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Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics54/55 (1995) 621-631

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Wind environment over the helideck of an offshore platform

Q i a n g Chen", Zhifu G u a, T i a n f e n g Sun *'a, San Song b
aDepartment of Mechanics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China bCNOOC, Tanggu, Tianjing, China

Abstract

An investigation of the wind environment over the helideck of a model of an offshore jack-up platform was carried out in an atmospheric boundary layer wind tunnel. Hot-wire anemometry was used to measure the velocity distribution over the helideck for five different wind directions. The results showed that the mean velocities and root-mean-square values of the fluctuating velocity are quite different under various wind directions. Flow visualization by smoke-wire technique is also presented.

1. Introduction

Offshore structures are now very popular and wind loading on these structures is certainly one of the important loadings to be considered in the design. Davenport and Hambly [1], Vickery and Pike [2], Armstrong et al. [3], Chen et al. [6] and others studied wind loading (steady a n d / o r nonsteady) on offshore platforms by wind tunnel tests and/or analytic means. On the other hand, wind environment around the offshore platform also attracted the attention of researchers. For example, Grant et at. [4] studied the aerodynamic flow of the below-deck of a tension-leg-platform. Helidecks are often installed on offshore platforms for helicopter operations. The wind environment over the helideck is rather important for the safe operation of helicopters. The flow field over the helideck is somewhat similar to that over a threedimensional flat-plate in an atmospheric boundary layer stream, but it is also affected by its structural details, gas launcher, truss and other structures of the platform. To the authors knowledge the relevant data is rather limited [7,8]. This paper gives the results of a wind tunnel study of the wind environment over the helideck of an offshore platform in Beihai Sea, China. It may give some insight on the flow mechanisms over helidecks and provide some data for designers.

* Corresponding author.
0167-6105/95/$09.50 1995 Elsevier ScienceB.V. All rights reserved SSDI 0 1 6 7 - 6 1 0 5 ( 9 4 ) 0 0 0 7 7 - Q

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Q. Chen et al./J. Wind Eng. Ind. Aerodyn. 54/55 (1995) 621-631

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Fig. 1. Variations of mean velocityand turbulence intensity of the simulated flow.

2. Experimental equipments and model

The tests were carried out in an atmospheric boundary layer wind tunnel of the Peking University, with a test section 1.2 m wide, 1.0 m high and 8.0 m long. To produce a velocity profile and turbulence intensity similar to that over open ocean, roughness elements over the floor of the test section were employed. The exponential index of the power law velocity profile of the simulated stream at the model station was 0.11 (Fig. 1). The model of the platform used had a geometric scaling of 1:100 (Fig. 2). It should be noted that the edge of the helideck was slightly concaved upwind. The velocities over the helideck were measured by a hot-wire anemometer, TSI 1050, for five different angles of wind direction,/3 (/3 is defined in Fig. 2. The measured /3 are 0 , 90 , 104 , 240 and 270.) The measurements took place at ten stations of equal interval from side to side along both horizontal directions and at eight stations in vertical direction Z, up to Zr. Z is measured upward from the helideck. Thus there were 800 measurement points for each/3. Wind is generally a random variable of time. As it is usual practice, the instantaneous velocities measured at any point were decomposed into a time-mean velocity U and a fluctuating part. The latter should be described by statistical quantities, of which the most important one is its root-mean-square value, denoted as V' here. In the following sections, both U and V' are given. It should be mentioned that the use of a single-sensor hot-wire probe, as we did in the present study, in reversing flow and

Q. Chen et al./J. Wind Eng. Ind. Aerodyn. 54/55 (1995) 621-631

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624

Q. Chen et aL/J. Wind Eng. Ind. Aerodyn. 54/55 (1995) 621-631

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Fig. 3. Velocityprofilesat/~ = 90.

flow having Iu higher than 20% may give erroneous results [5]. Thus the result given below may be considered as a preliminary one for flow within the shear layer. In this paper the oncoming velocity Vr at the reference height Zr will be used as the characteristic velocity and the length of the helideck, L, as the characteristic length. The test Reynolds number Re, based on Vr and L, is 2.7 105. In full-scale structures, the relevant Re is of the order of 107. As the helideck has sharp edges, the effect of Re may be not as important as for the curved surface. Flow visualizations by thread tufts as well as smoke-wire methods were also conducted to show the features of the flow field. The latter was done using the equipment BDS-2 which was designed and developed at the Peking University [10].

3. Results and discussion The distributions of U and V' over the helideck at fl = 90 are given in Fig. 3. Fig. 4 shows the corresponding isotaches of U at different horizontal sections at Z / Z r = O. 1, 0.17 and 0.38. In these figures and similar ones showing velocity distributions, the origin of the coordinate system is located at the lower left corner of the deck, i.e. point D in the present case. F r o m Figs. 3 and 4, it can be seen that, on the upstream front edge (line AD), the values of U are quite large (maximum U attaining 1.4Vr) though the V' are rather small. Closely spaced isotaches near the edges AD and CD at Z / Z r = 0.1 and 0.17 indicate that there are large gradients in directions normal to these edges. This means that the oncoming flow, rising up due to blockage of the

Q. Chen et al./J. Wind Eng. Ind. Aerodyn. 54/55 (1995) 621-631

625

under-structures of the platform, separates from the front edge and the separated shear layer rises rapidly. The flow also separates from the side edge CD. Under the shear layer, U becomes small and V' increases significantly. M a x i m u m fluctuating velocities reach 0.4Vr. There are separated vortices whose shedding frequency has been measured to be 16 Hz. In the center region of the deck, the mean velocities have inflection points which m a y suggest flow instabilities [9]. There are two closed regions

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Fig. 4. lsotach for/3 = 90 (showing values of V/Vr). (a) Z/Zr = 0.1; (b) Z/Zr = 0.17; (c) Z/Z, = 0.38.

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Fig. 5. Velocity profiles at fl = 0 .

of U on the left and right sides of the deck where U / V r have the values of 0.8 and 1.0, respectively. Flow reattachment occurs in these two regions. The differences of U~Vr at these two regions are probably due to the appendage area of the deck and the gas launcher on the left side of the deck.

Q. Chen et aL/J. Wind Eng. Ind. Aerodyn. 54/55 (1995) 621-631

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12

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Fig. 6. Velocity profiles at fl = 104.

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Fig. 7. Velocity profiles at fl = 240.

Figs. 5 - 7 give distributions of U and V' over the helideck at fl = 0 , 104 and 240 , respectively. W h e n fl = 0 , the gas launcher is located ahead of the helideck and the flow field behind is affected. Except for fl = 0 , the U have turn-points in the center region which has a different size for different wind directions. This is related to the

628

Q. Chen et al./J. Wind Eng. Ind Aerodyn. 54/55 (1995) 621-631

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shedding eddies. At/7 = 104 , which is the prevailing wind direction at the site of the platform, the flow arrives at the helideck from both the front edge and the side edge. Near these two edges, V' is much smaller and the region where turn-points occurred moves away from the center and toward the other side of the helideck. There may be a large separated bubble in the region enclosed by the isotach of value 1.06 (Fig. 8). Several examples of pictures of flow field visualization by smoke-wire method are given in Fig. 9. These are the top view of the flow pattern over the deck at three different elevations Z from the deck surface in the case of fl = 90 . The first wire is located right above the front edge. It may be seen that the flow velocity over the deck is larger than outside the deck. The velocity near the center region of the deck, shown by the second and third wires in Fig. 9a, is rather small (fourth wire being right over the trailing edge). There is reversed flow, which is presumably due to the separation vortices. Flow along the right and left edges of the deck inclines toward the inside of the deck, indicating flow separation from both side-edges too. The same comment may be also applied to Fig. 9b in general, though the details are different. In Fig. 9c, the corresponding velocities are larger and this elevation may be located above the shear layer separating from the front edge. Fig. 10 gives the side view at fl = 90 . The wire is placed vertically at midspan by the side of the front edge. It shows clearly the flow separating from the edge and rising as it moves downstream. Chaotic flow prevails under the shear layer.

Q. Chen et al./.L Wind Eng. Ind. Aerodyn. 54/55 (1995) 621-631

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Q. Chen et aL/J. Wind Eng. lnd. Aerodyn. 54/55 (1995) 621-631

Fig. 10. Side view of smoke visualization at fl = 90 .

4. Conclusions (1) From wind tunnel testing, we have found that the distributions of the mean velocities and fluctuating velocities are quite different at different wind angles. (2) Flow separates generally at the front edges of the helideck. (3) Fluctuating velocities are quite large in a region between the upstream edges and the center part of the helideck. (4) In the center part of the helideck, the mean velocity U sometimes has a turnpoint which may suggest instability.

References
[1] A.G. Davenport and E.C. Hambly, Turbulent wind loading and dynamic response ofjackup platform, in: Proc. Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, Texas, 1984, Paper No. OTC4824. [2] B.J. Vickery and P.J. Pike, An investigation of dynamic wind loads on offshore platform, in: Proc. Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, Texas, 1985, Paper No. OTC4955. [3] B.J. Armstrong, I. Grant, F.H. Barnes and M.J. Drabble, Unsteady aerodynamic loading of a tension leg platform, in: Proc. Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, Texas, 1983, Paper No. OTC4641. [4] I. Grant, E.H. Owens and G.H. Smith, Aerodynamic flow field mapping round a TLP model by pulsed laser velocimetry, in: Proc. Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, Texas, 1987, Paper No. OTC5525. [51 N. Cook and D. Redfearn, Calibration and use of a hot-wire probe for highly turbulent and reversing flows, J. Wind Eng. Ind. Aerodyn. 1 (1975/76) 221-231. [6] Q. Chen, Z.F. Gu, T.F. Sun and S. Song, A wind-tunnel study of wind loads on offshore platform, in: Proc. 5th Nat. Symp. on Wind effect on structures, Fuzhou, China, October 1993, pp. 7 11 [in Chinese]. [7-1 W.H. Melbourne, Turbulence bluff body aerodynamics and wind engineering, 7th Australian Hydraulics and Fluid Mechanics Conference, Brisbane, Australia, 18-22 August 1980.

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[8] R.E. Akins, J.A. Peterka and J.E. Cermak, Averaged pressure coefficients for rectangular buildings, in: Proc. 5th Int. Conf. on Wind Engineering, Fort Collins, CO, 1979, ed. J.E. Cermak (Pergamon, Oxford, 1980) Vol. 1, pp. 369-386. [9] W.W. Willmarth and S.S. Lu, J. Fluid Mech. 55 (1972) 65. [10] R. Sun and Q.T. Wei, Application of smoke-wire method in flow visualization on bistable flow around two circular cylinders in side-by-side arrangement, in: Proc. 2rid Nat. Conf. on Flow visualization, Huang-Shan, China, 1986, pp. 32 36 [in Chinese].