model ice. The mentioned three scenarios are considered being highly relevant in marine research and for the marine industry and therefore this paper introduces two new model ice types with which those scenarios can be modeled. The ‘model ice of virtual equivalent thickness’ uses a different modeling approach to reach a scaled stiffness for improved modeling of waves in ice and ships’ resistance in thicker ice. The ‘wave model ice’ is modeled by using waves in the formation process and can resemble high-pressure-zones acting on a vertical structure. Both methods are considered as an extension to the existing standard model ice for dedicated scenarios by scaling or putting emphasis on different ice properties by altering the production process. The presented approach also emphasizes case-based-scaling, which means that the scaling or the model ice type needs is defined by the modeled scenario as the standard model ice is obviously not fully capable to reflect all properties of sea ice in scale.
Study on Influx Risk Evaluation of Horizontal Gas Wells With High-Pressure High-Temperature in the South China Sea
Authors: Luo Ming , Gao Deli , Zhao Xin , Chen Yuan , Yang Yupeng , Li Zhong , Zhang Wandong , Zhou Xu
Published: December 2020

The South China Sea has rich natural gas source with typical high-pressure high-temperature (HPHT) and the extremely narrow drilling window, which leads to frequent influx, even borehole abandonment. However, horizontal gas wells have been placed in the area to develop the gas reservoir, which presents greater well control challenges. Therefore, the influx risk evaluation is quite necessary to guide the well control design.

Firstly, the influx mechanism is analyzed based on gas intrusion to provide a theoretical basis for well control design. It is found that influx usually occurs when drilling the high-temperature stratums and target layers. Secondly, the relationship between horizontal open-hole length and influx volume is calculated under different reservoir permeability, reservoir thickness, negative bottom hole pressure and horizontal open-hole section length. Thirdly, the characteristics of gas-liquid two-phase flow are described. Fourthly, the inflow risk evaluation and well control strategies of the target horizontal gas wells are proposed, and the influx risk evaluation envelope was established.

The influx risk evaluation and well control strategies have been successfully applied to the DF gas field featuring offshore HPHT. Horizontal gas wells were drilled in the micro pressure window without accidents and the well cost was significantly reduced.
Comparative Study on RAOs of a Ship Under Transient Gaussian Wave Packets by Marginal Hilbert Spectrum and Fourier Spectrum
Authors: Liu Zhen , Fan Sheming , Tao Longbin
Published: December 2020

Sea-keeping model tests of ships based on transient waves have been widely applied over the past several decades. In order to obtain response amplitude operators (RAOs) of a ship, most of the post-processing of the experimental data uses the fast Fourier transform (FFT) to obtain the wave spectrum and the corresponding response spectrum. However, for transient waves related model tests, FFT may produce larger errors due to its characteristics. Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT) is a newly developed signal analysis tool which is suitable for nonlinear and non-stationary data. The application of HHT to the post-processing of the experimental data of sea-keeping model tests of ships has not yet been investigated. In this study, the transient wave packets satisfying a Gaussian wave spectrum were generated in a large towing tank to conduct the sea-keeping model tests of a drilling ship under the condition of head waves, oblique waves and beam waves, respectively. Then the marginal Hilbert spectrum (MHS) in the framework of HHT is introduced to obtain the motion and the acceleration RAOs the drilling ship. In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach, the results based on FFT and regular waves are also presented. It is found that in most cases, in comparison to that by means of FFT, the RAOs of the ship based on the transient Gaussian wave packets by means of MHS agree better with the results based on regular waves, especially for roll motion with significant nonlinear characteristics. Due to the advantages of HHT, the MHS approach employed in this study is expected to play a vital role in more sea-keeping related model tests of ships.
Configuration and Performance Analysis of Deep Ocean Mining Flexible Riser
Authors: Gai Yuxin , Guo Shuangxi , Li Yilun , Li Min , Chen Weimin
Published: December 2020

Deep-sea minerals such as polymetallic nodule, hydrothermal sulphides and ferro-manganese crusts have for long attracted attention as an alternative source of metals to terrestrial deposits. To bring these minerals up to the land, flexible risers are needed. As the mining industry developing towards deep sea area, the conveying system is usually designed as a combination of steel riser and flexible riser. According to different transport requirements, various flexible riser configurations, such as steel catenary riser, lazy-wave riser and saddle-shaped riser, have been proposed. During mining operation, the riser bears gravity, buoyancy, wave and current force, therefore the assessment of structural safety and reliability is quite challenging. In addition, the riser response caused by the mining vehicle motion during working process in a large area should also be considered. To guarantee a safe operation and service life of the riser, it is necessary to carefully design its configuration and to analyze its performance.

In this study, taking the saddle-shaped riser as our model, the influences of main design parameters on the riser configuration, tension and stress are examined. These parameters include the installation position of buoyancy modules, the buoyancy ratio and motion of mining vehicle. Firstly, the analysis model of the riser response is established based on FEM in which the nonlinear large displacement and deformation of the structure are considered. Secondly, through our FEM simulation, the distribution and variation of tension and stress along the axial length of risers with different configurations are presented. Finally, the impacts of the mining vehicle motion on riser response are discussed. Our numerical results show that a small change of the buoyancy position and buoyancy ratio may lead to a significant change of the riser configuration, but a little change of riser tension/stress. And the saddle-shaped riser has a good tolerance performance to the bottom-end excitation.
A Study on Hydrate Inhibition of Marginal Gas Field Development
Authors: Yi Hualei
Published: December 2020

In the marginal gas field development engineering, considering the low gas production with complex reservoir condition, it is difficult to develop independently because of the low economic efficiency. It is usually developed by relying on an existing offshore platform or facility nearby, in which hydrate inhibition is an important issue, and in order to inhibit hydrate formation in the subsea pipeline, hydrate inhibition method should be studied. Based on certain marginal gas field development project in South China Sea, which relies on nearby DPP platform, the paper studies methanol and MEG as inhibitor and application of double-layer insulated subsea pipeline. Finally by technical and economic comparisons, for the first time double-layer insulated pipeline is selected as the hydrate inhibition method to meet requirements of both relying on DPP and achieving better economic benefits, which is expected to provide reference for similar marginal gas field development.
Dynamic Responses of a Spar Type Floating Offshore Wind Turbine With Failed Moorings
Authors: Ren Yajun , Venugopal Vengatesan
Published: December 2020

The complex dynamic characteristics of Floating Offshore Wind Turbines (FOWTs) have raised wider consideration, as they are likely to experience harsher environments and higher instabilities than the bottom fixed offshore wind turbines. Safer design of a mooring system is critical for floating offshore wind turbine structures for station keeping. Failure of mooring lines may lead to further destruction, such as significant changes to the platform’s location and possible collisions with a neighbouring platform and eventually complete loss of the turbine structure may occur.

The present study focuses on the dynamic responses of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)’s OC3-Hywind spar type floating platform with a NREL offshore 5-MW baseline wind turbine under failed mooring conditions using the fully coupled numerical simulation tool FAST. The platform motions in surge, heave and pitch under multiple scenarios are calculated in time-domain. The results describing the FOWT motions in the form of response amplitude operators (RAOs) and spectral densities are presented and discussed in detail. The results indicate that the loss of the mooring system firstly leads to longdistance drift and changes in platform motions. The natural frequencies and the energy contents of the platform motion, the RAOs of the floating structures are affected by the mooring failure to different degrees.
Effect of Spudcan Sliding on Structure and RPD of Jack-Up Platform
Authors: Gao Jie , Duan Menglan
Published: December 2020

In the same sea area, with the increase of the number of operations, the situation of jack up offshore drilling platform carrying out secondary or multiple Jack-up leg embedment operations in the vicinity, or even in the same location will increase year by year. Therefore, the operation of jack up offshore drilling platform makes the sea area “step on the footprints” The problems become more and more frequent, and have a significant impact on the operation safety of offshore platforms. During the “footprint” process of jack-up drilling platform, the spudcan will slide transversely along the direction of Jack-up leg pits to varying degrees. If the sliding distance is too large, the leg or platform structure will be damaged. Based on the symmetrical structure of the three-leg jack-up offshore platform, the bow and the starboard spudcan are slided along x-axis at different angles, respectively. According to the critical bearing capacity of the platform legs, the critical distance of spudcans sliding is calculated. Finally, the relationship between the sliding distance of spudcan in different directions and RPD (Rack phase difference) is obtained by monitoring the RPD value of legs. It provides meaningful guidance for platform designers and operators.
Design Challenges of SCRs in Deepwater and Ultra Deepwater
Authors: Cheng Yongming , Yu Chenteh Alan , Song Hao
Published: December 2020

A riser is a fluid conduit connecting from a subsea well to a surface floating production vessel such as a spar, TLP, or a semi-submersible. It is a key component for transporting produced oil and gas from the subsea wells to the surface production vessel. Through nearly 30 years of design and implementation, Steel Catenary Risers (SCRs) have been found to have the advantages of relatively low manufacturing cost and good adaptability to floating platform’s motion. Thus, SCRs are widely used in GoM and Brazilian water. This paper investigates design challenges of SCRs used for a semi-submersible in deepwater and ultra deepwater.

As the application moves to deepwater and ultra deepwater, challenges of a conventional SCRs increase significantly in terms of global performance, fabrication, and installation. This paper first introduces an SCR system used for a semi-submersible platform. One of the challenges is the harsh environmental condition such as hurricanes or tropical cyclones. Severe motions of a semi-submersible platform may cause significant compression loads on SCRs at the Touch Down Zone (TDZ). It is challenging to design the SCRs to meet API RP 2RD requirement for the riser dynamic strength. Multiple seeds of random motion simulations for irregular wave are necessary for the evaluation. The new riser design code of API STD 2RD can also be used to assess riser strength, especially under 1000-yr survival environmental conditions.

It is challenging to design SCRs to meet a design life of 30 years and beyond. The fatigue assessment of the SCRs considers the damage contributions from the semi wave motions, riser Vortex-Induced Vibration (VIV) due to ambient current, and Vortex-Induced Motion (VIM) of a semi-submersible platform. Fatigue contribution from installation is also considered and included in the combined fatigue damage calculation. The long term combined factored fatigue life is computed to ensure that the SCRs meet the requirement of design life.

This paper further investigates intermittent Vortex-Induced Vibration (VIV) caused by heave motions of a semi-submersible platform. This VIV phenomenon has an impact on SCR strength due to the drag amplification as well as fatigue damage. The installation concerns come from riser pipe size, installation method and capacity of an installation vessel. Examples are provided for illustrations of the design challenges. In addition, this paper explores likely solutions to meet SCR design challenges for the applications in deepwater and ultra deepwater.
Structural Control of the Ultra-Large Semi-Submersible Floating Offshore Wind Turbine
Authors: Li Xin , Zhao Zhixin , Han Dongdong , Zhao Haisheng
Published: December 2020

Taking the DTU 10 MW braceless semi-submersible floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) as the research object, an ideal tuned mass damper (TMD) installed in platform of the 10 MW semi-submersible FOWT is investigated to dynamically compensate the vibrations and reduce the structural loads. Considering the hydrodynamic and mooring effects, a simplified model of FOWT with four degrees of freedom (DOFs) including platform surge, pitch, tower fore-aft bending and TMD translation is established according to the D’Alembert’s principle. Then, based on the Levenberg-Marquardt (LM) algorithm, the unknown parameters related to the simplified model are estimated. Compared with results from FAST-SC, the simplified dynamic model is validated. Furthermore, the response surface method and genetic algorithm (GA) are used to determine the optimized TMD parameter. Finally, the fully coupled time-domain simulation of the FOWT with active TMD subjected to environmental loadings is conducted by using FAST-SC, and the effect of the TMD on the load reduction of the 10 MW braceless semi-submersible FOWT is analyzed. The study provides a feasible method for the structural control of the ultra-large semi-submersible FOWTs.
Model Experimental Research of Ship Section on Structural Ultimate Strength
Authors: Xianyin Chen , Wenyuan Zeng , Cong Li , Wei Wang
Published: December 2020

Focusing on the model design and experimental method research of ultimate strength of ship hull typical section, a large ship with complex section structure was taken in this paper as the research object. The nonlinear analysis on the failure mode and ultimate strength of the hull structure were carried out. The similarity model for ultimate strength experiment was designed, and the validity of the similarity model in reflecting the ultimate bearing capacity of the real ship was verified. According to the experimental results, the ultimate strength experimental value was obtained by numerical conversion. The ultimate bearing capacity of the example ship was then checked with reference to several classification society rules to verify the structural safety of the ship hull.
Lifting Technique of Composite Bucket Foundation for Offshore Wind Turbines
Authors: Ding Hongyan , Feng Zuntao , Zhang Puyang , Le Conghuan
Published: December 2020

The onshore pre-fabrication technology for composite bucket foundations takes “prefabrication-assembly-lifting” as the core concept. The practice of pre-fabrication of upper and lower structures is prefabricated respectively. In the research of hoisting engineering technology, combined with the structural form and construction requirements of composite bucket foundation, the assembly scheme of the upper prestressed concrete transition section and the lower steel bucket and the hoisting scheme of integral foundation with compartments were designed. The finite element model in the lifting process of composite bucket foundation was established by the large-scale general finite element analysis software ABAQUS. For the optimization analysis of the lifting point arrangement during hoisting process, the number, position and arrangement form of lifting points are simulated and analyzed. The results show that the maximum value of the principal stress of the concrete transition section structure appears in the assembly stage with the lower steel bucket, and the structure checking calculation should be carried out as the most unfavorable lifting condition in construction; the peak point of structural stress is at the junction of girder and secondary beams and inner ring beams of concrete roof, which belongs to the weak position of force transmission. In construction, it should be paid attention to as the key part of monitoring to ensure composite bucket foundation is under reasonable stress and the stability in the lifting process. The research results can provide guidance and reference for the future batch production and standardization production construction for composite bucket foundations.
Non Linear Effect on Wave-Induced Loads for Hull Structural Design: Bulk Carrier, Container Carrier, Vehicles Carrier
Authors: Sugimoto Kei , Fukumoto Yusuke , Matsuwaki Junya , Akamatsu Tatsuya , Ashida Shinsaku , Onishi Koeki , Houtani Hidetaka , Oka Masayoshi , Kawabe Hiroshi , Ishibashi Kinya
Published: December 2020

The structural rules of classification societies typically specify various loads corresponding to the most severe sea states which are expected to be encountered by a ship throughout her service life in order to ensure ship structural safety, and these rules also usually define a variety of simplified formulae to aid in the calculation of such loads. In most cases, such formulae have been developed using linear seakeeping codes and linear statistical predictions; such methods, however, do not typically take into account some complex phenomena due to theoretical and methodological limitations. For this reason, the use of values obtained through linear theory alone is often not sufficient to properly evaluate structural strength, and it is, therefore, necessary to consider other things such as non-linear effects and operational effects. Although the structural rules of classification societies normally take into account such effects, most of them generally treat such things simply as either a constant coefficient or as an implicit condition because of the difficulty of expressing such effects mathematically (i.e. as specific formulae) as well as a general lack of prior research related to such effects.

In this paper, the authors present the results of tank tests and numerical calculations carried out in regular and irregular waves using a bulk carrier, a container carrier and a vehicles carrier, and discuss possible ways of improving the non-linear coefficients specified in the IACS Common Structural Rules (CSR) [1]. Load states, including their non-linear effects, were investigated by examining the behavior of ship motions and hydrodynamic pressure. In order to investigate the behavior of pressure in detail, the pressure acting upon the hull surfaces of the target ships was measured at over 300 locations using a FBG sensor, the latest in optical fiber sensor technology [2].
Nonlinear Amplifications in the Air Gap Response of a Deep Draft Semi-Submersible
Authors: Song Anke , Cai Yuanlang , Yang Xiaolong
Published: December 2020

This paper addresses the nonlinear amplifications in the upwelling crests of air gap responses from the wave basin model test of a deep draft semi-submersible in extreme wave condition. Contributions from nonlinear incident waves, vessel motions and wave-body interactions are analyzed separately. Results from the analyses suggest that, nonlinear amplification factors are larger than predictions from second order corrected model for incident and diffracted waves. Low frequency roll and pitch motions will induce larger nonlinear negative vertical motions for points in down-wave area, thus worsen air gap performance. Upwellings are highly related to diffracted wave elevations. Local run-ups due to highly nonlinear wave-body interactions around column walls could result in the nonlinear amplification factors in this area to be up to 230%.
Axial Compression and Collapse Properties of 3D Re-Entrant Hexagonal Auxetic Structures
Authors: Li Pu , Yue Jingxia , Li Xiaobin , Wan Wenchao
Published: December 2020

A three-dimension (3D) re-entrant honeycomb structure which exhibits negative Poisson’s ratio in all three principal directions is modeled from a classical two-dimension (2D) auxetic material. In this work, on the basis of the Castigliano’s second theorem and Timoshenko beam model, the shear deformation and axial deformation of this structure are investigated. And the analytical formulas of the effective modulus and Poisson’s ratio in each principal direction of the honeycomb structure are derived. By comparing the analytical results with the finite element analysis results, the rationality of the formula is verified. Then, the collapse characteristics of honeycomb structures with different mechanical properties under variation impact velocities are studied. The results show that, the deformation of honeycomb structure can be divided into three patterns, “quasi-static” deformation, “transitional” deformation and “local” deformation varied with impact velocities. And due to inertial effect, with the increase of impact velocity, the load-bearing capacity and energy absorption of the structure also increased. In addition to the impact velocity, the cells’ configuration is also a non-negligible factor, and its turns out that the decrease of angle accelerates the deformation state of the honeycomb structure and strengthen the energy-absorption capability after being subjected to impact load.
A Nonlinear Dual Phase Numerical Model to Investigate the Efficiency Response of Varied OWC Chamber Geometries
Authors: Mayon Robert , Ning De-Zhi
Published: December 2020

A three dimensional, fully nonlinear dual phase numerical wave tank model is created using the open source software OpenFOAM. We incorporate a range of varied Oscillating Water Column (OWC) chamber geometries into the model to investigate the influence of chamber shape on the efficiency response of the OWC. The model is validated through comparison with previously published experimentally obtained chamber free surface heights and chamber pressure data sets. A number of simulations are performed over a range of wave periods for each of the chamber geometries investigated. Then, we generate the efficiency response curves for each of the chamber geometries. The results show that the chamber geometry has a significant influence on the OWC efficiency especially in terms of the optimal performance frequency bandwidths. It is observed that the traditional rectangular box shape OWC chamber seems to be the optimal geometry both in terms of maximum efficiency achieved and in terms of the broadest bandwidth to achieve wave energy extraction.
Investigation on Heave Motion and Load Response of a FPSO in Regular Waves by Fully Nonlinear Method
Authors: Wang Jia-Le , Sun Shi-Li , Ren Hui-Long
Published: December 2020

In this paper, the full nonlinear method based on the three-dimensional potential flow theory and the dynamic analysis method of flexible components are combined to simulate the motion and load response of a FPSO in waves. On the boundary of the hull body, the coupled motions are considered in the impenetrable condition. An improved Eulerian method is adopted to trace strongly nonlinear 3-D free surface deformation. In the far field, artificial damping zone is applied to eliminate reflected wave. Rankine source method is adopted to solve the velocity potential in time domain. Hydrodynamic mesh on hull body is generated by using accumulative chord length cubic parameter spline function. After solving Poisson equation, the initial mesh on free surface becomes orthogonal. In each time step, elastic-mesh-technique (EMT) is used to optimize the mesh on free surface. Several auxiliary functions are introduced to decouple the motions and load, and then the fourth-order Runge-Kutta method is adopted to update the numerical model in time domain. For the forces of the mooring system on the hull at each time step, the dynamic equation of the flexible member is established by the dynamic analysis method based on the elastic slender rod mechanical model, and then the equation is discretized into matrix form by the finite element discretization method and solved. The coupled motion of FPSO hull and mooring system in regular waves of various frequencies in various directions is simulated, and the time domain solutions are obtained. RAO of heave motion in each wave direction is given. The load response at the midship section is analyzed.
Possibilities for a Novel Wave Power Generator Using Dielectric Elastomers
Authors: Chiba S. , Waki M. , Jiang C. , Fujita K.
Published: December 2020

As industrialization, worldwide population growth, and improvements in the living standards in developing countries continue, demands for energy, food, and water, likewise surge. This in turn accelerates global warming, and its resultant extreme weather effects. Among the measures proposed to meet the growing energy demands, the use of renewable energy is gaining more and more attention. In particular, wave power generation is attracting a great deal of attention as an effective use of ocean energy. However, current wave generators are large and very expensive relative to their output. Furthermore, they cannot generate power efficiently with wave directivity, small amplitude waves and so on. For these reasons, widespread use is very limited. In order to solve these problems, this paper discusses the possibility of a recently developed wave power generator that uses a newly developed dielectric elastomer (DE) as a new way to harvest renewable energy. We also discuss the technical breakthrough of building a mega power generation system using DEs.
Modeling of a Hydrokinetic Energy Converter With Two Tandem Cylinders in Flow-Induced Oscillations
Authors: Lv Yanfang , Bernitsas Michael M. , Hai Sun
Published: December 2020

Flow Induced Oscillations (FIO) of tandem cylinders can be enhanced to harness hydrokinetic energy by varying the system parameters. In general, the Converter consists of two mass–spring–damper oscillators subjected to transverse FIOs and specifically Vortex Induced Vibrations and galloping. These FIOs are strongly influenced by variations of the inflow velocity, damping, stiffness, mass and in-flow center-to-center spacing L between two tandem cylinders. In turn, those influence the harnessed power and efficiency of the Converter. In previous experiments, the interactions between the cylinders were proven to be beneficial for the synergy of the cylinders. In this paper, modeling of tandem-cylinder converters is studied considering the Converter parameters, aiming at enhancing the cylinder synergy resulting in increased harnessed power by using a backpropagation (BP) neural network. The main conclusions are: (1) The surrogate model is constructed by a BP network using the experimental data to reduce excessive experimentation or computational inaccuracy. The harnessed power at different flow velocities is computed by the present model and is found to be consistent with experimental results not included in the modeling. (2) Increasing the damping ratio (0.20–0.30) of two tandem cylinders is conducive to improve the power efficiency, but has little effect on power harvesting. (3) In galloping, the harnessed power and its corresponding efficiency for the case of L/D = 1.57 perform at a higher level than that of bigger spacing ratios.
A Holistic Method to Enhance the Sustainable Design, Manufacture, Operation, and End-of-Life of Offshore Supply Vessels
Authors: Liang Mincui
Published: December 2020

Nowadays, sustainable development is becoming a worldwide growing concern for the shipping industry. The overall aim of this paper is to develop a holistic method to enhance sustainable design at the design stage of Offshore Supply Vessels. The process and practice of deciding on the alternative hull & structure materials are presented in the case study to verify and validate the method. The technique includes four main parts. Firstly, Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment, which was developed from Life Cycle Assessment, and which has been carried out to analyze the environmental, economic, and social impacts. Secondly, Monetary Valuation is used to convert the results of the Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment. Moreover, Life Cycle Sustainability Costing is used as an accounting tool to aggregate the results from the Monetary Valuation, including environmental cost, economic cost, and social cost. Finally, the results of Life Cycle Sustainability Costing have been analyzed through Sensitivity Analysis to interpret and make sound recommendations. The novelty of this research is the combination of the different methods, as well as its application to Offshore Supply Vessels.
Time Domain Analysis of Single Module Movement of Deep Sea Rights Enforcement Platform
Authors: Yuhan Wang , Hongtao Yuan , Weiwen Kong , Hankun Yang , Huan Zhang
Published: December 2020

Due to its large size, deep sea rights enforcement platform cannot be closed in the dock, so it needs to be dragged to the pre-installed position for module to module connection. Based on the ANSYS AQWA software, a single module finite element model of the platform is established to solve the security problem of the far-reaching maritime rights enforcement platform in the sea. The hydrodynamic coefficient and the transfer function of the motion response are calculated in the frequency domain, and the response spectrum analysis is carried out. It is worth noting that the single module is a trapezoidal asymmetric structure, so the shape influence on the calculation results will be focused on. The results show that the motion response of the single module is greatly influenced by the wave cycle and the wave direction, because the single module of the platform is a trapezoid asymmetric structure, and the hydrodynamic coefficients are different under different incident waves. Through comparison and parameter analysis, the rationality of the single module design and the good motion performance under the actual sea condition are verified.
Development of 3D FE Models for Incremental Forming Process Analysis of UOE Linepipes
Authors: Wen Shuwen , Li Jun , Fan Zhuozhi , Zhang Shu Yan , Zhang Peng , Connelly Martin
Published: December 2020

Three dimensional (3D) FE models have been developed for simulation of the incremental forming processes employed in UOE linepipe manufacturing at Tata Steel Hartlepool 42” Pipe Mill, namely edge crimping (C-press) and pipe expansion (expander). Transitional zone behaviour resulted from both forming operations as previously identified in practice has been revealed, for the first time, by the 3D FE simulations and preliminarily analysed. It was demonstrated that the transitional zone features observed in both edge crimping and pipe expansion were initiated in the plate/pipe feed-in side/area of the dies, and then formed within the working length/face of the forming dies. Detailed examination and analysis of the FE results, in terms of plastic strain and residual stress patterns as well as contact pressure distributions, have shown that the initiation of the transitional zone features was due to the redundant plastic deformation caused by (cantilever) bending in the material feed-in area of the dies mainly along the longitudinal direction. It is therefore believed that minimisation/elimination of such redundant plastic bending effect in the longitudinal direction would lead to minimisation/elimination of the unfavourable deformation features in the so-called transitional zones, which could be achieved through improved die designs and possibly forming process parameter settings.
Research on Position Keeping and Path Following Strategy for the Under-Actuated Waved Glider
Authors: Wang Peng , Tian Xinliang , Zhang Xiantao , Wang Daoyong , Guo Xiaoxian
Published: December 2020

Wave glider is a novel autonomous surface vehicle that uses energy from surface waves for propulsion. However, because it is inherently under-actuated, multi-variable and strong coupled, it is challenging to control the wave glider accurately under the environmental disturbances. In this study, a novel robust position keeping guidance strategy and an advanced path following approach for the under-actuated wave glider based on restricted circle are firstly developed. Furthermore, an 8-DOFs (Degree-of-Freedom) mathematical model for the under-actuated wave glider is adopted, and the position keeping and path following tasks of the wave glider are conducted in simulation. The results demonstrate that the under-actuated wave glider is able to accomplish the position keeping and path following tasks with the proposed strategies.
Deep Convolutional Recurrent Autoencoders for Flow Field Prediction
Authors: Bukka Sandeep R. , Magee Allan Ross , Jaiman Rajeev K.
Published: December 2020

In this paper, an end-to-end nonlinear model reduction methodology is presented based on the convolutional recurrent autoencoder networks. The methodology is developed in the context of overall data-driven reduced order model framework proposed in the paper. The basic idea behind the methodology is to obtain the low dimensional representations via convolutional neural networks and evolve these low dimensional features via recurrent neural networks in time domain. The high dimensional representations are constructed from the evolved low dimensional features via transpose convolutional neural networks. With an unsupervised training strategy, the model serves as an end to end tool which can evolve the flow state of the nonlinear dynamical system. The convolutional recurrent autoencoder network model is applied on the problem of flow past bluff bodies for the first time. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the methodology, two canonical problems namely the flow past plain cylinder and the flow past side-by-side cylinders are explored in this paper. Pressure and velocity fields of the unsteady flow are predicted in future via the convolutional recurrent autoencoder model. The performance of the model is satisfactory for both the problems. Specifically, the multiscale nature and the gap flow dynamics of the side-by-side cylinders are captured by the proposed data-driven model reduction methodology. The error metrics, the normalized squared error and the normalized reconstruction error are considered for the assessment of the data-driven framework.
Materials for Well Integrity: Characterization of Short-Term Mechanical Properties
Authors: Kamali Mohammadreza , Khalifeh Mahmoud , Saasen Arild , Delabroy Laurent
Published: December 2020

Integrated zonal isolation is well-known as a key parameter for safe drilling operation and well completion of oil and gas wells. An extensive research on alternative materials has been conducted in the past concerning primary cementing, overcoming annular leaks, and permanent well abandonment. The present article focuses on geopolymers, expansive cement, pozzolan based sealant and thermosetting resins.

The viscous behavior and the pumpability of the different materials have been investigated and benchmarked with the properties of neat class G Portland cement. The current study includes short-term mechanical properties of the above-mentioned materials. These properties include compressive strength development, Young’s modulus, indirect tensile strength, and sonic strength. The tests are performed in accordance with API 10B-2 and ASTM D3967-16 for all the materials for 1, 3, 5, and 7-day of curing at 90°C and elevated (172 bar) and atmospheric pressures. Our results show a mixed behavior from the materials. According to uniaxial compressive test results, all the candidate barrier materials developed strength during the considered period; however, the geopolymer and pozzolanic-based mixture did not develop early strength. The expansive cement showed an acceptable early compressive strength, but strength reduction was noticed after some time. The strength reduction of expansive cement was also observed for the indirect tensile strength. All the materials become stiffer overtime as they made more strength. For the neat class G cement and expansive cement, the Young’s modulus showed a minimum after 5 days, but it was increased.
A Global Operability Index for an Offshore Vessel
Authors: Mauro Francesco , Nabergoj Radoslav
Published: December 2020

For the operability evaluation of an offshore unit, it is usual to adopt specific working limiting criteria dealing with ship motions and accelerations. These criteria given by operators reflect the ability of the vessel (or crew) to accomplish a precise target in an operative scenario with different meteorological conditions. However, an offshore vessel needs also to keep a determined position and heading during working operations. That means designers or operators have to consider criteria associated both with seakeeping and station keeping to evaluate the effective operability of the vessel. Traditionally, early design stage operability analyses do not combine seakeeping and station keeping predictions, which are referring to different working environments. Here, an innovative procedure allows to evaluate the joint operability of an offshore unit, adopting scatter diagrams for local environmental conditions. The method has been applied on a Pipe-Laying vessel, assessing the global operability for different areas of commercial interest.
Global Hierarchical Models for Wind and Wave Contours: Physical Interpretations of the Dependence Functions
Authors: Haselsteiner Andreas F. , Sander Aljoscha , Ohlendorf Jan-Hendrik , Thoben Klaus-Dieter
Published: December 2020

Applications such as the design of offshore wind turbines requires the estimation of the joint distribution of variables like wind speed, wave height and wave period. The joint distribution can then be used, for example, to define design load cases using the environmental contour method. Often the joint distribution is described using so-called global hierarchical models. In these models, one variable is taken as independent and the other variables are modelled to be conditional on this variable using particular dependence functions. In this paper, we propose to use dependence functions that offer physical interpretation. We define a novel dependence function that describes how the median of the zero-up-crossing period increases with significant wave height and a novel dependence function that describes how the median significant wave height increases with wind speed. These dependence functions allow us to reason about the physical meaning, even when we extrapolate outside the range of a given sample of environmental data. In addition, we can analyze the estimated parameters of the dependence function to speculate which kind of sea dominates at a given site. We fitted statistical models with the proposed dependence functions to six datasets and analyzed the estimated parameters. Then we calculated environmental contours based on these estimated joint distributions. The environmental contours had physically reasonable shapes, even at areas that were outside the datasets that were used to fit the underlying distributions.
Nonlinear Fourier Analysis of Free-Surface Buoy Data Using the Software Library FNFT
Authors: Wahls Sander , Bruehl Markus , Fan Yang-Ming , Huang Ching-Jer
Published: December 2020

Nonlinear Fourier Analysis (NFA) is a powerful tool for the analysis of hydrodynamic processes. The unique capabilities of NFA include, but are not limited to, the detection of hidden solitons and the detection of modulation instability, which are essential for the understanding of nonlinear phenomena such as rogue waves. However, even though NFA has been applied to many interesting problems, it remains a non-standard tool. Recently, an open source software library called FNFT has been released to the public. (FNFT is short for “Fast Nonlinear Fourier Transforms”.) The library in particular contains code for the efficient numerical NFA of hydrodynamic processes that are approximately governed by the nonlinear Schroedinger equation with periodic boundary conditions. Waves in deep water are a prime example for such a process. In this paper, we use FNFT to perform an exemplary NFA of typhoon data collected by wave buoys at the coast of Taiwan. Our goals are a) to demonstrate the application of FNFT in a practical scenario, and b) to compare the results of a NFA to an analysis based on the conventional linear Fourier transform. The exposition is deliberately educational, hopefully enabling others to use FNFT for similar analyses of their own data.
The Effects of Solid-Liquid Internal Flow on the Dynamic Behavior of a Reduced-Scale Jumper for Deep-Sea Mining
Authors: Yamamoto Marcio , Fujiwara Tomo , Kanada Shigeo , Ono Masao , Takano Satoru , Yamamoto Joji , Masanobu Sotaro
Published: December 2020

For the exploitation of seafloor massive sulfides, we have investigated the dynamic behavior of the jumper, a piece of flexible pipe that connects the seafloor mining tool to the subsea slurry pump.

In this article, we present the results of the experiment using a 1/5 reduced-scale model of the jumper. This experiment was carried out in Deep-Sea Basin. During the experiment, a slurry fluid was conveyed throughout the jumper’s model. In addition, an oscillator generated harmonic motion on the top end of the model. In terms of instrumentation, we installed load cells on the top and bottom ends of the model and a 3D visual measurement system tracked the motion of measurement stations attached to the model.

We present the experimental results measured by the 3D visual measurement system, loads cells, and differential pressure gauges in the cases where a vertically forced oscillation is imposed on the top of the jumper.

In this experiment, we could observe the effects of slurry on the jumper reduced-scale model. Since the slurry has a larger density than the single liquid phase, the slurry flow changed, as expected, the static shape of the jumper compared to a jumper conveying only water. The vertical top force average and differential pressure average increase with the volume concentration of solid, while their amplitudes increase quadratically with the forced oscillation frequency.
A Novel Hybrid Method of Pre-Tension Adjustment of Mooring Lines in the Model Test
Authors: Du Junfeng , Wang Hongchao , Chang Anteng , Sun Mingyuan , Wang Junrong , Zhang Min
Published: December 2020

Mooring lines are the most commonly used station-keeping systems for floating platforms, and the pre-tension of the mooring lines has significant effect on the dynamics of floater/mooring system. However, during the model test, which is the most important method for the research on the floater/mooring system, the pre-tension of the designed mooring lines in the basin are always significantly different with the target values of the ideal model due to the error of the manufacture of the mooring lines and positon locating of the anchor point and so on. As a result, the adjustment of the pretension of the mooring lines based on the ideal model is an important task during the model test. The pre-tension is always adjusted by increasing or decreasing mooring line length. While all the mooring lines are connected with the floater and coupled with each other, pre-tension adjustment is an unwarranted and cyclic process which often wastes a lot of time.

This paper presents a novel methodology for regulating the mooring line pre-tension based on matrix calculation. The increment matrix of the mooring line tension can be obtained by increasing or decreasing the length of each mooring line in the numerical model. Assuming that the increment the mooring line tension is linear to the change of the mooring line length, the adjustment amount of each mooring line length can be calculated from the difference of the real pre-tension and the target pre-tension. However, the mooring line tension is always nonlinear to the mooring line length. Calculating the increment matrix of the mooring line tension and adjustment of the mooring line length is also a cyclic process until the error of real pre-tension of the model in the basin and target value can meet the accuracy requirement. This method is used in a model of a mooring system with 12 mooring lines which are connected with a semi-submersible platform. The test results show that the pre-tension of mooring lines can be adjusted to the target value quickly based on the method proposed in this paper.