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As a result of global warming, the prevalence of renewable energy sources such as wind farms has steadily increased over the last few decades. The wind industry is experiencing a push towards the offshore market, where wind speeds are higher and steadier, and wind farms can be co-located with areas of high populations, such as along the US East Coast. However, high wind and wave loading is proving costly for offshore developments, particularly floating structures such as semi-submersibles. Vibrations in the pitch and heave directions associated with greater yaw-bearing and tower-base bending moments, respectively, reduce the lifespan of these structures. This paper compares traditional tuned-mass dampers (TMDs) and tuned-mass damper inerters (TMDIs) with a nonlinear TMDI which utilizes a mechanical motion rectifier (MMR) to translate bidirectional to unidirectional motion of the primary generator shaft. The integration of the MMR system also permits the generator to disconnect from the tuned-mass damper inerter system when the generator is already spinning at a higher rate, thus providing potential to harvest additional energy from the vibration absorber. However, results show that the optimal nonlinear tuned-mass damper inerters results in near total engagement, reducing the efficacy of the system if optimal parameters can be feasibly sourced. The technology does show promise for situations where these optimal parameters cannot be attained, such as due to high stroke lengths and extremely low stiffnesses to correspond to the low platform frequencies. The development and preliminary testing of a 1/50th scale tuned-mass damper inerter prototype will be discussed; however, the full MMR system has yet to be integrated into the prototype. / Master of Science / As a result of global warming, the prevalence of renewable energy sources such as wind farms has steadily increased over the last few decades. The wind industry is experiencing a push towards the offshore market, where wind speeds are higher and steadier, and wind farms can be co-located with areas of high populations, such as the US East Coast. However, the cost of implementing this technology has presented a major challenge in the development of these structures. This paper discusses the application of a recent technology, nonlinear tuned-mass damper inerters (TMDIs), to absorb the vibrations associated with wave excitations on floating offshore wind platforms while also allowing disengagement of a generator shaft as needed to maximize generator speed and thus maximize energy harvesting potential. Results show comparable performance between the nonlinear TMDI and its more-common common tuned-mass damper (TMD) and linear TMDI counterparts in terms of vibration reduction and power performance. The integration of nonlinearity into the system may be best suited for slightly in-optimal parameters that are selected due to feasibility of sourcing and internal size constraints. The development and preliminary testing of a 1/50th scale TMDI prototype will all be discussed; however, development of nonlinearity in the TMDI system has yet to be integrated into the prototype.

Pour combler l'écart entre l'augmentation de la demande énergétique et l'épuisement de la production d'hydrocarbures onshore, l'exploitation des hydrocarbures offshore est de plus en plus envisagée, en particulier les gisements de gaz / pétrole dans les eaux plus profondes. En attendant, un grand nombre d'unités de traitement déployées pour la production d'hydrocarbures doivent respecter les contraintes environnementales conçues pour la protection maritime. Les systèmes tels que les réacteurs et les épurateurs à lit fixe embarqués deviennent inévitablement l'une des options les plus prometteuses pour atteindre ces deux objectifs. De nombreux efforts dans la littérature pour dévoiler l'hydrodynamique de l'écoulement multiphasé dans les lits garnis révèlent que des défis persistent soit dans leur conception / mise à l'échelle, soit dans leurs opérations. De plus, exposer ces réacteurs à des conditions marines difficiles telles que la convolution de la dynamique des navires et de l'hydrodynamique à l'intérieur des réacteurs à lit fixe conduit à des situations encore plus compliquées pour maintenir des performances de fonctionnement acceptables dans les conditions flottantes. Un grand nombre de preuves issues de la littérature a jusqu'à présent mis en évidence l'échec des colonnes garnies avec des garnissages aléatoires, des garnissages structurés ou des mousses à alvéoles ouvertes, pour empêcher la maldistribution des liquides dans les lits fixes destinés à fonctionner à bord de navires ou de platesformes flottantes. Les efforts de recherche doivent donc se poursuivre dans le but de trouver des composants internes robustes et capables de résilience contre la maldistribution des liquides dans les réacteurs / unités de séparation gaz-liquide. Ce projet de doctorat s’est proposé des recherches visant dans un premier temps de tester des internes disponibles commercialement pouvant préserver des performances similaires à celles des unités terrestres classiques. Au meilleur de notre connaissance, la sensibilité et la susceptibilité des réacteurs monolithes à une mauvaise distribution soumis à des conditions offshore n'ont pas encore été étudiées. Plutôt que de se concentrer uniquement sur une étude des lits monolithiques, le chapitre 1 opte pour une campagne expérimentale plus large comprenant un garnissage aléatoire et un garnissage en mousse à cellules ouvertes pour des comparaisons systématiques de la distribution des liquides en conditions flottantes. La distribution liquide des colonnes embarquées garnies de divers garnissages et pour une large plage de débit gaz / liquide est systématiquement comparée à l'aide d'un capteur à treillis métallique (WMS) et d'un émulateur hexapode à six degrés de liberté. La vraisemblance de conditions météorologiques extracôtières rudes pourrait menacer la sureté de l'exploitation des lits fixes, en particulier dans des situations extrêmes telles que des cyclones, des épisodes d'icebergs, etc. Pour assurer la sécurité du personnel et des installations, l’opération des colonnes garnies à bord doit être immédiatement interrompue pour éviter des problèmes de sécurité critiques sous de telles circonstances. Par conséquent, la base de connaissances sur la dynamique de drainage des liquides dans les lits flottants est iv essentielle pour assurer une vidange rapide du liquide. Néanmoins, l'étude de la dynamique du drainage liquide des lits fixes en conditions flottantes est à tout le moins rare. Par conséquent, le chapitre 2 se propose de comparer expérimentalement le drainage du liquide dans des colonnes garnies dans les conditions marines à celui observé dans une colonne statique verticale à l’instar des applications terrestres. En dehors de cela, l'influence des mouvements du navire (par exemple, cavalement, embardée, pilonnement, roulis, tangage, et lacet) à différentes amplitudes et périodes d'oscillation sur la dynamique de drainage des liquides est étudiée pour approfondir nos connaissances. Parallèlement à l'étude expérimentale, un modèle numérique Euler-Euler transitoire et en trois dimensions est utilisé en complément pour tenter de prédire la dynamique du drainage des liquides dans les lits flottants. D'autres facteurs susceptibles d'affecter la dynamique de drainage sont analysés par la simulation numérique. Ainsi, le chapitre 3 met en évidence l'influence globale des propriétés des liquides, de la structure du lit et des types de mouvement associé à la sollicitation marine. Par ailleurs, la campagne expérimentale en fournissant des données mesurables a permis de valider le modèle dans les conditions de roulis et de tangage testées au laboratoire. / To fill the gap between increasing energy demand and depletion of onshore hydrocarbon production, offshore hydrocarbon exploitation is increasingly contemplated especially the gas/oil fields in the deeper water. Meantime, large amount of deployed processing units for hydrocarbon productions must comply with the environmental codes designated for maritime protection. Systems such as embarked packed-bed reactors and scrubbers inevitably become one of the most promising options to achieve both purposes. Numerous efforts in literature to unveil the hydrodynamics of multiphase flow in packed beds reveal that challenges persist either in their design/scale-up or during the operations. Moreover, exposing these reactors to harsh marine conditions such as the convolution of ship dynamics and hydrodynamics inside packed-bed reactors leads to even more complex situations to maintain the proper operation performance of packed-bed reactors under floating conditions. A lot of evidence from literature has pointed out the failure of random and structured packings and open-cell foams, to prevent liquid maldistribution in packed beds destined to operate on-board sailing ships and floating platforms. Research efforts must therefore continue in the quest for robust internals capable of resilience against liquid maldistribution in gas-liquid reactors/separation units. The proposed Ph.D. research aims at firstly following a sound path to adapt commercially existing internals being capable of preserving performance similar to landbased packed beds. To the best of literature exploring, the sensitivity and susceptibility of monolith reactors to maldistribution subjected to offshore conditions have yet to be investigated. Rather than focusing on a study of monolith beds alone, Chapter 1 opts for a broader experimental campaign including a random packing and an open-cell foam packing for the sake of systematic comparisons of the liquid distribution under floating conditions. Liquid distribution of embarked columns packed with various internals under wide gas/liquid flow range is systematically compared with the assistance of wire mesh sensor (WMS) and six-degree-of-freedom emulator hexapod. Severe offshore weather conditions threaten the operation safety of floating packed beds especially encountering extreme situations such as cyclone, iceberg episodes and so forth. To ensure the safety of staff and facilities, the onboard packed columns must be immediately shutdown to avoid critical safety concerns under such circumstances. Therefore, knowledgebase of liquid draining dynamics in floating packed beds is the essence to ensure timely discharge of liquid. Nevertheless, the study regarding liquid drainage dynamics of packed beds under floating conditions is scarce to say the least. Then, Chapter 2 compares liquid draining of packed columns embarking on floating platforms with static land-based one experimentally. Other than that, the influence of ship motions (e.g., roll, roll & pitch, heave etc.) with different oscillation amplitudes and periods on liquid draining dynamics is investigated to deepen the insights. vi In parallel with the experimental study, a 3D transient Euler-Euler CFD model is employed as a supplementary analysis to further deepen the understanding of liquid drainage dynamics in floating packed beds. More factors possibly affecting the draining dynamics are exploited by numerical simulation. Consequently, Chapter 3 highlights the comprehensive influence of liquid properties, bed structure and moving types instead of focusing on impact of movements alone. Meanwhile, with sufficient body of experimental campaign, the validity and accuracy of model are strongly endorsed.

O presente trabalho vem propor um estudo numérico qualitativo de um modelo hidro-elástico para simulação das vibrações induzidas por vórtices (VIV) em cabos submersos. O modelo é composto de um sistema acoplado de equações que descrevem tanto a estrutura quanto o fluido. A estrutura é modelada através de um oscilador elástico clássico e discretizada através de um método de massas concentradas. O fluido é considerado através de osciladores discretos baseados em modelos fenomenológicos com equação de Van der Pol ou Ginzburg-Landau. O acoplamento entre os dois ocorre na direção transversal ao escoamento local através da força de sustentação. O estudo foi feito para verificar quais tipos de comportamentos de resposta podem ser obtidos através do uso dos modelos fenomenológicos e, também, avaliar o potencial de tais modelos no ciclo de projeto na indústria atual, com foco na indústria petrolífera. Esta adequabilidade ao uso em projeto leva em conta, em primeiro lugar, a qualidade das respostas, mas também leva em conta a viabilidade da execução de simulações numéricas em tempo apropriado. Assim, um modelo numérico foi desenvolvido para permitir a integração, no domínio do tempo, deste sistema hidro- elástico. Esta integração é feita através de um método explícito de Euler e permite tratar não-linearidades dos osciladores elástico e fluido. Um conjunto de situações foi simulado numericamente, incluindo configurações verticais e também configurações em catenária. As simulações indicam alto grau de acoplamento entre os osciladores, o que leva a ressonância entre ambos na maior parte dos casos. Com relação ao comportamento do oscilador estrutural em si, foi possível observar fenômenos interessantes tais como lock-in e travelling waves, além do terceiro harmônico da vibração transversal detectado em alguns experimentos reportados em literatura. Com relação à adequabilidade do uso do modelo em projeto, considera-se que isto seja possível dada a relativa rapidez das simulações e aos resultados promissores que ainda podem ser melhorados. / The present work proposes a qualitative numerical study of a hydro-elastic model in order to simulate vortex-induced vibrations in submerged cables. The model is composed of a coupled system of equations describing the structure and the fluid. The structure is modeled through a classical elastic oscillator and discretized using a lumped mass approach. The fluid is modeled through discrete oscillators based on phenomenological models using Van der Pol or Ginzburg- Landau type equations. The coupling between these two oscillators is carried by the lift force. The study was carried in order to verify which response behavior can be obtained by using such phenomenological models and also, to evaluate their potential to be used in the offshore industry. In order to accomplish that, the model must provide reliable answers and must allow fast responses when it comes to simulation time. In this sense, a numerical model was developed to allow the time domain integration of this hydro-elastic model. The numerical integration is performed by a simple explicit Euler algorithm and allows dealing with non-linearities of both oscillators, elastic and fluid. A set of conditions was numerically simulated, including top tensioned risers and catenary. Simulations indicate a high level of coupling between the two oscillators and thus resonance is achieved in most part of the cases. With respect to the structural oscillator analysis, it was possible to observe interesting phenomena such as lock-in, travelling waves and also the third harmonic observed in some experiments and reported in the literature. Regarding the feasibility of the model usage in the daily offshore industry life, it seems possible once the model generally runs fast and some promising results were achieved.

O presente trabalho vem propor um estudo numérico qualitativo de um modelo hidro-elástico para simulação das vibrações induzidas por vórtices (VIV) em cabos submersos. O modelo é composto de um sistema acoplado de equações que descrevem tanto a estrutura quanto o fluido. A estrutura é modelada através de um oscilador elástico clássico e discretizada através de um método de massas concentradas. O fluido é considerado através de osciladores discretos baseados em modelos fenomenológicos com equação de Van der Pol ou Ginzburg-Landau. O acoplamento entre os dois ocorre na direção transversal ao escoamento local através da força de sustentação. O estudo foi feito para verificar quais tipos de comportamentos de resposta podem ser obtidos através do uso dos modelos fenomenológicos e, também, avaliar o potencial de tais modelos no ciclo de projeto na indústria atual, com foco na indústria petrolífera. Esta adequabilidade ao uso em projeto leva em conta, em primeiro lugar, a qualidade das respostas, mas também leva em conta a viabilidade da execução de simulações numéricas em tempo apropriado. Assim, um modelo numérico foi desenvolvido para permitir a integração, no domínio do tempo, deste sistema hidro- elástico. Esta integração é feita através de um método explícito de Euler e permite tratar não-linearidades dos osciladores elástico e fluido. Um conjunto de situações foi simulado numericamente, incluindo configurações verticais e também configurações em catenária. As simulações indicam alto grau de acoplamento entre os osciladores, o que leva a ressonância entre ambos na maior parte dos casos. Com relação ao comportamento do oscilador estrutural em si, foi possível observar fenômenos interessantes tais como lock-in e travelling waves, além do terceiro harmônico da vibração transversal detectado em alguns experimentos reportados em literatura. Com relação à adequabilidade do uso do modelo em projeto, considera-se que isto seja possível dada a relativa rapidez das simulações e aos resultados promissores que ainda podem ser melhorados. / The present work proposes a qualitative numerical study of a hydro-elastic model in order to simulate vortex-induced vibrations in submerged cables. The model is composed of a coupled system of equations describing the structure and the fluid. The structure is modeled through a classical elastic oscillator and discretized using a lumped mass approach. The fluid is modeled through discrete oscillators based on phenomenological models using Van der Pol or Ginzburg- Landau type equations. The coupling between these two oscillators is carried by the lift force. The study was carried in order to verify which response behavior can be obtained by using such phenomenological models and also, to evaluate their potential to be used in the offshore industry. In order to accomplish that, the model must provide reliable answers and must allow fast responses when it comes to simulation time. In this sense, a numerical model was developed to allow the time domain integration of this hydro-elastic model. The numerical integration is performed by a simple explicit Euler algorithm and allows dealing with non-linearities of both oscillators, elastic and fluid. A set of conditions was numerically simulated, including top tensioned risers and catenary. Simulations indicate a high level of coupling between the two oscillators and thus resonance is achieved in most part of the cases. With respect to the structural oscillator analysis, it was possible to observe interesting phenomena such as lock-in, travelling waves and also the third harmonic observed in some experiments and reported in the literature. Regarding the feasibility of the model usage in the daily offshore industry life, it seems possible once the model generally runs fast and some promising results were achieved.