In Japan, the use of offshore renewable energy is expected to spread. National Maritime Research Institute had been studying the safety of floating power generation facilities for several years. As a part of these studies, Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) was also studied. As part of the study, model tests and numerical simulations were conducted to confirm the specific phenomena of floating OTEC. The unique structures of the floating OTEC are very long and thick cold water pipes (CWP) with unanchored ends. In this case, it is necessary to consider the Vortex Induced Vibration (VIV). 
In order to simulate the VIV in tank tests, it is necessary to take the similarity law into consideration when conducting tests on a scaled model. For this purpose, it is necessary to match the cross-sectional coefficient of the model. The tank tests were conducted using CWP models made of materials that fit the similarity law. 
It is necessary to confirm whether a future company that manufactures and operates a floating OTEC can simulate it numerically. Therefore, a numerical simulation was carried out by using a popular software to simulate the behavior of offshore structures. 
Based on the results of the tank tests and the numerical simulation, we confirmed the necessary items for safety evaluation.

Tank Test and Numerical Simulation of Spar Type Floating OTEC

Paper Proceedings: https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/OMAE/OMAE2021/volume/85116

OMAE 2021

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