Hydrodynamics of a body floating in a two-layer fluid of finite depth. Part 1. Radiation problem

A linearized 2-D radiation problem was considered for a general floating body in a two-layer fluid of finite depth. A boundary integral-equation method was developed for directly computing the velocity potential on the wetted surface of a body which is immersed in both the upper and lower layers as a general case. To do this, appropriate time-harmonic Greens functions were derived, and an efficient numerical method of evaluating those functions is proposed. Based on Greens theorem, hydrodynamic relations such as the energy-conservation principle were derived theoretically for a case of finite depth, and we confirm that those relations are satisfied numerically with very good accuracy. Experiments were also carried out using water and isoparaffin oil as the two fluids and a Lewis-form body. Measured results for the added mass, the damping coefficient, and the amplitude of the generated waves are compared with the computed results, and a favorable agreement is found.     

Hydrodynamics of a body floating in a two-layer fluid of finite depth. Part 2. Diffraction problem and wave-induced motions

A linearized two-dimensional diffraction problem in a two-layer fluid of finite depth was solved for a general floating body and relevant wave-induced motions were studied. In a two-layer fluid, for a prescribed frequency, incident waves propagate with two different wave modes. Thus the wave-exciting forces and resulting motions must be computed separately for each mode of the incident wave. The boundary integral equation method developed by the authors in the Part-1 article was applied to directly obtain the diffraction potential (pressure) on the body surface. With the computed results, an investigation was carried out on the effects of the fluid density ratio and the interface position on the wave-exciting forces on the body and the motions of the body, including the case in which the body intersects the interface. By a systematic derivation using Green's theorem, all the possible reciprocity relations were derived theoretically in explicit forms for a system of finite depth; these relations were confirmed to be satisfied numerically with very good accuracy. Experiments were also carried out using water and isoparaffin oil as the two fluids and a Lewis-form body. Measured results for the sway- and heave-exciting forces and the heave motion were compared with the computed results, and a favorable agreement was found.     

Optimising courier routes in central city areas

Determining efficient routes for couriers in central city areas is becoming more challenging due to growing levels of congestion. New technologies allow on-street loading zones to be booked to reduce waiting times and circulation.Couriers when planning deliveries need to consider both driving and walking routes to optimise their activities. A two-layer optimisation model has been developed for determining the best routes for minimising operating and environmental costs. A genetic algorithm is proposed to find (near-)optimal solutions. The output can provide guidance for couriers as well as planners who are involved in determining duration limits at loading zones.     

Comparative assessment of liquid sloshing in dry and wet storage tank of floating offshore platform

In order to explore the characteristics of the single-layer liquid sloshing in offshore dry oil storage tank and the two-layer liquid sloshing in offshore wet oil storage tank, two series of experiments were carried out: one was free surface sloshing in a closed rectangular tank partially filled with colored water, and the other was interfacial sloshing in the identical tank but completely filled with white oil and colored water. The tank was mounted on a shake table and was subjected to harmonic horizontal excitation with different excitation amplitudes and a wide range of excitation frequencies, including the first seven natural modes of single-layer or two-layer liquid system. The present study find that the frequency responses of interfacial sloshing wave are analogous to those of the free surface sloshing wave, but smaller in amplitudes. The experiments also produce results that are unique to the two-layer liquid sloshing. For example, when the external excitation frequency is equal to or close to the odd mode natural frequency of two-layer liquid system, a complicated three-dimensional (3D) gravity-capillary wave might be generated at the oil-water interface. Finally, the comparisons of free surface and interfacial sloshing in the viscous damping ratio, higher sloshing modes, impact pressure amplitude and mass center displacement were conducted, which revealed the superiority of wet storage technology in structural safety and dynamic stability.