No description available.

This thesis aims at presenting the Discrete Vortex Method (DVM) as a tool to determine the flow field and associated wind loads over structures. Two structures are considered: the first is a surface-mounted prism and is used to simulate wind loads over low-rise structures. The second is a bridge section with attached flaps that can be oriented to vary the moment coefficient. Advantages and disadvantages of using DVM for these applications are discussed. For the surface-mounted prism, the results show that the developed code correctly predicts the flow separation around the corners. As for the surface pressures, it is concluded that parallel processing, which could be easily implemented for DVM, should be used to correctly predict surface pressures and their variations. This is due to the required slow time advancement of the computations. The results on attaching flaps to bridge sections yield required orientations to minimize moments under different angles of attack. / Master of Science

O presente trabalho tem como objetivo investigar o fenômeno de vibração induzida por vórtices (VIV) em cilindros com razão de aspecto elevada. Para alcançar tal objetivo, utilizou-se o código computacional denominado ANFLEX-CFD devidamente validado através de comparações com resultados experimentais. O foco do estudo é voltado para a análise do fenômeno de VIV, causado pelo desprendimento de vórtices ao redor de cilindros, e seu efeito no comportamento estrutural desses corpos rombudos. O programa computacional utiliza o Método dos Vórtices Discretos (Discrete Vortex Method - DVM) para o cálculo das forças hidrodinâmicas, acoplado ao modelo estrutural do ANFLEX que utiliza o método dos elementos finitos para resolver a estrutura e determinar seus deslocamentos. Os ensaios que serviram para comparação dos resultados foram os realizados no tanque da IFREMER, na França. Os resultados numéricos apresentaram uma boa concordância com o experimento para as maiores velocidades de corrente, o que pode ser justificado pela menor influência da tração perante o arrasto. A partir dos resultados pode-se afirmar que o ANFLEX-CFD é uma ferramenta útil na predição do fenômeno de VIV e pode se tornar uma ferramenta fundamental na determinação da vida útil à fadiga de elementos estruturais como os risers da indústria petrolífera offshore. / This thesis aims to instigate vortex-induced vibration on circular cylinders with high aspect ratio. In order to do so, the computer code named ANFLEX-CFD is employed, and this code is validated using experimental tests results. The focus of the study is to analyze VIV phenomenon caused by the vortex shedding around circular cylinders, and its effect on the structural behavior of these bluff bodies. The computer program uses the Discrete Vortex Method (DVM) for the assessment of the hydrodynamic forces, coupled with the structural model of ANFLEX that uses the finite element method to solve the structure displacements. The tests used in the comparison were the ones carried out at IFREMER tank in France. The numerical results have shown a good agreement with the experimental results at the highest current velocity as a result of the decreasing influence of the tension on the drag. As conclusion, it can be said that the ANFLEX-CFD can become a useful tool for predicting the VIV phenomenon and therefore in a near future become a fundamental tool in determining the fatigue life of structural components such as the offshore oil industry risers.

O presente trabalho tem como objetivo investigar o fenômeno de vibração induzida por vórtices (VIV) em cilindros com razão de aspecto elevada. Para alcançar tal objetivo, utilizou-se o código computacional denominado ANFLEX-CFD devidamente validado através de comparações com resultados experimentais. O foco do estudo é voltado para a análise do fenômeno de VIV, causado pelo desprendimento de vórtices ao redor de cilindros, e seu efeito no comportamento estrutural desses corpos rombudos. O programa computacional utiliza o Método dos Vórtices Discretos (Discrete Vortex Method - DVM) para o cálculo das forças hidrodinâmicas, acoplado ao modelo estrutural do ANFLEX que utiliza o método dos elementos finitos para resolver a estrutura e determinar seus deslocamentos. Os ensaios que serviram para comparação dos resultados foram os realizados no tanque da IFREMER, na França. Os resultados numéricos apresentaram uma boa concordância com o experimento para as maiores velocidades de corrente, o que pode ser justificado pela menor influência da tração perante o arrasto. A partir dos resultados pode-se afirmar que o ANFLEX-CFD é uma ferramenta útil na predição do fenômeno de VIV e pode se tornar uma ferramenta fundamental na determinação da vida útil à fadiga de elementos estruturais como os risers da indústria petrolífera offshore. / This thesis aims to instigate vortex-induced vibration on circular cylinders with high aspect ratio. In order to do so, the computer code named ANFLEX-CFD is employed, and this code is validated using experimental tests results. The focus of the study is to analyze VIV phenomenon caused by the vortex shedding around circular cylinders, and its effect on the structural behavior of these bluff bodies. The computer program uses the Discrete Vortex Method (DVM) for the assessment of the hydrodynamic forces, coupled with the structural model of ANFLEX that uses the finite element method to solve the structure displacements. The tests used in the comparison were the ones carried out at IFREMER tank in France. The numerical results have shown a good agreement with the experimental results at the highest current velocity as a result of the decreasing influence of the tension on the drag. As conclusion, it can be said that the ANFLEX-CFD can become a useful tool for predicting the VIV phenomenon and therefore in a near future become a fundamental tool in determining the fatigue life of structural components such as the offshore oil industry risers.

A tidal current turbine is a device functioning in a manner similar to wind turbine for harnessing energy from tidal currents, a group of which is called a farm. The existing approaches used to predict power from tidal current turbine farms oversimplify the hydrodynamic interactions between turbines, which significantly affects the results. The major focus of this dissertation is to study the relationship between turbine distribution (the relative position of the turbines) and the hydrodynamic interactions between turbines, and its impact on the power from a farm. A new formulation of the discrete vortex method (DVM-UBC) is proposed to describe the behavior of turbines and unsteady flow mathematically, and a numerical model is developed to predict the performance, the unsteady wake and acoustic emission of a stand-alone turbine using DVM-UBC. Good agreement is obtained between the results obtained with DVM-UBC and published numerical and experimental results. Then, another numerical model is developed to predict the performance, wake and acoustic emission of a two-turbine system using DVM-UBC. The results show that the power of a two-turbine system with optimal relative position is about 25% more than two times that of a stand-alone turbine under the same conditions. The torque such a system may fluctuate 50% less than that of a stand-alone turbine. The acoustic emission of such a system may be 35% less than that of a stand-alone turbine. As an extension, a numerical procedure is developed to estimate the efficiency of an N-turbine system by using a linear theory together with the two-turbine system model. By integrating above hydrodynamic models for predicting power and a newly-developed Operation and Maintenance (O&M) model for predicting the cost, a system model is framed to estimate the energy cost using a scenario-based cost-effectiveness analysis. This model can estimate the energy cost more accurately than the previous models because it breaks down turbine’s components and O&M strategies in much greater detail when studying the hydrodynamics and reliability of the turbine. This dissertation provides a design tool for farm planners, and shed light on other disciplines such as environmental sciences and oceanography.

A tidal current turbine is a device functioning in a manner similar to wind turbine for harnessing energy from tidal currents, a group of which is called a farm. The existing approaches used to predict power from tidal current turbine farms oversimplify the hydrodynamic interactions between turbines, which significantly affects the results. The major focus of this dissertation is to study the relationship between turbine distribution (the relative position of the turbines) and the hydrodynamic interactions between turbines, and its impact on the power from a farm. A new formulation of the discrete vortex method (DVM-UBC) is proposed to describe the behavior of turbines and unsteady flow mathematically, and a numerical model is developed to predict the performance, the unsteady wake and acoustic emission of a stand-alone turbine using DVM-UBC. Good agreement is obtained between the results obtained with DVM-UBC and published numerical and experimental results. Then, another numerical model is developed to predict the performance, wake and acoustic emission of a two-turbine system using DVM-UBC. The results show that the power of a two-turbine system with optimal relative position is about 25% more than two times that of a stand-alone turbine under the same conditions. The torque such a system may fluctuate 50% less than that of a stand-alone turbine. The acoustic emission of such a system may be 35% less than that of a stand-alone turbine. As an extension, a numerical procedure is developed to estimate the efficiency of an N-turbine system by using a linear theory together with the two-turbine system model. By integrating above hydrodynamic models for predicting power and a newly-developed Operation and Maintenance (O&M) model for predicting the cost, a system model is framed to estimate the energy cost using a scenario-based cost-effectiveness analysis. This model can estimate the energy cost more accurately than the previous models because it breaks down turbine’s components and O&M strategies in much greater detail when studying the hydrodynamics and reliability of the turbine. This dissertation provides a design tool for farm planners, and shed light on other disciplines such as environmental sciences and oceanography.

A tidal current turbine is a device functioning in a manner similar to wind turbine for harnessing energy from tidal currents, a group of which is called a farm. The existing approaches used to predict power from tidal current turbine farms oversimplify the hydrodynamic interactions between turbines, which significantly affects the results. The major focus of this dissertation is to study the relationship between turbine distribution (the relative position of the turbines) and the hydrodynamic interactions between turbines, and its impact on the power from a farm. A new formulation of the discrete vortex method (DVM-UBC) is proposed to describe the behavior of turbines and unsteady flow mathematically, and a numerical model is developed to predict the performance, the unsteady wake and acoustic emission of a stand-alone turbine using DVM-UBC. Good agreement is obtained between the results obtained with DVM-UBC and published numerical and experimental results. Then, another numerical model is developed to predict the performance, wake and acoustic emission of a two-turbine system using DVM-UBC. The results show that the power of a two-turbine system with optimal relative position is about 25% more than two times that of a stand-alone turbine under the same conditions. The torque such a system may fluctuate 50% less than that of a stand-alone turbine. The acoustic emission of such a system may be 35% less than that of a stand-alone turbine. As an extension, a numerical procedure is developed to estimate the efficiency of an N-turbine system by using a linear theory together with the two-turbine system model. By integrating above hydrodynamic models for predicting power and a newly-developed Operation and Maintenance (O&M) model for predicting the cost, a system model is framed to estimate the energy cost using a scenario-based cost-effectiveness analysis. This model can estimate the energy cost more accurately than the previous models because it breaks down turbine’s components and O&M strategies in much greater detail when studying the hydrodynamics and reliability of the turbine. This dissertation provides a design tool for farm planners, and shed light on other disciplines such as environmental sciences and oceanography. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Mechanical Engineering, Department of / Graduate

No description available.

O presente trabalho tem como objetivo realizar um estudo comparativo entre os três métodos para obtenção das características aerodinâmicas de tabuleiros de pontes: analítico, experimental e numérico. O tema é motivado pelo crescimento das necessidades de conhecimento científico e tecnológico na área de desempenho aerodinâmico de seções típicas de pontes nas etapas mais iniciais de projeto. A precisão de uma ferramenta de previsão certamente acelera a convergência ao modelo final; porém, qualquer metodologia numérica deve ser extensivamente testada antes de ser utilizada nos escritórios de cálculo. Inicialmente mostra-se a lógica da análise de instabilidades provocadas pelo vento, resume-se a modelagem de tabuleiros de pontes para ensaios em túnel de vento e descreve-se o método numérico implementado no programa comercial de análise de pontes RM. Comparam-se dados disponíveis de testes de modelos reduzidos no túnel de vento com as estimativas de aproximação do Método da Vorticidade em Partículas (MVP). Confrontam-se resultados para casos clássicos, um estudo paramétrico, dados dos relatórios de três pontes Brasileiras já ensaiadas no Túnel de Vento Joaquim Blessmann do LAC – PPGEC/UFRGS: Paulicéia, Guamá e Roberto Marinho. Finalmente, considera-se o método experimental como preciso e julga-se o método numérico comparativamente, analisando a confiabilidade dos resultados e procurando definir a sua faixa de aplicabilidade. Examinando a variabilidade dos resultados, bastante baixa, definiu-se sua faixa de aplicação considerando os resultados obtidos como satisfatórios para projetos básicos e executivos de estruturas; necessitando, porém, para os casos especiais, de comprovação experimental em túnel de vento antes da sua execução. Exemplifica-se então o uso do método para alguns problemas de análises de seções. Os resultados e comparações corroboram verificações anteriores do método dos vórtices discretos para verdadeiras seções de pontes e mostram porque o seu uso vem se tornando cada vez mais aceitável. / The work has the objective to realize a comparative study between three methods to obtain bridge aerodynamic coefficients: analytic, experimental and numerical. The theme is motivated by the increasing need of knowledge about the aerodynamic behaviour of bridge decks in the early stages of the design process. The accuracy of a predictive tool will certainly accelerate the convergence to the final design. However, any numerical methodology must be extensively tested ascertain and hence validated before it becomes of current use by designers. Collaboration is made comparing wind tunnel data of reduced models and numerical estimations by a simplified approach. After a brief overview of wind loading and wind tunnel modeling, the bridge wind resistance design in the commercially available bridge design software package RM is shown. The Discrete Vortex Method and the implementation are shortly described. Initially, classical fluid problems are indicated together with the comparison of parametric cross sectional bridge shapes. After, three Brazilian large cablestayed bridge projects are presented as instance of analysis: Paulicéia, Guamá and Roberto Marinho. Bridges aerodynamic coefficients were experimentally obtained at the Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel Joaquim Blessmann at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). Finally, experimental results are considered precise and those results evaluated with CFD are compared analyzing the liability and applicability. According to the results variability, quite low, we considered them appropriated for basic and final structural designs; needing, although, for special cases, of experimental probation in wind tunnel tests before the construction phase. Some CFD analysis problems of cross sections are then presented as application examples. The results and similitude corroborate earlier verifications of the method and this implementation, demonstrating why its use is becoming increasingly acceptable.

O presente trabalho tem como objetivo realizar um estudo comparativo entre os três métodos para obtenção das características aerodinâmicas de tabuleiros de pontes: analítico, experimental e numérico. O tema é motivado pelo crescimento das necessidades de conhecimento científico e tecnológico na área de desempenho aerodinâmico de seções típicas de pontes nas etapas mais iniciais de projeto. A precisão de uma ferramenta de previsão certamente acelera a convergência ao modelo final; porém, qualquer metodologia numérica deve ser extensivamente testada antes de ser utilizada nos escritórios de cálculo. Inicialmente mostra-se a lógica da análise de instabilidades provocadas pelo vento, resume-se a modelagem de tabuleiros de pontes para ensaios em túnel de vento e descreve-se o método numérico implementado no programa comercial de análise de pontes RM. Comparam-se dados disponíveis de testes de modelos reduzidos no túnel de vento com as estimativas de aproximação do Método da Vorticidade em Partículas (MVP). Confrontam-se resultados para casos clássicos, um estudo paramétrico, dados dos relatórios de três pontes Brasileiras já ensaiadas no Túnel de Vento Joaquim Blessmann do LAC – PPGEC/UFRGS: Paulicéia, Guamá e Roberto Marinho. Finalmente, considera-se o método experimental como preciso e julga-se o método numérico comparativamente, analisando a confiabilidade dos resultados e procurando definir a sua faixa de aplicabilidade. Examinando a variabilidade dos resultados, bastante baixa, definiu-se sua faixa de aplicação considerando os resultados obtidos como satisfatórios para projetos básicos e executivos de estruturas; necessitando, porém, para os casos especiais, de comprovação experimental em túnel de vento antes da sua execução. Exemplifica-se então o uso do método para alguns problemas de análises de seções. Os resultados e comparações corroboram verificações anteriores do método dos vórtices discretos para verdadeiras seções de pontes e mostram porque o seu uso vem se tornando cada vez mais aceitável. / The work has the objective to realize a comparative study between three methods to obtain bridge aerodynamic coefficients: analytic, experimental and numerical. The theme is motivated by the increasing need of knowledge about the aerodynamic behaviour of bridge decks in the early stages of the design process. The accuracy of a predictive tool will certainly accelerate the convergence to the final design. However, any numerical methodology must be extensively tested ascertain and hence validated before it becomes of current use by designers. Collaboration is made comparing wind tunnel data of reduced models and numerical estimations by a simplified approach. After a brief overview of wind loading and wind tunnel modeling, the bridge wind resistance design in the commercially available bridge design software package RM is shown. The Discrete Vortex Method and the implementation are shortly described. Initially, classical fluid problems are indicated together with the comparison of parametric cross sectional bridge shapes. After, three Brazilian large cablestayed bridge projects are presented as instance of analysis: Paulicéia, Guamá and Roberto Marinho. Bridges aerodynamic coefficients were experimentally obtained at the Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel Joaquim Blessmann at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). Finally, experimental results are considered precise and those results evaluated with CFD are compared analyzing the liability and applicability. According to the results variability, quite low, we considered them appropriated for basic and final structural designs; needing, although, for special cases, of experimental probation in wind tunnel tests before the construction phase. Some CFD analysis problems of cross sections are then presented as application examples. The results and similitude corroborate earlier verifications of the method and this implementation, demonstrating why its use is becoming increasingly acceptable.