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ABS and the National University of Singapore’s Centre for Offshore Research & Engineering (CORE) recently teamed up to offer a one-day seminar on “CFD Simulation of Fluid-Structure Interactions Including Violent Free Surface Motions.” Various computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations can be applied to offshore structures. For example, simulations can show the impact on deepwater risers undergoing vortex-induced vibrations (VIV) in uniform and sheared currents. “The VIV can produce a high level of fatigue damage in a relatively short period of time for risers exposed to severe current environments,” says Jer-Fang Wu, Staff Consultant, ABS’ Singapore Offshore Technology Center (SOTC). Furthermore, wake interference between various risers in the same riser array may also lead to collisions between adjacent risers.

ABS can demonstrate to operators, with CFD simulation scenarios, the VIV of long flexible risers, interference of riser arrays in tandem, side-and-side, square, and diamond arrangements, plus vortex suppression by fairing and helical strakes, and riser fatigue analysis.

Also complex free surface problems such as wave overtopping on offshore platforms can be simulated.

One of the world’s leading CFD professionals, Professor Hamn-Ching Chen from the Ocean Engineering Program at Texas A&M University attended and presented an overview of the finite-analytic Navier-Stokes numerical method for turbulence modeling which takes into account simulation of fluid-structure interaction problems.

For more information regarding ABS’ latest research and technology initiatives aimed at offshore structures, contact Jer-Fang Wu at jwu@eagle.org