Design system for optimum contra-rotating propellers

A new type of contrarotating propeller (CRP) system has been developed through the cooperative research work of five shipbuilding companies in Japan (Hitachi Zosen Corporation; Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.; Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.; NKK Corporation; and Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd.). This paper describes a design system for an optimum CRP, which is one of the numerous outcomes of this work. The optimum design system is composed of three theoretical programs: (1) the design program of the optimum CRP; (2) the steady lifting surface program of the CRP; (3) the unsteady lifting surface program of the CRP. These theoretical programs will be discussed in the first part of the paper, and the design system supported by these theoretical programs will then be verified by comparing calculated and experimental results.Translation of an article that appeared in the Journal of The Society of Naval Architects of Japan, vol. 180 (1996): The original article won the SNAJ prize, which is awarded annually to the best papers selected from the SNAJ Journal, JMST, or other quality journals in the field of naval architecture and ocean engineering.     

Anaerobic digestion of marine biomass for practical operation

Marine biomass such as seaweed and fishery waste is a potential energy source although it has not yet been practically utilized. This work focuses on renewable energy technologies, particularly anaerobic digestion, for the utilization of various organic wastes as energy resources. Primarily fundamental data for the efficient operation of an anaerobic digestion plant with marine biomass was obtained and a practical operation method was proposed using a simple model based on the carbon mass balance. Batch-processing experiments for seaweed, fishery waste and vegetable waste were carried out and each digestion characteristic was presented. The results indicate that fishery waste is the most efficient even though the accumulation of ammonium ions may inhibit methane production. Seaweeds are not efficient in either the production rate or the yield of methane gas. We investigated the efficient continuous operation for 6 biomass input scenarios with the proposed model. The results show that seaweed can be a useful supplement for the efficient operation.     

A new lost time estimation method for right‐turn traffic in Japan considering signal phasing and sneakers

Precise estimation of the capacity for right‐turn traffic (comparable to left‐turn traffic in the USA) is of great importance to determine signal phasing schemes at signalized intersections in Japan, where the left‐hand driving rule is valid. However, in most signal timing procedures across the world, the lost time of right‐turn traffic is simply determined by the duration of intergreen intervals and thus lacks considerations of various signal phasing and driver behavior. Meanwhile, sneakers per cycle are usually applied to account for the number of drivers completing right turns during the effective red portion of the clearance‐and‐change intervals. As a result, an initial cycle length must be hypothesized in order to assess the total number of sneakers within the analysis period. Consequently, a time‐consuming iterative calculation process often becomes necessary. Therefore, the present study aims to develop a new lost time estimation method for right‐turn traffic to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks. Lost times of right‐turn traffic under three conventional phasing plans are theoretically formulated on the basis of a time–space diagram and shock‐wave theory. The new method is validated using field data, with case studies of its application in the signal timing procedure. Results indicated that the proposed method is capable of offering more accurate estimation than conventional approaches, which leads to shorter cycle length and simplifies signal timing process by eliminating an iterative check to determine the number of sneakers. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Higher-order boundary element method for the interaction of a floating body with both waves and slow current

A hybrid boundary element method is suggested to solve the problem of the interaction of floating structures with both waves and slow current. A pulsating source and its mirror image referring to the sea bottom are adopted as the Green's function. The velocity potentials are expanded into an eigenfunction expansion in the outer region of the fluid domain while higher order elements are used to discretize the boundary surface surrounding the inner region. The method is validated by comparing calculated results for a circular cylinder with the semi-analytical solutions. The method is then applied to ellipsoids of various breadth and draft to investigate the influence of body shape on the wave drift damping.     

The hydrodynamic forces acting on a cylinder array oscillating in waves and current

The problem of the interaction of multiple cylinders oscillating in waves and slow current is considered. The interaction is represented by waves emitted from adjacent cylinders towards the cylinder under consideration. Wave drift forces and moment in the horizontal plane are calculated by the far-field method based on the conservation of momentum or angular momentum. A semianalytical formula for the calculation of the wave drift damping is then deduced. The conservation of the integrals in these formulae is proved. Special treatments to improve the accuracy of results are discussed. Comparisons between calculated results and experimental measurements are made, showing satisfactory agreement. Effects of various combinations of current direction and incident wave angle on the wave drift damping and damping moment are also examined.     

A minimization theory in Hilbert space and its application to two-dimensional cavity flow with a numerical study

A minimization theory, which is based on the Hilbert space theory, is proposed and applied to two-dimensional cavity flow past a strut with the assumption of potential flow. That is, the minimization of the cavity drag of the strut on the cavity flow is studied with the help of the optimization theory proposed. To accelerate the optimization process, the Euler beam theory is introduced to generate a small variation in the strut. The introduction of the Euler beam theory makes the mathematical formulation for the present theory ill-conditioned. To overcome this condition, the Tikhonov regularization and the Morozov's discrepancy principle are used to regularize the present optimal theory. From the numerical study, it is shown that the proposed minimization theory is able to find an optimized shape for the given strut and corresponding optimized cavity drag. Received: June 22, 2000 / Accepted: January 30, 2001     

Estimation of the hydrodynamic coefficients of the complex-shaped autonomous underwater vehicle TUNA-SAND

Hydrodynamic coefficients strongly affect the dynamic performance of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). Thus it is important to have the true values of the coefficients in order to simulate the AUV’s dynamic performance accurately. Although these coefficients can be predicted by many methods, most are only applicable for AUVs with streamlined shapes. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) can be applied to estimate the hydrodynamic coefficients of AUVs with complex shapes. In this study, CFD was applied to estimate the hydrodynamic coefficients of the AUV TUNA-SAND (which stands for terrain-based underwater navigable AUV for seafloor and natural resources development), which has a complex block-like structure. First, the validity of the CFD simulation was verified by comparison with experimental results. Second, the relationships between hydrodynamic loads and motions for all six degrees of freedom were analyzed using the simulated results. Third, the importance of each hydrodynamic coefficient was investigated based on these relationships. There are 16 key damping coefficients that relate to viscosity and 12 key inertial coefficients that relate to the potential flow around TUNA-SAND. Finally, the values of all the key coefficients were obtained and verified by comparing the solutions of the simulated dynamics with the experimental results.     

Anti-seismic reinforcement strategy for an urban road network

This paper provides a novel practical method for analyzing an anti-seismic reinforcement (ASR) problem involving hundreds of transportation facilities on an urban road network subject to multiple earthquake risks. The relevant properties of the present method are: (i) it evaluates the performance of an ASR strategy, taking into account traffic congestion and travelers’ trip-making or route-choice behavior; (ii) it estimates the realistic damage patterns on the road network and their occurrence probabilities on the basis of recent advances in structural and earthquake engineering; (iii) it has clear, sensible logic and includes neither a black-box nor a “lottery” in the necessary procedures. We examine the computational efficiency and whether the present method is reasonable by applying it to a test scenario of the Kobe urban and suburban area.     

Development of a single-handed hydrofoil sailing catamaran

A new, high-speed, recreational dinghy has been developed. It is a catamaran with submerged hydrofoils, which allow the crew to control the trim and heel balances. The two hulls are allowed to rotate about a main beam. The hydrofoils, which are attached below each hull, change the angle of attack independently, and the difference between the lift forces acting on each hydrofoil makes the catamaran stable. The stability of the boat is examined by numerical calculations and one-third scale model tests. Received: September 14, 2000 / Accepted: July 3, 2001     

B－CELL APOPTOSIS INDUCED BY ANTIGEN RECEPTOR CROSSLINKING IS BLOCKED BY A T－CELL SIGNAL THROUGH CD40

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