Project includes several efforts related to improving the understanding of ocean turbulence and how to predict its effect on offshore structures, particularly Spars; Collaborate with DeepStar on planning of a field measurement program to gather data on ocean turbulence and on use of DeepStar experimental test data to validate a CFD model of turbulent flow interactions with a Spar platform. Collaborate with design and analysis of CFD experiments to study the effect of ocean turbulence on Vortex-Induced Motions of Spar platforms. CFD model is being developed in another OTRC project for MMS.

Develop a model for generating turbulent velocity fields that can be incorporated as upstream boundary conditions in CFD simulations.

Previously developed preliminary model for generating turbulent velocity fields was exercised to generate 2-D flow field for 2 test cases in a separate OTRC project, the 1st at Reynolds Re = 150 and Re = 1000. These velocity fields were used as upstream boundary conditions in CFD simulations of the flow around a bare cylinder that is fixed in space. Preliminary results underscore the importance of a need for better understanding the large-scale structure of turbulence in the ocean. Presently, a 3rd test is being readied for a turbulent velocity field of Re = 10000.

Additionally, it was found that the algorithm employed was found to be slow and inefficient, even at the 2-D simulations. Consequently, project effort is being focused on improving the efficiency and robustness of the algorithm for use in future 3-D CFD simulations.

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Last Updated: 09/08/2008, 09:57 AM