Prediction of hydrodynamic performance of an FLNG system in side-by-side offloading operation

Floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) is a type of liquefied natural gas (LNG) production system that shows prospects in exploitation of stranded offshore gas fields. The dynamic performance of an FLNG system in side-by-side configuration with a LNG carrier under the combined actions of wave, current and wind can be quite complex. This paper presents a comprehensive study on the hydrodynamics of an FLNG system with a focus on the nonlinear coupling effects of vessels and connection systems based on the concept FLNG prototype recently designed for South China Sea. In this study, the hydrodynamic characteristics of the two floating vessels connected through hawsers and fenders are investigated using a state-of-the-art time-domain simulation code SIMO, considering their mechanical and hydrodynamic coupling effects. The simulation model consisting of FLNG and LNG carrier is developed and calibrated by a series of model tests including a tuned damping and viscous levels. The hydrodynamic performances of the two floating vessels under an extreme sea state during side-by-side offloading operation are obtained, and their relative motions and the force responses of the connection hawsers and fenders are analyzed. Sensitivity studies are conducted to clarify contributions from the pretension and the stiffness of the connection hawsers. The effects on the hydrodynamic performance of the vessels and on the loads of the connection system are also investigated.     

A Novel Scheme for Calculating Pressure Fluctuations Used in Lagrangian-Eulerian Particulate Dispersion Codes

A novel scheme for pressure fluctuations in turbulent flows is developed. The pressure fluctuations are sensitive parameter in some of the fluid phenomena. In the computational methods and modeling turbulence flow, the pressure fluctuations are eliminated after averaging of the Navier-Stokes equations, and only average pressure could be calculated. In this research, the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations are computed using SIMPLE method. The Reynolds stress transport model (RSTM) is used to determine the Reynolds stresses and the flow details. The velocity fluctuations are simulated using the Kraichnan model. The Poisson equation for the pressure fluctuations is obtained by taking the divergence of the incompressible momentum equation and algebraic operations, and this equation is numerically solved by finite difference method. The effects of Reynolds number on the pressure fluctuations are studied.     

Projection conditions on the vorticity in viscous incompressible flows

The problem of establishing appropriate conditions for the vorticity transport equation is considered. It is shown that, in viscous incompressible flows, the boundary conditions on the velocity imply conditions of an integral type on the vorticity. These conditions determine a projection of the vorticity field on the linear manifold of the harmonic vector fields. Some computational consequences of the above result in two-dimensional calculations by means of the nonprimitive variables, stream function and vorticity, are examined. As an example of the application of the discrete analogue of the projection conditions, numerical solutions of the driven cavity problem are reported.     

Computational experience with the Chow—Yorke algorithm

The Chow—Yorke algorithm is a nonsimplicial homotopy type method for computing Brouwer fixed points that is globally convergent. It is efficient and accurate for fixed point problems. L.T. Watson, T.Y. Li, and C.Y. Wang have adapted the method for zero finding problems, the nonlinear complementarity problem, and nonlinear two-point boundary value problems. Here theoretical justification is given for applying the method to some mathematical programming problems, and computational results are presented.This work was partially supported by NSF Grant MCS 7821337.     

Multivariate Normal Probabilities: Implementing an Old Idea of Plackett's

This article describes a reduction formula for the computation of multivariate normal probabilities first developed by Plackett. The method is recursive and, despite very promising results, seems not to have been implemented before. Extensive numerical results are given to compare the effectiveness of the approach to other methods from the literature.     

A Parallel 3D Unsteady Flow Analysis in an Asymmetrically Constricted Vessel

In this study, parallel computation of unsteady incompressible flow in an asymmetrically constricted 3D vessel has been presented. A time accurate cell centered finite volume method (FVM) in conjunction with pseudo-compressibility technique and Roe's flux difference splitting of nonlinear terms has been employed for solving the Navier-Stokes (NS) equations on the multiple instruction multiple data (MIMD) machine VPP700. The influence of Reynolds' number ( Re ) and the Strouhal number ( St ) on flow dynamic factors like wall pressure (WP), wall shear stress (WSS), central axis velocity (CAV), etc., have been analyzed. Three-dimensional (3D) features in the formation and detachment of separation zones, which are sensitive to both Re and St have been noticed on the diverging wall of the constriction.     

Lattice-Boltzmann simulations of dynamic interfacial tension due to soluble amphiphilic surfactant

An amphiphilic Lattice-Boltzmann approach is adopted to model dynamic interfacial tension due to non-ionic surfactant. In the current system, the surfactant adsorption kinetics is diffusion dominated and the interface separates two immiscible fluids. A rotational relaxation time and a diffusive/viscous relaxation time are associated with the surfactant. The model results are compared with experimental data for the dynamic interfacial tension of a pendant oil droplet in water, with oil soluble surfactant. We demonstrate how to adapt and calibrate the model to capture the adsorption timescale of the surfactant and the magnitude of interfacial tension reduction due to surfactant. A scheme to overcome numerical instabilities due to the relatively low surfactant concentration, is devised. We are able to qualitatively match the Frumkin equation of state for the interfacial tension.     

Global Optimization using a Dynamical Systems Approach

We develop new algorithms for global optimization by combining well known branch and bound methods with multilevel subdivision techniques for the computation of invariant sets of dynamical systems. The basic idea is to view iteration schemes for local optimization problems – e.g. Newton’s method or conjugate gradient methods – as dynamical systems and to compute set coverings of their fixed points. The combination with bounding techniques allow for the computation of coverings of the global optima only. We show convergence of the new algorithms and present a particular implementation. Michael Dellnitz - Research of the authors is partially supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft within the Sonderforschungsbereich 376     

Modélisation de fissures elliptiques internes par hybridation de fonctions de poidsEmbedded elliptical cracks modeling with hybridization of weight functions

A method improving the evaluation of the stress intensity factor by hybridization of two weight functions is presented and applied to embedded elliptical cracks under various loadings. The hybridization consists in using one or the other function in the zone of the crack where it is the most efficient. The delimitation of the two zones is achieved after optimizing the axes ratio and the curvature radius of the crack. During this optimization we seek to reduce the effects of the singularities present in the weight functions as well as to take better into account the influence of the ellipse curvature. To cite this article: B. El Khalil Hachi et al., C. R. Mecanique 334 (2006).     

Analysis of Newton’s Method to Compute Travelling Waves in Discrete Media

We present a variant of Newton’s method for computing travelling wave solutions to scalar bistable lattice differential equations. We prove that the method converges to a solution, obtain existence and uniqueness of solutions to such equations with a small second order term and study the limiting behaviour of such solutions as this second order term tends to zero. The robustness of the algorithm will be discussed using numerical examples. These results will also be used to illustrate phenomena like propagation failure, which are encountered when studying lattice differential equations. We finish by discussing the broad application range of the method and illustrate that higher dimensional systems exhibit richer behaviour than their scalar counterparts.