Hydrodynamic coefficients of a forced oscillating flexible pipe with energy competition model

The objective of this study is to reveal the characteristics of hydrodynamic force and coefficients undergoing vortex-induced vibration (VIV) of a flexible pipe in an oscillatory flow. The flexible pipe is forced to oscillate with different amplitudes and periods in the still water to simulate the equivalent oscillatory flow. Different from the traditional model, the hydrodynamic forces for the flexible pipe under the new energy competition force model in both in-line (IL) and cross-flow (CF) directions are divided into drag, excitation and added mass force. The identification methods of the hydrodynamic coefficients for the energy competition force model are then established. The detailed features of the hydrodynamic coefficients under the new force model in an oscillatory are illustrated. The distribution comparison of the two forces, i.e., drag force plays a role in energy dissipation and excitation force acts as energy input, explains the differences of the VIV response in magnitudes under different oscillatory flows. By summarizing the hydrodynamic coefficients, the drag and excitation coefficients are found to be inverse proportion to the Keulegan-Carpenter (KC) number. The independence of the added mass coefficients and KC number is revealed. On the basis of the observation, the empirical models for hydrodynamic coefficients are preliminarily proposed. The effects of the oscillatory flow on the hydrodynamics are established to be determined by the KC numbers under the same reduced velocity. The present investigations will provide a better guideline for developing flow-induced vibration prediction methods in future work.

Automated summary

The characteristics of hydrodynamic force and coefficients in vortex-induced vibration (VIV) of a flexible pipe in an oscillatory flow are studied. A new energy competition force model is proposed for the flexible pipe, dividing the hydrodynamic forces into drag, excitation, and added mass force. The hydrodynamic coefficients are identified and their features are illustrated. The differences in VIV response under different oscillatory flows are explained based on the distribution comparison of drag force and excitation force. The empirical models for hydrodynamic coefficients are preliminarily proposed, providing a guideline for future flow-induced vibration prediction methods.