Laboratory for Ship and Platform Flows

 

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Ships have been engaged in maritime trade, national defense and leisure for millennia. Their hydrodynamic performance and design is an age-old problem in naval architecture, yet it still presents numerous challenges to the marine hydrodynamics community.  Research at the LSPF focuses on the modeling of free surface flows past conventional and high-speed vessels and the estimation of their resistance and seakeeping in deep and shallow waters. Recent studies have concentrated on the coupling of hydrodynamic simulations with modern optimal control theory for the minimization of the motions and the fuel efficient navigation of high-performance and conventional vessels in a stochastic environment. These studies encompass the development of analytical and computational techniques, including the use of the state-of-the-art SWAN (ShipWaveANalysis) Software Suite.

The exploration and development of large offshore hydrocarbon reservoirs in deep waters is a key activity of the oil industry, presenting a host of technological challenges. Research at the LSPF has concentrated upon the study of the hydrodynamics and dynamics of novel deep-water offshore platform technologies. This includes studies of the surface wave hydrodynamics of various concepts, the nonlinear statics and dynamics of mooring, riser and tether systems in water depths up to 10,000 feet and the response simulation of platform concepts in hostile weather environments. Recent studies have concentrated on the development of floater concepts for the support of wind turbines to be deployed in large scale offshore wind farms in shallow and deep waters. These studies encompass the development of analytical and computational techniques, including the use of the state-of-the-art SML (Swim-Motion-Lines) and SWAN Software Suites.

 

 

 

 

 

Books

Readings in Marine Hydrodynamics. Volume published in Honor of Professor J. Nicholas Newman. Paul D. Sclavounos, Editor.

Recent Publications

 

Sclavounos, P. D. (2012). The Nonlinear Impulse of Ocean Waves on Floating Bodies. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 697, pp. 316-335.

 

Sclavounos, P. D. (2011). Modeling, Valuation and Risk Management of Assets and Derivatives in Energy and Shipping. Laboratory for Ship and Platform Flows. Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

 

Sclavounos, P. D. (2011). Karhunen-Loeve Representation of Stochastic Ocean Waves. Proceedings of the Royal Society A, forthcoming.

 

Tsouroukdissian, A. R., Fisas, A., Pratts, P. (ALSTOM) and Sclavounos, P. D. (MIT) (2011). Floating Offshore Wind Turbines: Concept Analysis. American Wind Energy Association WINDPOWER 2011 Conference and Exhibition, Anaheim, CA, May 22-25.

 

Sclavounos, P. D. (2010). A Fluid Impulse Theory for the Nonlinear Loads, Responses and Stability of Ships and Floating Structures in Steep Random Waves. Technical Report. Laboratory for Ship and Platform Flows. Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

 

Sclavounos, P. D., Lee, S., DiPietro, J., Potenza, G., Caramuscio, P. and De Michele G. (2010). Floating Offshore Wind Turbines: Tension Leg Platform and Taught Leg Buoy Concepts Supporting 3-5 MW Wind Turbines. European Wind Energy Conference EWEC 2010, Warsaw, Poland, April 20-23.

 

Sclavounos, P. D. and Ellefsen, P. E. (2009). Multi-Factor Model of Correlated Commodity-Forward Curves for Crude Oil and Shipping Markets. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Working paper. Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research (CEEPR).

 

Sclavounos, P. D., Tracy, C. and Lee, S. (2008). Floating Offshore Wind Turbines: Responses in a Seastate, Pareto Optimal Designs and Economic Assessment. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Offshore Mechanics and Arctic Engineering Conference OMAE 2008, Lisbon, Portugal.

 

Sclavounos, P. D., Thomas, B. S. and Ulusoy, T. (2006). Optimal Ship Maneuvering and Seakeeping by Linear Quadratic Gaussian (LQG) Controllers. 26th Naval Hydrodynamics Conference, Rome, Italy, September 17 - 22.

 

Thomas, B. S. and Sclavounos, P. D. (2006). Optimal Control Theory Applied to Ship Maneuvering in Restricted Waters. To appear in Readings in Marine Hydrodynamics, Volume to be Published in Honor of Professor J. Nicholas Newman. Paul D. Sclavounos, Editor.

 

Chatzakis, I. and Sclavounos, P. D. (2006). Active Motion Control of High-Speed Hydrofoil Vessels by State-Space Methods. Journal of Ship Research, March 2006.

 

Wayman, E. N. and Sclavounos, P. D. (MIT), Butterfield, S., Jonkman, J. and Musial, W.  (NREL) (2006). Coupled Dynamic Modeling of Floating Wind Turbine Systems. Offshore Technology Conference (OTC), Houston, Texas, May 1-4, 2006.

 

Sclavounos, P. D. and Wayman, E. N. (MIT), Butterfield, S., Jonkman, J. and Musial, W.  (NREL) (2006). Floating Wind Turbine Concepts. European Wind Energy Association Conference (EWAC), Athens, Greece, 27 February - 2 March, 2006.

 

Jonkman, J. and Sclavounos, P. D. (2006). Development of Fully Coupled Aeroelastic and Hydrodynamic Models for Offshore Wind Turbines. AIAA Conference, Reno, Nevada, January 2006.

 

Sclavounos, P. D. (2005). Nonlinear Particle Kinematics of Ocean Waves. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 540, pp. 133-142.

 

Lee, K., Sclavounos, P. D. and Wayman, E. N. (2005). Floating Wind Turbines. 20th Workshop on Water Waves and Floating Bodies - Spitsbergen , Norway - May 29 to June 1, 2005.

 

Withee, J. E. and Sclavounos, P. D. (2004). Fully Coupled Dynamic Analysis of a Floating Wind Turbine System. 8th World Renewable Energy Congress, Denver Colorado .

 

Sclavounos, P.D., Purvin, S., Talha, U. and Kim, S. (2003). Simulation Based Resistance and Seakeeping Performance of High-Speed Monohull and Multihull Vessels Equipped With Motion Control Lifting Appendages. Keynote Lecture, FAST 2003 Conference , Ichia Italy .

 

Li, Y. and Sclavounos, P. D. (2002). Nonlinear Three-Dimensional Solitary Waves Generated by High-Speed Vessels Advancing in Shallow Waters. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 470, pp. 383-410.

 

Kim S. and Sclavounos, P. D. (2001). Fully Coupled Response Simulations of Theme Offshore Structures in Water Depths of Up to 10,000 Feet. 11th ISOPE Conference, Stavanger , Norway.