Wave and flow loads on inclined pipe at different immersion depths

Abstract

This paper investigates the force features of inclined pipes under the action of waves and flows through both test and numerical simulation. Firstly, the wave and flow loads on inclined pipes were examined through tests in circulating water flumes. Next, the unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations were adopted to numerically simulate the test conditions. Multiple factors were taken into consideration: immersion depth, inclination, flow rate, wave height, and cycle. The results show that, the wave and flow loads on the pipes both increase with wave height and flow rate. When the inclination β = 0°, the flow force is most rapid, conversely, it is most slow when the inclination β = 30°. Furthermore, when the pipe was immersed by 75%, the change of inclination directly affected the ratio of vertical force to horizontal force. For the pipes with different inclinations, the wave load increases basically at the same rate with the rising wave height. With the widening of the inclination, the wave and flow loads on the pipes become less sensitive to immersion depth, and the maximum loads remain near the free water surface.

Keywords

• Test and numerical simulation
• Inclined pipe
• Immersion depth
• Wave and flow loads